Rwanda Solo Female Travel Safety Tips and Advice

On this page you will find first-hand, unbiased, and real safety tips, advice and reviews from women traveling solo, submitted directly from their personal experiences in the country.

Their opinions are unfiltered and submitted independently as part of the Solo Female Travel Safety Index, a ranking of 210 countries and regions based on how safe they are for women traveling solo.

The safety scores range from 1 to 4 with 1 being the safest and 4 being the most dangerous for solo female travelers.

You don’t need to login to read the below reviews. But do sign up or login to share your solo travel experiences, country safety rating and comments.

Rwanda Country data

We have compiled a few data points below that can help you better understand Rwanda and have more context when thinking about travel safety.

Official country name: Republic of Rwanda.

Etymology: The name translates as "domain" in the native Kinyarwanda language.

Capital: Kigali.

Independence / foundation: German colonial rule began in 1898, but Belgian forces captured Rwanda in 1916 during World War I. Belgian administrators significantly increased requirements for communal labor and instituted harsh taxes, increasing frustration and inequality.

Changing political attitudes in Belgium contributed to colonial and Catholic officials shifting their support from Tutsi to Hutu leaders in the years leading up to independence. Newly mobilized political parties and simmering resentment of minority rule exploded in 1959, three years before independence from Belgium, which took place in 1962.

Population: 13 million.

Currency: Rwandan Franc (RWF)
1 USD = 1,279 - 1,290 RWF
1 EUR = 1,382 - 1,411 RWF

Time zone: UTC+2

Languages spoken: Kinyarwanda (official, universal Bantu vernacular) 93%, French (official) <1, English (official) <1, Swahili/Kiswahili (official, used in commercial centers) <1, more than one language, other 6%, unspecified <1%.

Religions: Protestant 58% (includes Adventist 13%), Roman Catholic 38%, Muslim 2%, other 1% (includes traditional, Jehovah's Witness), none 1%.

Climate: Temperate climate with two rainy seasons, one from February to April and the other from November to January. Mild weather in the mountains with frost and snow possible.

Real GDP (ppp – purchasing power parity): $32.5 billion.

Real GDP per capita (ppp): $2,400.

Main airports: Kigali International Airport, Kamembe International Airport .

World heritage sites in Rwanda

There are over 1,100 world heritage sites spread across more than 165 countries. New ones are added every year, and some may be removed from the list for various reasons.

Number of UNESCO listed sites: 2.

Top world heritage sites:

- Memorial sites of the Genocide: Nyamata, Murambi, Gisozi and Bisesero.
- Nyungwe National Park.

Interesting facts about Rwanda

- Rwanda is known as the 'Land of a Thousand Hills' because of its many mountains.

- Rwanda is the world’s seventh most gender-equal and Africa’s most gender-equal country according to Global Gender Gap Index.

- The country has some of the lowest CO2 emissions in the world and it was was one of the first countries to ban plastic bags.

- In recent years, Rwanda has used drones to deliver blood and medical equipment.

Further reading: N/A.

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Rwanda Travel tips

More about Rwanda on Solo Female Travelers

Coming soon.

Did you spot any errors? We do our best to keep this information updated and accurate, but things change. If you saw anything that is not right, let us know so we can fix it: [email protected].

About the Solo Female Travel Safety Index

Safety matters to solo female travelers, you told us so in our annual Solo Female Travel Survey, where year after year, women prove that this is their most important concern when traveling solo.

We wanted to do something about it, so we built these country-specific pages where you can find reviews and scores for 7 key variables affecting the safety of women traveling solo.

How to use the Safety Index

On this page, you will find the country score and the personal opinions on safety of other women traveling solo.

You can sort the comments by:

• The level of experience traveling solo of the reviewer (beginner = <5 trips solo, Intermediate = 5 to 10 trips solo, Experienced = >10 trips solo).
• The age of the traveler.
• Whether they are a visitor or local.
• The date they were posted.

The safety scores range from 1 to 4 with 1 being the safest and 4 being the most dangerous for solo female travelers. 

Thus, the lower the score, the safer the country.

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Looking for more safety resources?

This entire website is devoted to helping women travel solo. Check out the links below to learn more:

Solo Female Travel Stats: Results from the the largest, most comprehensive and only global research study on solo female travel trends, preferences and behaviors published.

Thanks to Jacobo Vilella for creating the Solo Female Travelers Safety Index ❤️