When To Go to Rwanda

This tropical, equatorial country is a year-round destination but the best time to visit Rwanda depends on your priorities. The climate also varies geographically - eastern Rwanda is drier than the dripping forests of northern and western Rwanda, and in winter in Kigali it's sometimes cold enough to require a warm top.

It's also important to realise that Rwanda has 4 distinct seasons:

Short Dry Season (mid-December to early February)

This is a good time to plan a trip to the Volcanoes National Park to go gorilla trekking as the forests, being drier, are slightly more accessible.

Long Rainy Season (mid-February to June)

When thinking about when to go to Rwanda, bear in mind that the long rainy season takes place from mid-February till about the beginning of June. All of Rwanda's unsurfaced roads turn into stripes of muddy slosh and hikers get drenched - and the mosquitoes arrive in full force.

However, photographers will find it the best time to visit: the air is clearer and the stunning scenery less hazy, and chimp-trackers in Nyungwe Forest will have an easier time as the chimpanzees aren't foraging for food in the more remote and inaccessible corners of the forest.

Long Dry Season (June to September)

The dry season is from June to September. The ground is dry, the roads are in reasonable shape and mosquitoes are less numerous. This is the best time to travel to Rwanda for hiking in Nyungwe Forest and the best time to go tracking gorillas in Volcanoes National Park.

Short Rainy Season (October to mid-December)

This is a period when you can expect it to rain quite heavily in the eastern mountains - not the best time to go gorilla trekking, although it should be emphasised that the montane forests are fairly damp all year round and the gorillas are resident - they'll be there all year round.

The months from November to March are best time to visit Rwanda for bird watchers as the local avifauna, already amazing despite the country's modest size, is augmented by migratory Palaearctic species.

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