Cost of Safari to Rwanda and Cheapest Time to Travel
The “land of a thousand Hills” as Rwanda is fondly known is a famous safari destination. Thousands of travellers come each year to see the wildlife, especially the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat, to watch the big five game in Akagera National Park, explore the countryside, watch different bird species and track the chimpanzees as well as golden monkeys. However, even with the wide array of attractions in stock, Rwanda is renowned for being a very costly safari destination. Nonetheless, what is the cost of a safari to Rwanda and the cheapest time to travel? Simply read on for the breakdown of the costs.
Average Costs of a safari to Rwanda
When you undertake a safari to Rwanda, your average costs will appear as;
How much does accommodation in Rwanda Cost?
Rwanda Gorilla Trekking
Rwanda attracts all categories of travellers, ranging from budget backpackers to sophisticated safari enthusiasts. For this reason, there is a wide array of accommodation facilities across the country’s four National Parks, popular Towns/Cities and even the countryside areas. However, remember that the term budget” is relative because what is taken to be cheap in Rwanda might actually be more costly than you actually thought. The smaller, remote and less popular Towns offer relatively cheaper rates and with that said, you might need about $10 to $20 per night in a smaller Town or $30 to $80 per night for a budget place of lodging in popular destinations, $100 to $250 per night for a midrange accommodation and $300 to over $3000 per night for lodging in Rwanda.
How much should be budgeted for local transportation in Rwanda?
Although Rwanda is a small country, you might need to start making plans in advance on the possible itinerary ideas or else you will be wasting huge sums of money on local transportation. The beauty about Rwanda’s destinations is that they are very accessible from the Capital City (Rwanda) with the longest journey being about 5-6 hours’ to Nyungwe Forest National Park while Akagera National Park and Volcanoes National Park are 2.5 hours and 3 hours from Kigali respectively. The most convenient way of getting around Rwanda is by renting a car where a driver is also provided thus comfort while travelling.
How much is spent on tourist activities?
Some exciting tourist activities in Rwanda are surprisingly free but the majority of them cost money. For instance, gorilla permits that allow you to see the endangered Mountain gorillas in their natural habitat costs about $1500 per person per trek. Entry fees to most Museums and Art galleries go for $5 to $10 per person while Game drives in Akagera National Park cost $25 per person for half-day and $40 per person for a full day. Rwanda’s chimpanzee permits go for $90 per person for the foreign non-residents, $60 for the foreign residents, $10 for the East African residents and RWF 5000 for the Rwandan Citizens. Additionally, it costs $100 per person to see the golden monkeys in this country.
How much should be budgeted for food and drinks in Rwanda?
Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Prices of food and drinks in Rwanda are very affordable and on average, you can spend $5 for a simple breakfast, $10 to $15 for a nice buffet lunch and about $15 to $20 for dinner. This is about $30 to $40 for food each day during your safari to Rwanda. Prices of alcoholic drinks in this country depend on location and therefore expect to pay more than double the normal price when buying drinks at a Hotel or Safari Lodge.
Unspecified/miscellaneous spending
Most travellers to Rwanda are advised to keep some extra cash on hand for random spending like tipping, undertaking extra tours that weren’t initially planned for, shopping or for a night-out/enjoying nightlife in Kigali City. For this, we recommend about $200 to $300 for unspecified spending for the entire safari to Rwanda.
The cheaper Time to travel to Rwanda
While Rwanda is open throughout the year, the cheaper time to travel is in the low season-March to May, October and November because, during these months, most accommodation facilities offer discounted rates. However, your visit comes with more challenges that include muddy, messier and slippery trails because of heavy downpours.
Conclusively, the cost of your safari to Rwanda will depend on the chosen tourist activities, the number of days, means of getting around, food and drinks and places of lodging but all in all, the country is an affordable safari destination.