When planning to travel to Rwanda it is so much easier today and before the country required advanced Visa application but today a passport is required to enter Rwanda and a certificate of vaccination for yellow fever is normally required to return back to the country of origin.
As of January 1, 2018, nationals of all countries in the world may obtain visas on arrival without advance applying. A Rwandan visa costs US$30 for stays of up to 30 days. Nationals of Hong Kong, Mauritius, the Philippines and Singapore may enter Rwanda visa-free for stays of up to 90 days.
Nationals of Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will be granted a visitor’s pass on arrival for stays of up to 6 months and nationals of the Democratic Republic of the Congo will be granted a free visa on arrival for stays of up to 90 days.
Thin plastic bags are prohibited in Rwanda. Luggage will be searched at the border and even at police checkpoints throughout the country to make sure you are not carrying plastic bags. Prior to the ban, one-time use plastic bags plagued city streets and threatened the delicate environment. Today, Rwandan cities are almost litter-free and some of the cleanest in Africa!
By plane
There are direct international flights into Kigali from Brussels several times a week on Brussels Airlines, and from Istanbul three times per week on Turkish Airlines. KLM also flies to Kigali directly from Amsterdam. Rwanda Air has, since the end of August 2011, started flights to Dubai (via) Mombasa using its new Boeing 737-800 and separately to Jo-Burg using the same aircraft. Rwanda Air also flies to London and Brussels three times a week. Qatar Airways also has direct flights into Kigali from Doha. More so Rwanda has easier the Visit Rwanda campaign by introducing the direct flight from London to Kigali.
There are also daily flights from Entebbe airport in Uganda, Johannesburg and Addis Ababa. Additionally, there are connections twice a day from Nairobi, and several flights a week to Bujumbura. Note that the Rwandan capital is also easily accessible (3 hours by road) from the Goma airstrip in DRC.
By car
Transport network Road infrastructure The following areas are paved: • Kigali – Kibuye very winding, little traffic, in good condition. • Kigali – Ruhengeri good condition. • Ruhengeri – Gisenyi: Good. • Kigali – Uganda border Byumba: good condition, many trucks. • Kigali – Gitarama: Good. The road network of the city of Kigali and its suburbs, outside the main paved roads, consists of roads in very poor condition which requires you to drive 4×4 Car in Rwanda on your self drive holidays.
The Kibuye – Gisenyi and Kibuye – Cyangugu tracks remain difficult. The use of an all-terrain vehicle is recommended. Fuel supply is generally provided in the main cities. Generally, drive with caution, particularly at night, given the large number of pedestrians along roads, including children.
By bus
In Uganda, several bus companies make the 8 hour journey from Kampala in Uganda to Kigali. As of August 2017, it costs 40,000 Ugandan Shilling from Kampala to Kigali on both Jaguar and Trinity. The most reliable bus company is Kampala coaches, Jaguar and Trinity from Uganda.
Tanzania has an open border with Rwanda, but this is a far more difficult way to enter Rwanda as it is remote, and part of the road in western Tanzania remains unpaved. A bus runs from Mwanza to Benako (both Tanzania) and from Benako buses run onto Kigali. Another town to consider on this route is Ngara (Tanzania).
Several buses run from Dar es Salaam via Morogoro and Dodoma (they all leave Ubungo bus station around 06:00-07:00) to Kahama daily. You will have to spend the night in Kahama and then get a minibus or shared taxi to the border. From the Rwandan side of the border, there are minibuses to Kigali.
In Burundi, there are two ways to enter from Rwanda, and security in border areas varies. For the intrepid, there is a daily direct service from Kigali to Bujumbura operated by Yahoo Car, and since 2007, a new luxury service operated by Belvedere Lines. If there are security concerns on the Bujumbura – Huye – Kigali route, it is also possible to go along the road bordering (but not entering) DRC. You will probably have to do this in a series of minibuses via Cibitoke, Bugerama (Rwanda) and Cyangugu (Rwanda). With both of these routes, check the security situation with your embassy (the Belgian embassy has the best information).
For Democratic Republic of the Congo, much of the country remains off limits to many tourists due to instability, though Goma and Bukavu can be visited easily from Rwanda.
By train
In 2009, Rwanda and Tanzania announced a plan to build a railway line between Isaka, Tanzania and Kigali.
Get around
Short distances can be traveled either on foot, or by taxi – velo (bicycle taxi). Taxi – velos are widespread, and are relatively inexpensive but not allowed in urban areas. A taxi – velo driver will cycle, and the passenger will sit rather precariously on the back.
Motorcycle taxis (taxi – moto) are also popular, especially in Kigali, a normal journey will cost up to $2. If you look like a foreigner and are walking on the main road, drivers will probably come up to you to offer a ride. Most of the drivers speak basic English or French, some do not.
Taxis are less common, and are best found at taxi stations, by waiting at the taxi sign at bus stops, or by calling them. They are significantly more expensive, even short rides cost 2000 francs, almost $4, and longer rides can be 5,000 or more (almost $10).
Slightly longer distances, indeed the whole country, can be traveled by Matatu (or Twegerane, literaly let’s get closer). These white minibuses are found throughout East Africa, and are crammed full of adults, children, and anything else you can think of (bags, chickens).