Mount Bisoke
A volcano in the Virunga range, climbed on a guided day hike through bamboo and forest to a crater lake at the summit. The route is steep and often muddy, with views above the clouds.
Volcanoes National Park
A trek through misty bamboo forest on the Virunga volcanoes' slopes leads to golden monkeys and mountain gorillas.
Attractive locations
Mount Karisimbi
The highest volcano in the Virunga range, climbed on a demanding guided trek that usually takes two days with a night camp. The summit is cold, often misty, and rewards with wide views.
Mount Sabyinyo
An eroded volcano with a jagged, many-toothed summit ridge on the border with Uganda and Congo. Guided hikes lead up through forest to the ridge.
Lake Burera
A long, deep lake among terraced hills, with islands and fishing villages along its shore. Together with neighbouring Lake Ruhondo, it offers calm views and a break from hiking.
Lake Ruhondo
A scenic lake with islands and steep green slopes, close to Lake Burera in the north of the country. Boat trips and lakeside lodges make it a relaxing stop.
Volcanoes National Park
A mountain park in northwest Rwanda covering part of the Virunga volcano chain, home to endangered mountain gorillas. Treks lead through bamboo and forest to gorilla groups and volcano summits.
Mount Muhabura
A tall, symmetrical volcano on the border with Uganda, with a crater lake near its summit. Hikers climb through forest and alpine meadows for views over the Virunga range.
Airports
Kigali International Airport KGL
It is about 91 km in a straight line from Volcanoes National Park.
Kamembe Airport KME
It is about 128 km in a straight line from Volcanoes National Park.
Scams and safe taxis
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan17.3 °C126 mm
- Feb18.0 °C127 mm
- Mar18.0 °C206 mm
- Apr17.5 °C183 mm
- May17.2 °C142 mm
- Jun16.7 °C74 mm
- Jul16.7 °C45 mm
- Aug17.4 °C91 mm
- Sep17.7 °C139 mm
- Oct17.4 °C190 mm
- Nov17.2 °C218 mm
- Dec17.2 °C153 mm
Driest months: Jun, Jul, Aug. Wettest months: Mar, Oct, Nov.
Costs
Prices here are about 27% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Festivals and events
culture
Kwita Izina (gorilla naming)
Newborn mountain gorillas receive their names at a national ceremony.
Who can help
Emergency
112 is the general emergency number. Ask your hotel or guide for local police and ambulance numbers.
local government
Rwanda National Police emergency line 112
Helps with: Rwanda has no separate tourist police unit listed. The national police list 112 as the emergency number, plus 113 for traffic accidents and 111 for fire and rescue.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Rwanda, including visitors, who needs the police urgently.
Phone: 112
Email: info@police.gov.rw
Address: P. O. Box 6304 KIGALI - RWANDA
local government
Rwanda Development Board (RDB)
Helps with: Rwanda's national development agency, which also promotes tourism through the Visit Rwanda website. Its listed contact line takes general questions; it is not an emergency service.
Who qualifies: Anyone with questions about visiting Rwanda or planning a trip there.
Phone: 1415
Email: info@rdb.rw
Address: KN 69 Street, Kigali
ngo
Rwanda Red Cross
Helps with: Rwanda's national Red Cross society. Its work includes disaster response, first aid and health care, restoring family links for separated families, and blood donation drives.
Who qualifies: People in Rwanda who need its first aid, health, family-links or disaster help services.
Phone: +250 788 457 617
Email: rrcs@redcross.org.rw
Address: KG 15 Ave, Kacyiru, Kigali, Rwanda
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Rwanda
Helps with: The UN migration agency. In Rwanda it supports the government on migration, and its work covers migrants in vulnerable situations and survivors of trafficking.
Who qualifies: Migrants in Rwanda, especially vulnerable migrants and trafficking survivors. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +250 788 389 723
Email: iomrwanda@iom.int
Address: KG 227 28 St, Amarembo, Nyabisindu Cell, Remera, P.O. Box 1126, Kigali, Rwanda
local government
Ministry in Charge of Emergency Management (MINEMA)
Helps with: Rwanda's emergency management ministry, which coordinates disaster response and recovery. Its page lists the toll-free number 170 and an email address.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Rwanda affected by a disaster or needing to report one.
Phone: 170
Email: info@minema.gov.rw
embassy
Foreign embassies in Rwanda (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation)
Helps with: For a lost passport or serious trouble, contact your own country's embassy. The ministry's page says 47 missions are based in Kigali and links PDF lists of them.
Who qualifies: Citizens of each country, through their own embassy or consulate.