The trip from Kigali to Gisenyi is an absolute must if you’re ever in Rwanda

There is no point stressing it after my last post, that if you are ever in Rwanda, Giseyin is an absolute must. Chances are if you are heading to Rwanda, Kigali would most likely be your entry point but I totally feel you should give Gisenyi a try based on a lot of positive reviews and If I am ever in Rwanda again, I would definitely head out to Gisenyi. If you have decided to, below is how to get to travel from Kigali to Gisenyi.

1. Kigali to Gisenyi Flight

As at the time of writing this post, I found that even though there is actually an airport in Gisenyi, Rwanda, there are no flights are operating the Kigali to Gisenyi Route.  RwandAir suspended flights from Kigali to Gisenyi sometimes in 2013 for reasons I have no privy to.

Diusor who made the trip from Kigali to Gisenyi has  gracefully accepted  to share her Kigali to Gisenyi bus experience to help someone who might be heading there.

2. Kigali to Gisenyi Bus

A lot of people travel from Kigali to Gisenyi either through a public bus or by rented car. Since I was in Kigali on a budget and I also needed more ways to interact the locals, I took a public bus from Kigali to Gisenyi. My main reason for visiting Gisenyi was to see Lake Kivu which is Rwanda’s largest lake and the 6th largest Lake in Africa.

There are several buses companies that ply the Kigali to Gisenyi bus route, Virunga Express, Kigali Coach, Fidelity etc. However, I had read about Ritco. I used them and they were quite impressive. The bus was very comfortable, had enough leg room and also had charging ports that worked  perfectly! I totally recommend them.

From my Airbnb Apartment, I took a moto (motorcycle) to the Nyabugogo Bus Park. At the park, I encountered a bit of language barrier issue but luckily for me one of the attendant at the Park helped me out. I bought my ticket from Ritco Limited which costed me 3, 300 Rwandan Francs and was soon on my way. The bus stopped thrice to drop off passengers, for passengers to buy things and to pick up more passengers.

The trip took about 4hours including stops. I alighted before the bus got to the station in Gisenyi because my hotel Kivu Peace Hotel was on the route. The hotel was pretty basic and if you are on a budget, it is not a bad idea for 20,000RWF. If you however have more to spend on accommodation, Inzu Lodge is not a bad idea. This oversees the lake.

I got up to a number of things during my time in Rwanda and if you need an itinerary you should checkout my posts here and here.

Found this useful ? Do let me know in the comment section.