About Rwanda

Charles and Darius have asked me to write an introduction to Rwanda from a European perspective. I hope that you find my notes below are useful, if I have made any mistakes then I do apologise and please do check information before committing to travel:

Flights to Rwanda from Europe:

There are 2 main companies offering these flights, AirBrussels and KLM. The AirBrussels offers a quicker solution as it offers flights directly from Brussels to Kigali (with a small stop in Entebbe on the way home). Personally I prefer the KLM flight which takes longer as it stops for several hours in Niarobi but the planes are bigger, offer more space, better films and the airport in Kenya offers good shopping! Both flights are similarly priced, at around £775 from the UK at the time of writing.

Transport in Rwanda:

In Kigali it is quite easy to hire a taxi for single journeys, for a car this generally seems to cost 5,000 rwf for a (rather precarious) motorbike up to 1,000 RWF. To leave the City it is best to hire a jeep for a few days. These can be provided by AA Tours for a very reasonable fee, who also can provide airport travel as well for their clients.

Hotels in Kigali:

The top hotel is the Serena, followed by the Mille Collines. These are the biggest hotels and the only ones to offer air. The Serena charges around $270 per night and the Mille Collines around $210. Our preferred choice is the Chez Lando which does not have aircon but the rooms are tidy and clean and offer views of carefully managed gardens. The average room there costs $60 per night including a basic hot breakfast.

Food in Rwanda:

Most food is based on rice and cooked bananas with your choice of meat. It is the perfect place for vegetarians, but for those who are not I do recommend goat kebabs.

Drink in Rwanda:

Many good local beers are available, but wine is very expensive indeed. The coffee is however absolutely lovely and should be tried. As an additional note it might be worth trying the bottled Banana Beer t is very high in alcohol and does have a rather - unique- taste!

Places to Eat:

The Chez Lando offers a great menu and the staff are very friendly. If you wish to move further afield there is the very nice buffet at Chez Robert and the high class Heaven restaurant both of which offer great food. There is also an Italian restaurant just down the road from Chez Lando which serves lovely pizzas.

Security in Rwanda:

On the whole security and safety is very good in Rwanda, we have certainly not had any problems. Indeed to be honest we feel a lot safer in Kigali at night than in the towns and cities of the UK! We have also seen many unaccompanied European ladies travelling the city who feel similarly at home.

Places to Visit:

Places that MUST be visited are the Genocide Memorial in Kigali, the national park to the South of the country and the Gorillas in the Volcanoes. The gorillas really are amazing as they come very close to you and you have baby gorillas climbing the trees above you. It is also worth just walking around in none tourist/commercial areas of Kigali to get a feel for the real country and meet some local residents.

AA Tours:

We have worked with AA tours over the past 18 months, they are thoroughly to be recommended and will ensure that your stay in Rwanda is well organised and fully supported.

Jonathan Baxter
Scream.co.uk Ltd
0845 643 9969
jbaxter@scream.co.uk