Best time to visit Rwanda
Best time to visit Rwanda : The best time to visit Rwanda is one of the most asked questions by travelers looking at visiting Rwanda. Ahead of travel to a new destination, it is very important to know which time is the best to visit so as to enjoy your trip and not get surprised. Rwanda is a popular destination for visitors looking for primate safaris and mountain gorilla trekking in particular. Rwanda is an African country located in the Eastern part of the continent in the south of Uganda, the west of Tanzania, in the north of Burundi and in the south east of the Democratic republic of Congo.
Rwanda is a small landlocked country with many hills and this is why it is famously known as the land of a thousand hills or the Switzerland of Africa. The biggest percentage of tourists coming into Rwanda are looking for a chance with the mountain gorillas. This mountain gorilla experience is offered in the Volcanoes national park to any individual above 15 years and has purchased a permit.
Mountain gorilla trekking in Rwanda gives tourists a magical hour with the mountain gorillas, a primate that shares up to 99% of the human DNA and behavior. You get to visit these in the wild and maintain a distance. Mountain gorillas tend to live in forested and mountainous land so expect to do some trekking through bush land and at high altitudes. The mountain gorillas of Rwanda stay on the bamboo forest giving guests a clear view on the activity.
Rwanda has four national parks and these are Volcanoes national park, Nyungwe forest national park, Akagera national park and Gishwati Mukura national park and all these national parks are all unique. The Akagera national park is the only one located in savannah land and the others are located within tropical rainforests.
Rwanda has two seasons and each of these seasons has a positive and a negative if you opt to visit during either. The two seasons of Rwanda are the rainy season and the dry season. The rainy season of Rwanda is a long one running from around March to May and this is when the rains received are heavy and more persistent. The rainy season later in the year resumes in the months of October and November.
The dry season of Rwanda runs from the middle months of the year and this is June to the middle of September and another short dry season from December to February. Being a dry season in Rwanda does not mean there will not be any rain as rain is expected any time of the year being in a tropical area. Light rains may pour during the day even in the dry months so be packed ready.
The average temperature in Kigali the capital city of Rwanda is about 21 degrees centigrade on a daily but it keeps changing on the different altitudes.
Dry season
If you opt to visit during the dry season, there are a number of advantages of travelling during this period. During the dry season, the trails in the parks are smoother to pave your way through as there is less mud and this is common in the forested parks.
In the wildlife park, during the dry season, guests get to enjoy more of the wildlife as they will be out enjoying the sun and usually have a drinking pond where they take their water so it will be easier to locate them.
The dry season is however quite busy as this is the time most travelers opt to visit and the competition for resources may be high. Hotel rates are also higher during this period because of the high demand so be sure to book your hotel in advance. Activity permits as well will have a high demand in this period.
Wet season
Opting to travel during the wet season gives visitors a chance to enjoy the resources in abundance as there are less visitors. Visitors are bound to get enough attention during their safari from the service providers. You are also able to get a good bargain for your Rwanda safari during these months as some destinations tend to create offers to attract more guests to visit during this period.
The wet season is however tricky as the rain pours are expected any time and the trails in the parks get muddy and sometime impassable on worst case scenario days and the animals are usually in further places trying to keep warm.
Choosing the best time to visit a destination entirely depends on your interests as a traveler. Get in touch with us and let us advise you on the best time to visit Rwanda depending on your interests.
