How much should you plan for your leisure trip to Rwanda? In this post, I’ll be writing about the costs needed to travel from Lagos to Kigali, Gisenyi and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. We made this trip from Nairobi and apart from the costs of flights, everything else is applicable when travelling from Nigeria to Rwanda.
This breakdown is based solely on my experience and is only intended for trip planning and presenting a fair idea of how much to budget. All prices stated here are either approximate or exact at the time of this writing. Scroll down to the end of the post to view a tabular summary of all costs.
What's Covered in this Post
Getting There: How to Get a Visa from Nigeria to Rwanda
Nigerian citizens visiting Rwanda for tourism do not require a visa to enter the country. Travellers may be required to present their return flight tickets and hotel reservations, so be sure to have this handy when you go through immigration. Though it might not be asked for, a yellow fever certificate is mandatory for entry.
Also, at the time of this writing, PCR tests are not needed for entry into the country. However, if you plan to go gorilla trekking, then you would need one. There are test centres available in all major cities within the country.
How Much is a Flight Ticket from Lagos to Kigali?
The price for a flight from Nigeria to Rwanda will vary depending on the dates you book them and the airline you choose to fly with. At the time of this writing, RwandAir operates direct flights from Nigeria (Lagos and Abuja) to Kigali, Rwanda. The total flight time takes about 4.5 hours.
When I checked for cheap flights from Lagos and Abuja, I found prices as low as ₦160,000. Flying from Nairobi, we paid approximately $430 each, however, while writing this article, I found prices as low as $199.
When booking your flights, booking directly with the airline is always advisable. This allows you to manage changes easily in case there’s any need. However, if you’d like an easy way to compare and track cheap flights from multiple airlines, then an aggregator like WayAway can be used to do just that.
PS: You can select different origin and destination cities, as well your vacation duration, by clicking on the blue icon at the top of the widget below.
Apart from RwandAir, other airlines such as Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways also fly to Kigali, stopping first at their respective hubs.
Trip to Rwanda: Transportation Costs
Our transportation costs for our stay in Rwanda, including airport transfers and rides within Kigali, and excluding the cost of our rental car were approximately $20. We rented a car (Rav4) with Kigali Car Rentals for 7 days and paid $40/day for it. In total, including fuel costs, we spent $380 on transportation.
Cost-saving Tip: Public transfers are usually cheaper if you're looking to save costs on transportation
Trip to Rwanda: Accommodation Costs
We stayed in 3 hotels in 3 different cities in Rwanda. Our first stay was at Phoenix Apartments in Kigali. We spent a total of 7 nights here and it cost us $420. In Gisenyi, we stayed at Gorillas Lake Kivu Hotel for 3 nights at $270. Lastly, in Musanze, we stayed at La Locanda‘s Master Suite for 2 nights and paid $370
Pending my review article of all three places, I will say that Gorillas Lake Kivu Hotel is the only one on the list I would probably not recommend a stay in, as it had more cons than positives for me.
Trip to Rwanda: Costs for Feeding, Activities + Miscellaneous Expenses
Our total food tab for 2 weeks was approximately $250. We combined eating out with preparing our meals in the self-catering apartment in Kigali. As for activities, we didn’t do much in Kigali and Gisenyi. In Kigali, I visited Kimironko Market (free to enter), got some fabric and had a dress and shorts made for about $20.
We also paid $15 each for a tour of the Nyamirambo neighbourhood with the Nyamirambo Women’s Center in Kigali and spent a little extra cash shopping at the store there. Our single most significant expense was $500 each, the cost of the gorilla trekking experience in Musanze/Kingi.
I have written a series of posts about how we spent our time in Rwanda. You can find them here.
Here’s an overview of everything we spent during our trip to Rwanda. Again, this breakdown is based solely on our experiences and is only intended for the purpose of trip planning and to present a fair idea of how much to budget. All prices stated here are either approximate or exact at the time of this writing.
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Summary Trip to Rwanda Cost Breakdown
| Items, Activities | Prices | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Flights from Lagos to Kigali | $860 | From Lagos, flights average around ₦225,000 with the lowest price I found being ₦160,000 |
| Visas | $0 | |
| Accommodation in Kigali (x 7 nights) | $420 | |
| Accommodation in Gisenyi (x 3 nights) | $270 | |
| Accommodation in Musanze (x2 nights) | $370 | |
| Activities in Kigali | $30 | |
| Gorilla Trekking | $1,000 | |
| Transportation: transfers within the city, car rental | $380 | |
| Feeding costs (x14 days) | $250 | |
| Covid-19 PCR Tests (for the trek) | $100 | |
| Miscellaneous | $50 | Tips, Boot rental, Sim cards, Shopping at Kimironko Market, etc. |
| Total costs for 2 people | $3,730 | $1,865 per person for 2 Weeks (including Gorilla Trek) |
How Affordable is a Trip to Rwanda?
Excluding the costs of the gorilla trekking experience, I found Rwanda to be an affordable destination for Nigerian travellers to visit. The country caters to all budget types, and the cost of flights from Nigeria is among the cheapest for international destinations.
I hope you find this trip to Rwanda’s cost breakdown useful. Please leave me a comment to let me know what you think / if you have any questions!
And don’t forget to share (on Twitter), and follow my adventures on Instagram
I love your Rwanda series so much. As someone who is looking to visit East Africa anytime from next year, this post has provided me with lots of information on what to expect.
Thank you!
A question though, does the flight cost include return tickets?
Thank you, Favour! You will love visiting East Africa and yes, the flight costs are for return tickets.
Wow! That’s insanely cheap. I’ve been sleepinggg