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ToggleThe Best Time to Visit Rwanda by Month and the Climate 2024:
While the Best Time to Visit Rwanda greatly depends on one’s travel interests, the dry season stands out as the best time to visit Rwanda for a safari.
There are 2 yearly dry seasons in Rwanda with the longest starting from June to September and the other one from December to February.
The dry season being the best time to visit Rwanda, it doesn’t necessarily mean you cannot travel to Rwanda during the other months, it implies a different adventure.
The rainy season offers a unique experience that may require additional preparation, such as waterproof clothing and potentially longer times for game drives.
This variation in seasons means that Rwanda presents intriguing opportunities for travel year-round, each with its own advantages, whether during the rainy season or the clear, dry months.
These seasons have distinctive characteristics and varying experiences while exploring this beautiful country. So, let’s see why visit Rwanda during a specific weather condition;
The Best Time to Visit Rwanda:
The Dry Seasons;
Rwanda goes through two distinct dry seasons each year. The first one spans from June to September, followed by another from December to mid-February. The dry season is marked by relatively low humidity, facilitating easy navigation throughout the nation. This accessibility is ideal for visiting multiple attractions, making it the best time to visit Rwanda.
During these periods, Rwanda enjoys predominantly sunny days with clear skies, resulting in well-maintained, smooth roads that are less congested. The absence of rain means clearer roads as there is no formation of mud from dust and sand.
Thanks to the excellent road conditions prevalent in the dry season, travel to Rwanda national parks, historical sites, sports venues, and cultural attractions, as well as around the city, becomes faster, simpler, and more pleasurable.
Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes during the Dry Seasons;
Choosing the best time to visit Rwanda is particularly crucial for those planning gorilla trekking adventures in Volcanoes National Park. Unlike other activities, gorilla trekking, golden monkey and chimpanzee tracking, occurs in forests without fixed routes, relying instead on walking trails.
The dry season provides more favorable conditions for trekking, as the paths are less slippery and visibility for observing and photographing mountain gorillas and other primates is perfect.
However, this period is also Rwanda’s tourism high season, potentially leading to the higher demand for gorilla permits. It’s advisable to book your gorilla trekking safari and permits well in advance to prevent any disappointments.
Additionally, during these sunny days, carrying ample drinking water is essential for anyone undertaking a gorilla trekking expedition.
Game Drive in Rwanda During the Dry Season;
These parks have very neat and clear trails in the dry season that makes it easy to do game drives all the uphill, downhill and flat terrains that make up these stunning establishments. For travellers who plan to visit Akagera National Park, this is the best time to for a wildlife viewing safari.
Additionally in the dry season, it is easy to observe wildlife in these parks even at a far. This is so because the vegetation of the park in the dry season is less dense and somewhat shrunk making space for the eye to observe further wildlife at further distances.
During the dry season, animals often gather around known water sources to hydrate, especially during the hotter parts of the day. This behavior makes wildlife easier to spot, contributing to why the dry season is considered the best time to visit Rwanda.
Rwanda Safari Photography During the Dry Season;
Photographic content and records turn out absolutely marvellous and amazing because of the clear skies and vibrant sun rays. These factors make taking of pictures around the scenic landscapes and wildlife in the parks effortless with less blind spots and edits.
In the dry seasons furthermore, park activities are engaged in on time and exploited to the maximum. Remember there are no heavy rains to alter starting times and ending times of the activities one is scheduled to take part in at one’s visit in any of the four wildlife endowed gazettes.
The notable challenges in the dry season in Rwanda is probably the bright sunrays and scorching sunshine. This makes rehydration rampant as most visitors will need to keep quenching their thirst with soft drinks and beverages.
The other worrying aspect of the dry season is the sold-out accommodation. Since the dry season is the most ideal for travel, accommodation options for the tourists are on a higher demand especially the exquisite facilities.
This makes late bookings for accommodation in the dry seasons legible for the somehow substandard facilities as they are the only ones left.
The Wet Season or the Rainy Season;
The rainy season typically starts from October to early December and from late February to late May. It is characterised by its beautiful rain showers in and around Kigali.
During these months of the season, visitors that have travel plans to Rwanda National Parks should await lush green landscapes and very cool temperatures. The parks often have less participants on activities, a grace for tourists with congestion issues. Also there is quite a good number of baby wild animals seen in these parks since these months are the renowned months which wildlife gives birth the most.
For bird enthusiasts, expect to observe a variety of birds in Rwanda because of their love of sprouting flowers and berries. This passion exposes them vividly for you to snap and record them plus detailed insights from your tour guide(s).
The other advantage of the wet season is that accommodation facilities tend to have rooms readily available for you to occupy and at sometimes at a discount. Cases of sold out rooms at your desired facility are minimal giving you your ideal leisure hangout at your stay in Rwanda.
The dull side of this wet season to tourist to the National Parks is arguably the navigation issues. Trekking through the parks after or during rain pours is quite challenging. The terrains get filled with mud and become trippy, making it hard for tourists with low fitness levels and inappropriate foot wear to keep steady on the tails.
The vision in some parks such as Nyungwe Forest National Park also gets a bit darker as the skies are always gray launching rain pours any second. This is a challenge to photographic safaris.
The times for starting and ending park activities are often inconvenienced by the ever rains leading to extended or shortened safaris.
However, this is the best time to visit Rwanda if you ever wanted to spend less on a Rwanda safari. This is because of discounts on accommodation facilities, and some tourist activities.
The Best Time to Visit Rwanda for a Safari:
Statistically concluding, the dry season is the best time to Visit Kigali Rwanda. They are the best times to engage in tourist activities in Rwandan National Parks, the best times to get learned about the culture and history of the country and the best times to appreciate the beauty of the amazing infrastructure constructed in this country.
As much as the wet season is ideal too, the dry season is inch perfect in terms of memories and punctuality.