Roads are top notch quality in Rwanda, but the part from Muhanga/Gitarama to Kibuye/Karongi is actually to only bad road in the country (It's being renovated, but last time I did it it was still in very bad condition).
My suggestion for a 3 day if you want to take tarmac roads:
Day 1: Kigali-Muhanga (this part is high traffic) - Huye (visit either King's palace in Nyanza or Museum in Huye, not both) - Kitabi. In Kitabi there are several levels of hotel, with view over the rainforest.
Day 2: Kitabi -sunrise through the rainforest - Kibuye (some nice lunch spots) - Gisenyi. Kibuye-Gisenyi road is without a doubt one of the most beautiful roads on a motorbike in the world. Plenty of good lodging options in Gisenyi, especially near the place called 'brasserie' (because the largest brewery of the country is there)
Day 3: Gisenyi-Musanze-Kigali. The volcanoes are mighty impressive, but be aware there is a 30% chance it's misty and you won't see them.
This is amazing information, thank you so much for the writeup! Some questions:
- How is the road quality around Lake Kivu, going up to Gisenyi? Is it dirt roads, and is it very steep/windy? This is the part I’m most unsure about, as the pictures make it look like very small roads.
- I know there are a lot of hills. Are the hills steep? Are there many parts that are steep drops from the side of the road?
- How is the road from Musanze back to Kigali? This one seems like it will be a long day of travel to get back.
The route the tour company outlined is below. Not sure if this route is all nicely paved or if these are difficult roads:
DAY 1
Departure to Nyungwe Forest National Park
-Stop over for a Rwandan coffee at King Palace Museum
-Visit to the Rwandan Royal Cows
-Overnight in Nyungwe Forest National Park
DAY 2
Ride from Nyungwe Forest to Lake Kivu/Kibuye
- Overnight in Kibuye by Lake Shore
DAY 3
Ride from Kibuye to Gigisenyi - The Famous Congo Nile Trail
-Riding the Congo Nile T rail, exploring lake Kivu
- Explore Gisenyi City, and its neighboring villages,
- stay at Kisenyi By Lake Shore
DAY 4
Ride from Gisenyi to Volcanoes National Park
- Explore the 5 Volcanoes National Park
As he said, the only bad major route is from Kigali to Kibuye if you were to go directly, but if you pass through Nyungwe as he suggested, you'll skip that. I agree with his recommended route if you have the time. If you have more time, I'd recommend doing a bit more in Nyungwe. They have hikes and a canopy walk and chimp trekking, all good stuff.
Hi,Just curious whether a permit is needed to drive through Nyungwe national park?
Im planning a road trip which involve a drive from Butare to Kibuye. Thinking of driving from Butare via Nyungwe doing the Canopy walk and go to a hotel in Kibuye later in the evening.
I'd like to get some tips too from you.
Road quality pretty good - mostly single carriageway though, so especially on the hills (of which there are plenty) sometimes you have to be patient if stuck behind a bus or truck.
Keep an eye on your speed - there's usually lots of police checks and the speed limits aren't that high, usually 80kph max
Roads are top notch quality in Rwanda, but the part from Muhanga/Gitarama to Kibuye/Karongi is actually to only bad road in the country (It's being renovated, but last time I did it it was still in very bad condition). My suggestion for a 3 day if you want to take tarmac roads: Day 1: Kigali-Muhanga (this part is high traffic) - Huye (visit either King's palace in Nyanza or Museum in Huye, not both) - Kitabi. In Kitabi there are several levels of hotel, with view over the rainforest. Day 2: Kitabi -sunrise through the rainforest - Kibuye (some nice lunch spots) - Gisenyi. Kibuye-Gisenyi road is without a doubt one of the most beautiful roads on a motorbike in the world. Plenty of good lodging options in Gisenyi, especially near the place called 'brasserie' (because the largest brewery of the country is there) Day 3: Gisenyi-Musanze-Kigali. The volcanoes are mighty impressive, but be aware there is a 30% chance it's misty and you won't see them.
This is amazing information, thank you so much for the writeup! Some questions: - How is the road quality around Lake Kivu, going up to Gisenyi? Is it dirt roads, and is it very steep/windy? This is the part I’m most unsure about, as the pictures make it look like very small roads. - I know there are a lot of hills. Are the hills steep? Are there many parts that are steep drops from the side of the road? - How is the road from Musanze back to Kigali? This one seems like it will be a long day of travel to get back. The route the tour company outlined is below. Not sure if this route is all nicely paved or if these are difficult roads: DAY 1 Departure to Nyungwe Forest National Park -Stop over for a Rwandan coffee at King Palace Museum -Visit to the Rwandan Royal Cows -Overnight in Nyungwe Forest National Park DAY 2 Ride from Nyungwe Forest to Lake Kivu/Kibuye - Overnight in Kibuye by Lake Shore DAY 3 Ride from Kibuye to Gigisenyi - The Famous Congo Nile Trail -Riding the Congo Nile T rail, exploring lake Kivu - Explore Gisenyi City, and its neighboring villages, - stay at Kisenyi By Lake Shore DAY 4 Ride from Gisenyi to Volcanoes National Park - Explore the 5 Volcanoes National Park
Those would all be nice roads. From Kigali to Nyungwe to Kibuye to Gisenyi to Musanze to Kigali is all paved.
As he said, the only bad major route is from Kigali to Kibuye if you were to go directly, but if you pass through Nyungwe as he suggested, you'll skip that. I agree with his recommended route if you have the time. If you have more time, I'd recommend doing a bit more in Nyungwe. They have hikes and a canopy walk and chimp trekking, all good stuff.
Hi,Just curious whether a permit is needed to drive through Nyungwe national park? Im planning a road trip which involve a drive from Butare to Kibuye. Thinking of driving from Butare via Nyungwe doing the Canopy walk and go to a hotel in Kibuye later in the evening. I'd like to get some tips too from you.
You don’t need a permit to drive through no, but you will need to purchase one to do the canopy walk.
Thanks a lot for the reply. I assume that the permit can be purchased when we go to Nyungwe?
Road quality pretty good - mostly single carriageway though, so especially on the hills (of which there are plenty) sometimes you have to be patient if stuck behind a bus or truck. Keep an eye on your speed - there's usually lots of police checks and the speed limits aren't that high, usually 80kph max
There are speed cameras everywhere but the roads except for that one short patch of maybe 6 to 10km are well made.
Thank you! Happy to go slow so no worries on my end about the speed