Rwanda: country facts, travel advice and health

Move: book Volkswagen ride-hail cars in Kigali and pay by cash, card or mobile money.Yego: local app for hailing taxis and motorbike taxis.MTN MoMo: the leading mobile money wallet, accepted by most shops and vendors.Airtel Money: the second mobile money wallet, also widely accepted.Remitly / WorldRemit: send money from abroad straight to a local mobile money number.IremboGov: the government online portal for applying for a visa in advance.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Cards or cash

Mostly cashMostly cards

Step 4 of 5: Cards are taken in most places, but keep some cash for small purchases.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Money in Rwanda

Rwandan Franc · RF · RWF

Bring US$50 or larger notes dated 2006 or later to get a better exchange rate.

Change only what you need at the airport; banks and city bureaux pay a little more.

Withdraw cash before the weekend, as ATMs sometimes run empty.

Street vendors and small places often refuse the smallest coins, so spend them or avoid them.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Collect Rwandan Franc in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpen

Public holidays in the next 12 months

Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day

Sat, 26 Dec 2026 · St. Stephen's Day Boxing Day

Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day

Sat, 2 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day

Mon, 1 Feb 2027 · National Heroes' Day

Fri, 26 Mar 2027 · Good Friday

Mon, 29 Mar 2027 · Easter Monday

Wed, 7 Apr 2027 · Tutsi Genocide Memorial Day

Sat, 1 May 2027 · Labour Day

Thu, 1 Jul 2027 · Independence Day

Sun, 4 Jul 2027 · Liberation Day

Fri, 6 Aug 2027 · Umuganura Day

Sun, 15 Aug 2027 · Assumption Day

Source: Nager.Date · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

02Free

Safety today

Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Rwanda say, side by side, checked daily.

German Foreign Office says

No travel warning

Calm ●

Caution

Serious

Don’t go

Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

U.S. Department of State says

Reconsider travel

Calm

Caution

Serious ●

Don’t go

Level 3 of 4

Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 3 Jun 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

UK Foreign Office says

Advises against all but essential travel to parts of the country

Some regions differ, see the official page.

Source: GOV.UK
Updated 4 Sept 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.

03Free

Health

Routine shots, hepatitis A, B, typhoid; yellow fever proof if from a risk country. Malaria; altitude in parts.

Vaccinations

Stay current on routine shots; hepatitis A, hepatitis B and typhoid are advised, and a yellow fever certificate is needed when arriving from a risk country.

Malaria

Risk

Altitude

Some parts of the country are high enough for altitude sickness.

Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.

Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.

04Travel layer

In the app: the travel layer

The travel layer

Read a country like someone who’s been there.

What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use

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Must-see · 1Kigali

Hilly, walkable capital with a car-free central promenade.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Strange & surprising · #1

On the last Saturday morning of each month the whole country does compulsory community work; most shops shut.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

National anthem: Rwanda Nziza. The lyrics, translated, and the story are in the app. Source: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

2 World Heritage sites in Rwanda, each with a photo and its story, in the app. Source: UNESCO World Heritage List

05Free

Deep facts

Economy
GDP	≈ $16.4 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Per person	≈ $1,124Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Top exports	gold, rare earth ores, coffee, tea, tin ores (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Population
Population	14.6 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Median age	21.3 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Life expectancy	66.6 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Religions	Catholic 39.9%, Pentecostal 21.3%, Protestant 14.6%, Adventist 12.2%, other Christians 4.2%, no religion 3.0%, Muslim 2.0%, other religions 2.0%; less than 1%: Jehovah Witness, not specified, Animist (2022 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2022 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Geography
Area	26,338 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Climate	temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possibleSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Terrain	mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to eastSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Government
Type of government	presidential republicSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Calling code	+250Source: libphonenumber · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

About the data

Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.

From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.

CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 25 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).