Travelling & Living Overseas

Sub Saharan Africa

Rwanda Flag of Rwanda

Still current at: 29 August 2008
Updated: 30 July 2008


This advice has been reviewed and reissued with an amendment to the Local Travel - Air Travel section (Air Burundi). The overall level of the advice has not changed.

(see travel advice legal disclaimer)

Travel advice for this country

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Travel Summary

  • We advise against all but essential travel to the rural border areas with Burundi and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), except to the towns of Gisenyi, Kibuye and Cyangugu. This is because of the risk of cross-border incursions by armed guerrillas operating from both countries. Please see the Local Travel section of this advice for more details.
  • There is a low threat from terrorism.  But you should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks which could be in public areas, including those frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.
  • The main types of incident for which British nationals required consular assistance in Rwanda in 2007 were for: assisting victims of petty crime; and hospitalisations.
  • We strongly recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. You should check any exclusions and that your policy covers you for all the activities you want to undertake. See the General (Insurance) section of this advice and Travel Insurance for more details.

Safety and security

Terrorism

There is a low threat from terrorism.  But you should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks which could be in public areas, including those frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers. For further information and advice see Terrorism Abroad.
 
Crime
 
Levels of crime remain relatively low in Rwanda.  However, since December 2006, there has been an increase in bag snatching and mugging incidents targeting expatriates and tourists.  You should take sensible precautions i.e. do not walk in the streets after dark, do not carry large amounts of money and do not leave cars unsupervised in the town centre. For more general information see Victims of Crime Abroad.
 
Political Situation
 
Rwanda Country Profile
 
Local Travel
 
We advise against all but essential travel to the rural border areas with Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), except to the towns of Gisenyi, Kibuye and Cyangugu. There remains a residual risk of incursions by armed groups operating from both countries.  We currently advise against all travel to those areas of Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that border Rwanda.  Please see the Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) travel advice for more details.
 
You are strongly advised to seek local advice if you intend to travel close to these border areas and you should exercise caution at all times. If you are planning to visit the gorillas or climb volcanoes in the Parc National des Volcans (also known as Volcanoes Park or the Virunga National Park) you should go as part of an organised tour.
 
Road Travel

UK and international driving licences are acceptable for three months, after which you should apply for a Rwandan licence.
 
The road infrastructure from Kigali to all major towns is good.  There can be landslides on some of the major roads during the annual rains in late spring and autumn. Road travel after dark should be avoided as roads are unlit and driving standards are poor.  Shared taxis (mini-vans) and motorbike taxis are the most common form of public transport within towns and around the country.  However, they are also the most vulnerable to accidents, and incidents.

For more general information see Driving Abroad.

Air Travel

The EU has published a list of air carriers that are subject to an operating ban or restrictions within the community.  You should check the following link to see whether this will affect your travel - Air Transport Portal of the European Commission.

Four carriers fly in and out of Rwanda: SN Brussels, Kenya Airways, Rwandair and Ethiopian Airlines.  Air Burundi also flies to Kigali from Bujumbura but it is not IATA accredited.  In 2008 Rwandair decommissioned one of its aircraft, affecting flights to Nairobi, Bujumbura and Johannesburg  In the interim Rwandair has been outsourcing these routes to Jetlink (Kenya), which is not IATA-accredited. Some passengers have reported delays and re-routings at short notice.

For more general information see Airline Security.

Local laws and customs

Photography of government buildings is prohibited. Due to environmental reasons, plastic bags have been banned. Visible plastic bags will be confiscated on arrival at the airport.

For more general information for different types of travellers see Travel Advice Relevant to You.

Entry requirements

Visas

British nationals do not need a visa to enter Rwanda for up to three months.  If you intend to travel to Rwanda more frequently or you are working there you should contact the Rwandan Immigration Department for a longer duration visa.  Further information is available from the Rwandan Embassy in London.

Please note that if you are planning to apply for resident/business or missionary multiple entry visas upon entry to Rwanda you will need to obtain UK police clearance.  We strongly advise you to obtain police clearance before travelling as this takes a minimum of 40 working days to process.

 
Yellow fever vaccination certificate

You may be asked for your yellow fever vaccination certificate on arrival at Kigali International Airport, especially if you are entering Rwanda from a country where yellow fever is present.

Health

Only limited medical facilities are available.  In the event of serious accident or illness an evacuation by air ambulance to Kenya or South Africa may be required.
 
Malaria is common to Rwanda.

In the 2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic the UNAIDS/WHO Working Group estimated that around 160,000 adults aged 15 or over in Rwanda were living with HIV; the prevalence rate was estimated at around 3.1% of the adult population. This compares to the prevalence rate in adults in the UK of around 0.2%.  You should exercise normal precautions to avoid exposure to HIV/AIDS. For more general information on how to do this see HIV and AIDS.
 
You should seek medical advice before travelling to Rwanda and ensure that all appropriate vaccinations are up to date. For further information on vaccination requirements, health outbreaks and general disease protection and prevention you should visit the websites of NaTHNaC and NHS Scotland's Fit For Travel or call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.

For more general health information see Travel Health.
  

Natural disasters

Volcanoes

The Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira volcanoes, around 20 kms away from the western border with DRC, are showing signs of renewed volcanic activity. In May 2006 a UN vulcanologist warned that Nyamulagira may erupt in the future.

Earthquakes

On 3 February 2008 an earthquake of 6.0 magnitude was recorded in Bukavu (eastern DRC) and a second earthquake of magnitude 5.0 struck near the Lake town of Cyangugu in South -West Rwanda.  Both caused a number of fatalities in both eastern DRC and southern Rwanda and the first earthquake was also felt in Rwanda.

General

Insurance

We strongly recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling.  You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for all the activities you want to undertake. For more general information see Travel Insurance.

If things do go wrong when you are overseas then this is How We Can Help.

Registering with the British Embassy

All British nationals should register at the British Embassy on arrival. You may also register with our LOCATE service to tell us when and where you are travelling abroad or where you live abroad so our consular and crisis staff can provide better assistance to you in an emergency.  More information about registering with LOCATE can be found here.

Passports

You should be aware that the British Embassy in Kigali offers only an Emergency Passport service.

Travel advice for this country

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contacts

Rwanda, Kigali, British Embassy

Address:

British Embassy
Parcelle No 1131
Boulevard de l'Umuganda
Kacyiru-Sud
BP 576 Kigali

Telephone:

(250) 584098/ 586072
(250) 585771
(250) 585773

Fax:

(250) 582044

Email: embassy.kigali@fco.gov.uk

Office hours:

GMT:
Mon-Thurs: 0600-1000/1100-1500
Fri: 0600-1000

Local Time:
Mon-Thurs: 0800-1200/1300-1700
Fri: 0800-1200
Out of hours, Embassy in Kigali answer machine gives contact number
Duty Officer: +250 0830 2343

Website: http://www.britishembassykigali.org.rw