TRANSPORT MEANS TO USE WITHIN RWANDA

One of the commonly asked questions by tourists intending to visit Rwanda for safaris is “what transport means can be used to or within the country? With the well developed road transport system in this country, there are so many ways of getting around/or to different destinations during safaris.

Firstly, Rwanda’s National Carrier is Rwandair that operates to and from a number of destinations (almost 21 places) such as Accra, Brussels, Mumbai, Abidjan, London, Dubai, Lagos, Juba, Johannesburg, Istanbul, Bujumbura, Douala, Mombasa, Addis Ababa, Harare, Nairobi, Juba, Lusaka, Kilimanjaro, Libreville, Dar es Salaam, Doha, Entebbe and Nairobi as well as organizing domestic flights to Cyangugu among other places.

Besides Rwandair, other airlines also organize flights to Rwanda and these include Turkish airlines, Qatar airways, Brussels airlines, Flydubai airlines, KLM, British Airways, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and South African Airways. However when it comes to transportation within the borders of this beautiful country, road transport is commonly used and surprisingly boasts of well developed and maintained tarmac roads for the comfort of travelers.

Due to the developed road transport system and the fact that National Parks are not far from each other, it is very easy to connect to different places in Rwanda during safaris. Volcanoes National Park for instance is around 105 kilometers West of Kigali and takes about 2-3 hour’s drive to reach the destination, Akagera National Park is about 135 kilometers and around 3 hour’s drive from the Capital, Nyungwe Forest National Park is situated at 255 kilometers and approximately 4-5 hours drive from the City and newest Park (Gishwati-Mukura) is approximately 78 kilometers and 1-2 hour’s drive from Kigali. This means that you can easily connect to any of the destinations than other countries like Uganda where Parks are far apart from each other.

Therefore, different transport means can be used for moving around Rwanda and these include;

Buses

Buses are the most efficient and convenient means of transport used in this country, especially within Kigali and other large urban centers. Interestingly, these buses don’t only stop within the country but connect to the neighboring countries of Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi hence easier to visit other destinations for safaris. Some of the common bus companies operating in the country are Volcano Express, Trinity Express, Kigali Bus Services, Jaguar Bus Services, Coastal Regional Coaches, Onatram buses, Modern Coast Express, Ritco Buses, Virunga Business group, Horizon Express, Kampala Coaches and Sotras Express. The one good thing you will love about this country’s bus companies is that they depart at scheduled times hence you will not have to sit for long hours waiting for the driver as he scouts for more passengers. Whether the bus is half full, it will embark at the scheduled time.

Motorcycle Taxis

Also known as Moto Taxis, these are the cheapest, fastest and commonest used transport means in Rwanda, although are considered unsafe. However, safety precautions have to be taken which include putting on a helmet and passengers have to follow the standard style of sitting for men and women. The riders are also supposed to wear helmets, green vest/or jackets and carry ID numbers to identify themselves. Credible riders belong to Association de l’Ésperance des Taxis Motor au Rwanda (ASSETAMORWA), an umbrella association of motorcycle Taxi operators.

Yahoo Cars

These are minibus services operating between Rwanda’s Kigali City and Burundi’s Bujumbura City, and can be found within Avenue De La Paix in Kigali. For instance Yahoo Car Express offers comfortable transport for tourists traveling from Kigali to Bujumbura.

Commuter Taxis

Commuter Taxis, locally known as “Twegerane” are also used around urban areas of Rwanda. Twegerane is a “Kinyarwanda” word meaning “let’s sit together”.

Special Hire Taxis/Cab transport

Cabs in Rwanda are also known as Taxi Voitures and are always painted white with orange or red strips. These Taxis charge fixed rates depending on the distance travelled but are very comfortable and flexible.

Bicycles

Bicycles are also be used within Rwanda although their use is limited to outside the Urban places and are banned from main roads/highways  These have to stop at particular places before accessing the Town.

Trucks are also important transport means in Rwanda although not used by tourists. They are mostly used in the Northern Corridor by Importers and Exporters transporting different goods to and from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Mombasa in Kenya.

In conclusion, it is easier to connect to Rwanda for safaris due to the numerous airlines that operate flights to this country and they include Ethiopian airlines, South African Airways, Kenya Airways and Brussels airlines among others. Not only that, connection from Kigali City to the different destinations (especially Volcanoes, Nyungwe Forest, Akagera and Gishwati-Mukura National Parks) or around the Towns is made easier with the numerous transport means including special Hire Taxis, Buses and Minibuses, Yahoo cars and Motorcycle taxis combined with the well developed road network