Getting Around Rwanda

3 more images

RwandAir is one of the youngest and most modern airlines on the African continent. Operating with the latest Boeing 737-800 NG planes and the only ones in Africa with the Sky Line Interior the airline operates flights to and from Kigali to Johannesburg, Brazzaville, Lagos, Mombasa, Nairobi, Bujumbura, Dubai and a number of other destinations.
Safe and modern operation with spot on service!

1 more image

the roads are quite good in Rwanda and if you do not want to take a cab or walk in Kigali (they call Rwanda the land of thousand hills for a reason - and a number of these hills are quite steep), you can take a moto-taxi, riding on the back of a motorcycle. Has the advantage that during rush hour you can actually move... Passengers are also equipped with a hard hat for more safety

4 more images

Want a cheap, quick and even SAFE way to get around? Take a motorcycle taxi! No, really. Known as ‘Taxi Moto’ they are actually regulated across most of Rwanda. You will see these guys scooting around in their green jackets, helmets with ID numbers, AND an extra helmet for you! They belong to a Union known as ASSETAMORWA (Abayobozi b'Ishyirahamwe ry'abatwara moto mu Rwanda) and have 9,000 operators with 3,500 of them in Kigali. If they belong to the Union, it means that your driver is insured for accidents! You will find them in every big town and quite a few small ones. I found all of these guys to be safe, friendly and reliable. Only on ever tried to ask for a higher price and I said ‘No’ and the correct price was then quoted. The helmet they provide you is required by law – so do wear it. You will also find that the strap does usually work.

The Taxi Motos in Rwanda are the safest in Africa. And they are insured! They are also cheap and provide a fun experience. You also will find it hard to find a regulated/insured car taxi outside of Kigali. And many of the ones in Kigali are unregulated!

A few rules about Taxi Motos:
* Agree the price first. Most trips are 300 RWF anywhere
* If they look confused or don’t understand – wait. Get them to ask other Taxi Motos until someone understands you and your destination. Another Taxi may then take you.
* Wear that helmet!
* If you do think they are going too fast shout “bahoro, bahoro”. I never actually saw one going too fast in my travels with them in several cities.
* It is more polite to hold the back rail rather than the driver, but do what ever is safer. Just don’t hold the guy too tight.
* If you want to go for longer trips you can ask a price for a ‘tour’. They will also wait or come back for you if you want to stop somewhere like a restaurant. I was not asked for any extra money for them to come back in 1-2 hours.
* There is etiquette for flagging them down, but any polite hand gesture will do.

4 more images

Virunga Bus is the best way to get from Kigali going east all the way to Goma in the DRC. OK, well Gisenyi is its twin border town anyway. Why? Because for a few pennies more you do not have to stop in every village, wide spot in the road, the odd large tree or when some local waves down the bus. Many other bus companies operate a crazy affair where if they have a seat and some guy in a field waves- they stop and he’s on. They also stop EVERYWHERE. They also operate as a haulage firm so guess what? They stop at shops and businesses moving goods and packages.

Virunga calls itself an ‘Express’ service meaning it only stops in Ruhengeri in between Kigali and Gisenyi. They may let someone off on the roadside, but no new passengers and bags are allowed on. This keeps it relatively quick.

I also found their ticket people professional, their drivers safe and they leave ON TIME. I would suggest you buy your ticket the day before. They also do not overbook. They are simply the best bus service in Rwanda. They start their first departures from Kigali at 6am and Gisenyi at 5am. Their latest departures are at 5pm in Kigali and 6:30pm in Gisenyi. The Kigali buses run every hour, the Gisenyi buses every half an hour through most of the day. Just speak to the staff for more information.

The Virunga bus depot in Kigali is located slightly off-street and the ‘Bus Touts’ will try and ‘kidnap’ you in the mornings to go onto a different bus line! They are nice, but persistent. That is why it pays to buy your ticket the afternoon before.

There are other bus lines like ‘Volcano’ and variations of that name. I saw them stopping to pick up people and goods form remote areas constantly. They also wait until they are full. Virunga has a large sign with the departure times and they go on time.

Virunga has variations of their own name like ‘Virunga Ponctuel’ which is French for PUNCTUAL. Sadly they misspell this on their own tickets.

VIRUNGA. Accept no substitutes!

Fares are 2800 RWF ($4.90 OR 3.41 Euros) between Kigali and Gisenyi

LOCATION IN KIGALI
Rue du Lac Rwero. It is 1 block west of Simba Supermarket and 2 blocks from the Union Trade Centre in the Centre Ville.

4 more images

Ok. So you want to go from Kigali to Butare in the south or even cross the border and go to Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. There used to be 2 bus lines called variations of Yahoo! Car Express. Now there is just the one called New Yahoo! Car Express. Sometime shortened or called another variation depending of the signs in some of their locations.

This is the cheapest way to get between Kigali and Bujumbura. You have to fly otherwise. It cost 6000 RWF ($10.50 or 7.30 Euros) from Kigali to Bujumbura and takes between 5 and 7 hours depending on the driver. The 7 hours was the safe driver. The 5 hours was the crazy driver who killed a pig, raced the other Yahoo bus around blind bends, almost collided with the other bus and a lorry and made 2 passengers sick. Take some whiskey with you. It may be necessary.

They are located in the Centre Ville of Kigali across from the Union Trade Shopping Centre (where Nakumatt supermarket is). They have a bus leaving at 6am every day then apparently every 2 hours after that. Be there at least 15 minutes early as there is some possibility over over-booking some departure times. I recommend the 6am departure from Kigali as you still have daylight time in Butare and/or Bujumbura. Also buy your ticket the day before. French is the optimal language for the ticket people, but you can get by with some English.

Security at the stops (2 in Rwanda, once at the border) is generally good, but someone did try and grab a small bag of mine through an open window when I got out. It had a locking cable attached to the seat, so they had no chance.

On board is a bit cramped and you change busses sometimes while still in Kigali. The environment was fun and friendly though. Good music, laughing fellow passengers and the staff took care of the large bags. It is a great way to experience local life, see the countryside and sometimes have long conversations with Rwandans about their country.

My friend and I went to Rwanda for a week last December and discovered the best way to get around was on motorcycle! After paying for cabs we stopped at a cafe and our waiter recommended that we take motorcycle taxis instead. We're used to being in Kenya and Tanzania where it would be totally unsafe to do this but decided to give it a go to save money. What fun! We took them all over Kigali, all times of the day and night. It's an inexpensive and great way to see the city. They're all licensed by the government and wear a vest so you know they're the real deal. They'll give you a helmet and then off you go! They didn't tend to speak much English so if you know French or Kiswahili it will be helpful. If not, you can usually find someone to translate for you. Ask a local for acceptable rates because the drivers will bargain with you.

We also did the gorilla climb without hiring a safari company to take us. We took a bus, to a matatu and then hopped on motorcycle taxis (with our luggage!) and went to our guesthouse. The looks we received upon arrival from the tourists already there were classic!

If you are using Impala Express to visit Nuyngwe Rain Forest note that you may be charged a whole seat for your luggage if it cannot fit at the tiny luggage department at the back of the bus. Tickets cost 4000 rwandan franks, a little less than ten US $. In that case you must pay 8000 franks to accomodate your luggage.

Book early so that your luggage can be next to you on the seat. Otherwise you will pay the ticket and your bag will be placed on the floor.

If you wish to travel between Rwanda and Uganda by bus do not make the same mistake I did and use Gasco bus company. Their coaches are old, they are overcrowded, (even people standing up for a 9 hour trip), you are like a sardine and if you sit at the back you will end up with a wound on your bum from the pot holes and the crazy speed these buses are driven. I had to ask the driver to slow down and bring us safely to Campala. The guy thought he was driving a Formula one car on one of the worst and most dangerous roads that I have ever encountered in my life.

I used Jaguar for the trip between Uganda and Rwanda and it was just slightly better.

Warning! This is a difficult and long trip. It is good for the experience but it is very dangerous too. The part of the road between Kigali (Rwanda) and the border is full of turns and the road between the border and Campala (Uganda) is full of potholes.