Romance Rwanda

Hey guys, how are you doing. It’s your favourite travel bestie again. I am sure you saw the title of today’s newsletter and you are probably wondering warris really going on. I am here talking romance when Femi has not called you back after collecting your number on Sunday. Lol. Las las, na mumu dey love. Anyways, romance Rwanda just sounded nice, lol.

If you follow me on Twitter, you already know I was in Rwanda last month and haven’t stopped gushing about the experience. Rwanda is a choice location for solo or group travellers, it’s beautiful, affordable and fun. The Rwandan government makes money from tourism so you can never run out of activities.

Like I wrote in my newsletter last week, see here. I am bringing travel to your doorstep, you know those yoruba men that sell gbogbonise in buses, they have one small drug that cures all the ailment in this life even poverty. Consider me your personal travel gbogbonise. Lol. I digress

Earlier in August, I travelled to Rwanda for a birthday getaway, and I am glad I did. Rwanda is beautiful, affordable, fun, and safe. With NGN400k you can travel to Rwanda, yes you heard me right and this 400k includes, flight, hotel, tours and feeding ( If you eat more than two square meal while on holiday, I cannot help you o👀).

Here is a breakdown of my trip.

Flight:

My flight to Rwanda was 188k through Wakanow. It was a direct flight on RwandAir from Lagos to Kigali, and the flight time was about 4hours 30 minutes.

Pro tip: If you want a cheaper flight, check Skyscanner months ahead, and play around with the dates, flight tickets are mostly cheaper on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Visa:

Rwanda is visa free for AU citizens. The Rwanda government is passionate about tourism and is putting their money where their mouth is. At the passport control, the immigration asked for hotel reservation, purpose of visit, occupation, and I was stamped in.

Arrival at Kigali:

I arrived Kigali at almost 10pm and bought an Airtel 3G sim for data. I will advise not to get a sim at the airport because the options are limited, and you may not know the best network that works there. Also, get 4G sim instead of 3G, it gives better value for money.

Leaving the airport and getting around:

I booked a taxi before I arrived Kigali, so there was someone on ground to pick me upon arrival. The taxi cost plus airport parking fee was between $10 - $15. If you would like to use the same cab person, you can email me for his number.

Alternatively, you can order a taxi at the airport by calling 9191 – from a Rwandan line which should cost around $10 - $15.

Uber and Bolt does not work in Rwanda, Yego Cab is their own version of Uber and Bolt. Yego Cab only works within Kigali, so if you need to go outside Kigali you will need to hire a cab.

Payment:

All payments were charged in USD or Rwandan Franc. Rwandan Franc (RWF Fr) to 1 USD – 1,040 RWF Fr. It is advisable not to change money at the airport because the rates are better in the city.

Hotel:

Hotels in Rwanda can be booked through Booking.com. You can a get a good hotel or apart hotel for as low as 27k.  The highlight of my trip was in Kibuye, I stayed in a resort called CleoKivu in Kibuye.

Kibuye is a town 3-4hours outside of Kigali. We used the same guy who picked us up at the airport and it was about $160 round trip for a four seater car.

The resort is perfect for birthday getaway or even a honeymoon. Their hospitality is amazing and it’s probably the most hospitable place I have ever stayed. The resort has 4.5 rating on trip advisor. The food is amaaazzing and also affordable, you can have dinner by the pool or at the balcony overlooking the lake, imagine eating croissant and overlooking the lake, God abeggggg oooo !!!, Amaka dont disapppoint me na, spend this money, problem no dey finish.

Boat ride at Cleo Kivu resort in Kibuye

Breakfast at Cleo Kivu Resort

At Onomo Hotel in Kigali

Overview of the Resort

 Activities:

There are different activities that you can do – quad biking, archery, horse riding, zip lining, Kigali City tour. These activities can be booked here and cost about 15k.

At the resort in Kibuye, the activities include jet ski, boat riding, kayaking. $180 for a boat ride for 1 hour and takes 6 people. Jet skiing costs $2 for every 2 minutes and takes 2 people.

There is also the Akagera National Park, which is about 3hours 30 minutes from Kigali and transportation is about $80-$100. Entry fee is $100 per person for foreigners. I didn’t visit the park cos I didnt see myself paying over $200 to go and see Zebra, the Zebra crossing in Nigeria is enough or better still, i will watch NatGeowild.

My tradition is to keep the newsletters short and spicy, I dont expect you to be reading long essays when you are not Peter Obi or Daniel Regha. *Dodges slap*

If you are need help planning a Rwandan trip on a 400k budget or you have questions or topics you need me to write about, please send an email to Hellomunachi@gmail.com with the subject “ They neeeever seee meeee cooming” and I will be happy to assist. The pictures from this trip was fire, you can check it out on my IG highlights @Munachimsooo.

Until next week.

Love

Muna