Bus
Getting around in Rwanda is pretty easy with buses going to most major towns and cities. The country is small and the main roads are fantastic. They might even be better than the roads in Canada! The country is hilly though so the roads are winding and it’s not uncommon for the back of the bus to become a vomit factory. Mmm… vomit factory. Seriously, though, if you have a fragile tummy, make sure to arrive early and snag a seat near the front of the bus near a window.
Buses are efficient, reasonably comfortable (as compared with Tanzania) and cover a lot of the tiny country, fanning out from Kigali. It’s often easier and more comfortable to keep returning to Kigali to get to your next destination which can seem frustrating but the alternative is a rough ride over bumpy, dusty roads in a packed bus.
Within Kigali buses are pretty good with a decent amount of coverage of the city. They’re a cheap option with rides to most places costing well under $1. There are large, white buses that are efficient and spacious and then the smaller, brightly painted matatu-style mini vans that cram as many people in as possible.
Moto Taxi
Getting from one point to another in Kigali and other major towns is as simple as waving down a motorcycle taxi and hopping on. You can travel on a moto for as little as $0.50 to $2 which is more expensive than the buses, but the convenience (and the fun) is hard to beat. Moto drivers wear green vests and they even carry a helmet for you to use. They’re regulated and only allowed to carry one passenger per bike which means that they’re a lot less scary than the boda bodas you’ll find in Uganda. Kigali is made up of beautiful rolling hills and moto taxis make a great way to take in the scenery.
Plane
Rwanda is so small that there’s not a lot of need for domestic flights and the only place in the country they fly to is Kamembe in the southwest of the country. The airline is growing slowly and always adding new international routes. Here’s where they fly to so far:
- Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Brazzaville, Congo
- Brussels, Beligum
- Bujumbura, Burundi
- Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania (via Kilimanjaro)
- Dubai, UAE (via Mombasa)
- Entebbe, Uganda
- Kemembe, Rwanda
- Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
- Johannesburg, South Africa
- Mombasa, Kenya
- Nairobi, Kenya
Boat
There are a few lakes in Rwanda the largest being Lake Kivu to the west. Plenty of fishing boats ply the lake and small boats exist to take tourists out to the islands from Gisenyi and Kibuye but using a boat for point-to-point transport isn’t really done. It is possible but a boat to take you from the top to the bottom of the lake (or vice versa) can cost as much as $1000! I have no idea where this price comes from. I did once meet a couple who took a boat from Gisenyi to Kibuye for considerably less but they were sure they were going to die as waves rolled into the boat and water came in from the floorboards. So yeah… maybe the boat isn’t the best option.
