Rwanda by Road: Short Distances over Winding Hills

Arriving in Kigali

Kigali International Airport lies at Kanombe, on the eastern side of the capital, a short drive from the centre of Kigali. Taxis wait outside the arrivals hall, and hotels, lodges and tour companies send drivers to meet their guests there — the usual start of a trip that continues by road. Overland, roads cross into Rwanda from the neighbouring countries, though a border can close at short notice. By air or by land, nearly every visitor needs a visa for Rwanda.

The main roads from Kigali

Three main roads leave the capital. The road north-west climbs to Musanze, the base for Volcanoes National Park and its gorillas, in about two to three hours, and continues to Rubavu on Lake Kivu. The road south passes Nyanza and Huye, then heads west through the mountain forest of Nyungwe. The road east reaches Akagera National Park in about two and a half hours. In the west, the lakeshore road runs south from Rubavu by Karongi towards Nyungwe, bend after bend above Lake Kivu. Nyungwe is a long day's drive from Kigali by either road. Joined up, these roads make a loop around the country.

Journeys between towns are made by daylight. Close to the equator, darkness falls soon after six in the evening all year, so a long drive starts in the morning. On the last Saturday of each month, Umuganda, the morning of community work, stops traffic and most services until about eleven; a travel day is better begun after it.

A car with a driver

Most visitors travel Rwanda in a car with a driver, arranged through a hotel, a lodge or a tour company, often for the whole trip. The driver knows the roads and the park gates and waits while a trek or a forest walk takes its course, and many drivers double as guides. The vehicle is usually a four-wheel drive, and many have a roof that lifts for watching animals on a game drive in Akagera.

Driving a hire car

Cars can be hired in Kigali, with or without a driver. Traffic drives on the right, and a visitor at the wheel carries an international driving permit with the home licence. The main roads are paved, but they pass through village after village, with people on foot and on bicycles along their edges, and the driving is steady rather than fast. A four-wheel drive with good clearance suits the tracks of Akagera, above all in the rains, and the unpaved roads to some lodges.

Buses between towns

Buses and minibuses link Kigali with the towns of every province. In the capital they leave from Nyabugogo, the main bus station, where each company sells tickets at its own counter; on the busy routes, such as those to Musanze, Rubavu and Huye, departures follow one another through the day. Shared minibuses serve the smaller places off the main roads, stopping along the way.

Motorbike taxis in the towns

Motorbike taxis, called motos, are the quick way across Kigali's hills and around every town. The driver carries a second helmet for the passenger, who wears it, and takes one passenger at a time. The fare is agreed before setting off and paid in cash, in Rwandan francs. For luggage, a group or a longer ride, a car taxi is the alternative, and in Kigali one can also be ordered by phone app.