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Rwanda has four official languages: Kinyarwanda, English, French and Swahili. Almost everyone speaks Kinyarwanda. English is the language of schools and government, and staff in hotels, lodges and the tourism industry speak it well. Many older Rwandans speak French rather than English. A greeting in Kinyarwanda is always welcome.

• SIM cards: MTN and Airtel are the main networks. Buy a SIM at an official operator shop, including at Kigali International Airport. You need your passport to register it.
• Mobile money: with a local SIM you can register for mobile money and pay taxis, shops and restaurants by phone.
• Coverage: 4G works well in Kigali and most towns. It is weaker in the national parks and in deep valleys.

• Yellow fever: if you arrive from a country with yellow fever risk, you must show a vaccination certificate. Many travelers get the vaccine anyway.
• Malaria: malaria is present in Rwanda. Ask a travel clinic about antimalarial tablets, and use repellent and a mosquito net.
• Other vaccinations: see a travel clinic at least 8 weeks before the trip to check recommended vaccines.
• Ebola: there is an Ebola outbreak in the neighbouring DRC and in Uganda. Check current health notices before you travel.
• Water: tap water is not safe to drink. Drink bottled or treated water.
• Altitude: gorilla treks go up to about 2,500–4,000 m, and a hike up a volcano goes higher. The paths are steep and muddy, so good fitness helps.
• Medical care: Kigali has private clinics and pharmacies. Care elsewhere is basic, and serious cases need evacuation, so buy travel insurance that covers it.

Rwanda has one of the most open visa policies in Africa. Visitors of every nationality can get a visa on arrival, or apply online in advance through the official Rwanda immigration visitors visa page.

• Visa on arrival: a 30-day single-entry tourist visa costs USD 50. A multiple-entry tourist visa, valid for 90 days, costs USD 70.
• Free visas: citizens of African Union, Commonwealth and La Francophonie countries get a free 30-day visa on arrival. This includes citizens of the UK.
• East Africa Tourist Visa: a USD 100 multiple-entry visa for Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda, valid for 90 days. Enter first through the country that issued it.
• Passport: it must be valid for at least 6 months after arrival, with one blank page.
• Plastic bags: Rwanda bans plastic bags. Officials confiscate them at the airport and border, so pack with cloth or paper bags.

Visa and entry requirements change frequently. Verify current requirements with the official immigration authority or your country's embassy before travel.

• Greetings: greet people before asking a question. A handshake is normal, and people often touch their right forearm with the left hand as a sign of respect.
• Dress: Rwandans dress neatly. Cover shoulders and knees in towns and churches. Safari clothing is fine in the parks.
• Genocide memorials: dress modestly, speak quietly and follow the staff's rules. Photography is not allowed inside many exhibitions, so ask first. Some sites display human remains. Do not question or joke about the genocide; denying it is a crime in Rwanda.
• Kwibuka: the national commemoration starts on 7 April, and the first week is a period of mourning. Expect quiet streets and fewer events.
• Umuganda: on the last Saturday of each month, the country does community work from about 7:00 to 11:00. Most shops and services close and traffic is limited. Plan to stay put that morning.
• Photography: do not photograph government buildings, military sites or the police. Ask before you photograph people. Drones need a permit.
• Rules: plastic bags, vapes and e-cigarettes are banned. Littering is frowned upon.
• Gorillas: you must be at least 15 years old to track gorillas. Follow the rangers' instructions. You get one hour with the gorillas, and you must keep your distance.

On public holidays, government offices and banks close, while most shops, restaurants and hotels stay open. During the week after 7 April, the start of the genocide commemoration, many events stop and the mood is quiet.

Shops in Kigali usually open from about 8:00 to 20:00, and many open on Sundays. Supermarkets and shops in malls stay open later. On the morning of Umuganda, the last Saturday of the month, most businesses open only after about 11:00. Kigali also holds car-free mornings on the first and third Sundays of the month.

Rwanda is small, and most trips combine Kigali, the volcanoes in the north-west, Lake Kivu, Nyungwe in the south-west and Akagera in the east.

• By car with driver: the most common way for visitors to travel. Tour operators provide a 4x4 and a driver-guide. Kigali to Musanze, the base for gorilla treks, takes about 2 to 2.5 hours.
• By bus: comfortable coaches link Kigali's Nyabugogo bus station with all main towns. Buses are cheap and frequent. Buy tickets at the bus company's counter.
• In Kigali: city buses use the Tap&Go card. Motorbike taxis are everywhere and the riders give you a helmet. Agree the fare before you ride.
• By air: RwandAir flies from Kigali to Kamembe. Kamembe Airport is inside the area where the UK government advises against all but essential travel.
• By boat: boats on Lake Kivu link lakeside towns, but much of the lake shore is within 10 km of the DRC border.

Rwandan food is simple and filling. Breakfast is often sweet milky tea with bread or porridge. Lunch is the main meal, and many Rwandans eat it at a buffet restaurant. A typical plate combines cooking bananas (ibitoke), sweet potatoes, cassava, rice or beans with a sauce. Isombe, cassava leaves cooked with peanut paste, is a classic. On Lake Kivu, try sambaza, small fried fish.

Goat brochettes, grilled meat on a stick, are the favourite evening snack. Rwandans often eat them with fried potatoes at a bar. Akabenz, fried pork, is another bar favourite. Drink local beers such as Primus and Mützig, or try urwagwa, a traditional banana beer. Ikivuguto is a fermented milk that locals drink cold. Rwanda grows excellent coffee and tea, and you can visit coffee and tea farms near Nyungwe and Huye.

Cities and towns

• Kigali: the capital, spread over green hills. Visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial and the Campaign Against Genocide Museum in the parliament building.
• Musanze: the gateway town for gorilla treks and volcano hikes in Volcanoes National Park.
• Huye: a university town in the south, home to the country's main ethnographic museum. The Murambi genocide memorial is a short drive away.
• Nyanza: the old royal capital, with the King's Palace Museum and its long-horned Inyambo cattle.
• Rubavu (Gisenyi) and Karongi (Kibuye): resort towns on Lake Kivu. Rubavu lies directly on the DRC border, inside the US government's "do not travel" zone.

National parks

• Volcanoes National Park: the home of mountain gorillas and golden monkeys, on the slopes of the Virunga volcanoes such as Mount Sabyinyo and Mount Muhabura. Book gorilla permits early on the official Visit Rwanda gorilla tracking page.
• Nyungwe Forest National Park: mountain rainforest with chimpanzees, many other primates and a canopy walkway.
• Akagera National Park: savannah, lakes and wetlands in the east, with lions, elephants, rhinos and boat trips on Lake Ihema.

Lakes and landscapes

• Lake Kivu: a large lake on the DRC border with beaches and island boat trips. The Congo Nile Trail follows its shore. Much of the shore is within 10 km of the DRC border.
• Lac Ruhondo: one of the quiet twin lakes near Musanze, with views of the volcanoes.
• Rusumo Falls: powerful falls on the Kagera River at the border with Tanzania.