Rwanda visas, flights and entry for a safari

Rwanda has one of the most open visa policies on the continent. Citizens of most countries are issued a 30-day visa on arrival at Kigali International Airport, and several nationalities enter visa-free. Applying in advance through the Irembo portal is possible and speeds up arrival slightly, but is rarely necessary.

If your trip includes Uganda or Kenya as well, the East Africa Tourist Visa gives 90 days of multiple entry across all three countries for a single fee. Use our visa guidance tool for confirmation against your own passport, and always check the official position close to travel — we do this for every guest as part of pre-departure.

RwandAir connects Kigali to London, Brussels, Dubai, Doha, Johannesburg, Nairobi and much of West Africa. Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, KLM, Brussels Airlines and Ethiopian all serve KGL, so most itineraries need only one connection from Europe, the Middle East or North America.

Kigali International Airport is genuinely quick — arrival to vehicle in twenty minutes is normal. We meet every guest inside the terminal, which matters after a long flight.

A yellow fever certificate is required if you are arriving from a country at risk of transmission. Malaria prophylaxis is advisable for Akagera and the lower-lying areas; the Virungas at 2,500 metres are low risk. Take advice from a travel clinic six to eight weeks before departure.

The Rwandan franc is the local currency, cards are accepted in Kigali and at lodges, and US dollars are widely usable — bring notes printed after 2013. Mobile data is excellent across the country and lodge Wi-Fi is generally strong. Single-use plastic bags are banned at the border; leave them at home.

Volcanoes National Park is two and a half to three hours from Kigali on good tarmac, or twenty-five minutes by helicopter. Akagera National Park is about two and a half hours east, Nyungwe National Park four to five hours south-west, and Lake Kivu roughly three hours west.

Because all Volcanoes National Park activities begin in the morning with a 07:00 briefing at Kinigi, we always position guests near the park the night before a trek rather than driving up on the morning itself.