Visiting Rwanda On A Budget

Wondering how much do you need to travel to Rwanda? Where will you stay? Will it be expensive ? And how about food and drinks? You obviously want to have fun but on a budget right? So, Let’s read on and see how you will be visiting Rwanda on a budget.

You can’t exactly be certain on exactly how much money you are going to use. However when you know the average prices of most of the necessities like accommodation, transport and food. Below are a few things that can aid you cope with your budget appropriately:

Accommodation

Before you visit, you should first look for the lodging facility that fits your budget well because that would be the most costly thing out of the rest. When deciding on where you are going to stay there is a variety of hotels but if one wants cheap and affordable accommodation there is hostels, Airbnbs and guesthouses. These can be used both in the city of Kigali and out of the city.

Hostels

Hostels are new in Rwanda and aren’t very many. However a room in a hostel such as; mijo hostel, discover Rwanda and airport hill guest house are relatively cheap. They can be around 10 USD to 15USD per night. 

Airbnb

Airbnbs are becoming more and more popular in the whole country. Ranging from Kigali to Gisenyi to Musanze with a price of about 10USD per night. That price can be for two guests, so they can share the cost and enjoy an affordable place to stay.

Guesthouse

Hotels are likely to cost 100USD or more per night. You don’t have to worry though, there are more private rooms such as gisa stay 101 for around 20USD to 50USD per night. Some have abundant bed and breakfast options as well.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Transport

When it comes to moving around, it is important you choose the right transportation that you can afford or pertinent to your budget. The transport means used in Rwanda are; motorbikes, buses, taxis, car rentals etc.

Motorbikes

Motorcycles are the cheapest, fastest, and easiest way to move around. It similarly is the best way to explore and discover the entire city. Getting around in Kigali usually costs from 300RWF to 1500RWF. The price cannot go lower than 300 and not higher than 1500 in the city of Kigali. However in other cities in Rwanda it might exceed 1500RWF.

Buses

When going out of the city, the buses are affordable and reliable through the whole country. There are different and many bus stations in Rwanda. The main bus stations in Kigali are; Nyabugogo bus station, Kacyiru bus terminal, Kigali city bus station. The bus costs are from around 2, 000RWF to 4, 000RWF.

Taxis

Taxis are more expensive than buses and motors. When it rains though, motorbikes cannot be used because it’s wet and dangerous. In this case taxis are the next best option. A ride is approximately charged from 2, 500RWF to 10, 000RWF. There are different types of taxis, the one you negotiate the price with the driver and the ones that use a meter to calculate the cost. The ones that use a meter are; move and yego. For move you call 0785144807 and yego you call their toll free number 9191 and a taxi will pick you up and drop you off.

Car rent

There are some places like the Nyungwe, Akagera national park, Lake Kivu, kibuye etc. that are better explored by cars. It would be costly to use taxis to move around. Cars are available for rent from 30USD per day depending on the car you want.

Food

There is a variety of international food. However prices of restaurants can equal to American and European restaurants, which is quite expensive. If you’re interested in checking out some of the top restaurants in Kigali check : (link)

You can save on food by eating at local restaurants or buying food and cooking yourself. The local restaurants serve rice, beans, ugali, potatoes, green banana (matoke), brochettes, melange etc. The local restaurants serve food from 1500RWF to 3000RWF for lunch and 3,000RWF to 8,000RWF for dinner.

There is liquor, wine and cocktails as well but they are really expensive if you’re on a tight budget. However there are local beers and soft drinks available at a more affordable price.