Rwanda Gorillas & Tanzania Safari

The first thing that springs to most people’s minds when thinking of Rwanda is its turbulent political history. But today’s Rwanda is a far cry from the nation it was in the mid-90s: the country has emerged from the shadows and has much to offer visitors, most notably the tracking of endangered mountain gorillas in the lush Virunga National Park, which extends across the peaks and jungle-covered slopes of the volcanic Virunga Mountains. Other major tourist attractions include expansive Lake Kivu, ancient Nyungwe Forest with its rich population of primate species, and the game-rich savannah lands of Akagera National Park.

NOTE: Plastic bags are now banned in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, and are likely to be confiscated by customs officials on arrival, whether in clients’ baggage or carried by hand. For example, Duty-Free bags

Currency

Rwanda Franc (RWF) = 100 centimes. Notes are in denominations of RWF 5,000, 2,000, 1,000 and 500. Coins are in denominations of RWF100, 50, 20, 10 and 5.

The import and export of local currency is limited to RWF5000. The import and export of foreign currency is unlimited, but must be declared upon arrival and exchanged within 8 days.

Banking

Banking hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1200 and 1400-1700, Sat 0800-1200.

Credit cards are only accepted at a few hotels in Kigali. MasterCard and Visa are the preferred cards.

International Visa cards are accepted at the ATMs at Ecobank head office in Kigali and at Kigali airport. They can also be used at the ATMs at Access Bank head office in Kigali. However, these ATMs are often affected by power cuts. It is best to travel with US dollars, some banks won’t accept pound sterling.

It may be difficult to change traveller's cheques outside Kigali.

Akagera Aviation provides helicopter flights all over the country. Rwandair flies internally to the southeastern town of Cyangugu.

There is a lot of work being done to improve the roads, and in some places you will find smooth tarmac, while in others you will be going along pot-holed dirt paths.A 4-wheel drive vehicle is needed for some local roads. There can be landslides on some of the major roads during annual rainfall in spring and autumn.Extra care should be taken at night, as headlight use is erratic. During rainy season some roads can become impassable.

There are no international car hire companies operating in Rwanda, but there are several local companies. You will find these listed in the Eye magazine given away at the airport and in hotels. 

Taxis can be found in large towns and cities. Look for the official orange stripe. Fares are reasonable, but should be agreed in advance (ask a local if you think you are being overcharged). Tipping is not expected.

Bicycle and scooter taxis are the quickest and cheapest way to get around in the towns, however they are risky.

Minibus taxis provide links to and from all towns and some villages. Although it is not common for foreigners to travel this way, they are quite safe and efficient. However you will have to wait until they are full before departure if you get on at the start of the route. The Virunga Express (www.virungatravel.com) and Onatracom Express provide more direct intercity links.

Rwandans drive on the right. It is illegal to use a mobile phone while driving unless with a hands-free set. Seat belts must be worn in the front. It is advised not to drive after drinking, breathalisers are in use and if found to have more than 0.8 mg of alcohol per 1 litre of blood, you are likely to face imprisonment. Speed limits are 40km/per hour in the city and 60km outside the city. If the car in front is using the left indicator it often means it is not safe to overtake, the right indicator tells you the road ahead is clear.

An International Driving Permit is required. An entry permit is needed if you have travelled from outside the country, insurance document and driving licence.

You can hire a boat to take you from Gisenyi to Kibuye if you ask at one of the lakeside hotels.

Food is generally safe to eat if well-cooked and hot. If in doubt, veer towards larger restaurants in cities and those aimed at tourists, which will have undergone government safety checks. Avoid buying food from the side of the road and don’t drink tap water. Use bottled water or otherwise boil or sterilise. Milk is unpasteurised and should be boiled. Powdered or tinned milk is available and is advised. Avoid dairy products that are likely to have been made from unboiled milk. Only eat well-cooked meat and fish, preferably served hot. Vegetables should be cooked and fruit peeled.

The majority of the population in Rwanda live off subsistence farming and so their meals rely heavily on starchy crops such as potato, maize and cassava. This is generally served with kidney beans and cabbage and where meat can be afforded it is most often goat. However, the restaurants of Kigali and other towns will generally serve grilled meat with french fries and sometimes rice with spicy stews.

Hotels generally serve a reasonable choice of European dishes, and there are Chinese, Greek, Indian, Italian and Middle Eastern restaurants. Some restaurants also serve Franco-Belgian cuisine and African dishes. A fairly good selection of beers, spirits and wines is available. Beer is also brewed locally.

You will see brochettes on most menus, these are basically a skewer of your chosen meat or fish served with rice or chips. Other local specialities include: tilapia, a white fish found in Lake Kivu and also farmed locally and appears often on menus; Matoke, cooked plantain, which may be served when you are expecting potatoes (and usually tastes a lot like potatoes!)

Primus is the local beer of choice. Mutzig is very similar but more expensive and often comes in large 700ml bottles. The local banana wine is for the brave, it is called urwangwa and you should be able to pick up a bottle in a supermarket to try in the privacy of your room.

There is no clear principle on tipping in Rwanda, but most staff in the bigger hotels have come to expect it, as have guides and trackers. A general rule is to tip 10% in restaurants if you feel inclined and give $5 - $10 to guides, trackers and porters.

Despite its proximity to the equator, due to the high altitude of most of the country, Rwanda has a temperate climate with temperatures seldom climbing above 25C. The long dry season is from June to September and there are two annual rainy seasons, the first from mid-March until the beginning of June and small rains from mid-September to December. The best time for gorilla and monkey tracking is the dry season - if only to spare you getting drenched (you can still see them in the rain, they just get a bit grumpy). The dry season is also good if you want to see game in Akagera National Park because thirst will draw the animals to the watering holes. You will also find at this time the roads are less dangerous and the risk of malaria is lower. The rainy season is the best time to see chimpanzees and is also the time when the place is at its most lush and green.

Lightweight cotton or linen clothing is recommended for most of the year with warmer clothes for cooler upland evenings. Rainwear is advisable especially during the rainy season and sunglasses, sunscreen and a sunhat are recommended year round. A good pair of walking shoes is essential.

Wireless internet is now available throughout the country, either by using a dongle, which can be purchased in Kigali and other major towns, or by using WiFi hotspots. MTN hotspots are widespread and you can access them using your mobile phone credit if you have bought an MTN SIM card. There are also many internet cafes in Kigali and other large towns.

Electrical sockets (outlets) in Rwanda are one of the two European standard electrical socket types: The "Type C" Europlug and the "Type E" and "Type F" Schuko. If your appliance's plug doesn't match the shape of these sockets, you will need a travel plug adapter in order to plug in. Travel plug adapters simply change the shape of your appliance's plug to match whatever type of socket you need to plug into. If it's crucial to be able to plug in no matter what, bring an adapter for both types.

Electrical sockets (outlets) in the Republic of Rwanda (République du Rwanda) usually supply electricity at between 220 and 240 volts AC. If you're plugging in an appliance that was built for 220-240 volt electrical input, or an appliance that is compatible with multiple voltages, then an adapter is all you need.

But travel plug adapters do not change the voltage, so the electricity coming through the adapter will still be the same 220-240 volts the socket is supplying. North American sockets supply electricity at between 110 and 120 volts, far lower than in most of the rest of the world. Consequently, North American appliances are generally built for 110-120 volts.

The name Tanzania conjures up images of wildebeest stampeding across vast savannah, rain forests teeming with monkeys and birdlife, and great plains brimming with legions of game. All of these natural wonders and more are on offer in this exceptionally diverse African nation. Visitors typically visit Tanzania to partake in at least one of the four well known Tanzanian tourist experiences: a relaxing seaside vacation on the picturesque island paradise of Zanzibar, an underwater tour of some of the world’s most renowned dive sites around the gorgeous Spice Islands, a safari adventure in some of Africa’s most impressive game reserves, or a hiking excursion around Mount Kilimanjaro National Park. Whichever of these incredible holidays you choose, you will undoubtedly be welcomed by some fabulously friendly and peaceful inhabitants who, despite being divided into 120 different ethnic groups and cultures, live in harmony with one another and provide some of the most wonderfully exotic local cuisine you could imagine. With all of this diversity on offer, the most difficult part of your Tanzanian holiday experience is likely to be deciding where to go!

NOTE: Plastic bags are now banned in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, and are likely to be confiscated by customs officials on arrival, whether in clients’ baggage or carried by hand. For example, Duty-Free bags

Government regulations change without notice, it is important to check regulations with the relevant authority prior to travel. This is a guideline only.

- Passports should be valid for at least six months, with at least 2 free pages, are required by all nationals referred to in the chart above.

- Visas are required by all nationals referred to in the chart above. Visas can be purchase on arrival at most airports but to avoid delays on arrival, you can apply for your visa in advance of arrival through the Tanzanian Consulate in your country or a visa service. Validity for single entry tourist visa is normally up to 3 months.

Costs currently are U$50 for most nationalities but a $100 for US citizens.

- The unit of currency is the Tanzanian shilling. Visitors may import an unlimited amount of foreign exchange.

- We recommend you change money at official bureaux de change, although some lodges and hotels may offer facilities which would often offer a less attractive rate of exchange.

- Take cash, not Travellers Cheques! Change some money into Tanzanian shillings soon after your arrival.

- Credit Cards can usually be used in the international hotels and in restaurants and shops of the main towns and tourist related businesses.

- However, it is always advisable to have some cash because frequently these credit card machines do not work or are down without connection.

- There are ATM cash machines in Arusha and Dar es Salaam, and at airports.

- Large notes (US$50-US$100) prior to 2000 are not normally accepted. Best make sure you have smaller denomination and notes which have been issued after 1999.

There are really only three ways for tourists to travel sensibly in Tanzania and in these cases dmAFRICA is the recognised expert:-

- By organised safari vehicles, usually commencing in Arusha or Nairobi.

- By light aircraft. Arusha is the hub airport in Tanzania, and there are charter and regular flights to all the main wildlife areas in East Africa as well as the islands. If you are flying from Kenya it is necessary to clear customs and immigration in Arusha, Mount Kilimanjaro or Dar es Salaam before proceeding to your lodge or camp.

- By private jet; most lodge/camp airstrips are not equipped to handle many of the more sophisticated private jets. It is normal to access Tanzania at Mount Kilimanjaro or Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar airports and travel onwards by light aircraft. Night flying in game parks is not normally permitted.

- Malaria is endemic. You must consult your doctor before you travel to ensure that you are prescribed the correct type of tablet protection.

- Yellow fever inoculation is obligatory for entry into Tanzania if you have been to a country where yellow fever infection exists.

- Immunization against hepatitis, cholera and meningitis is recommended.

Please check the latest information with your medical practitioner

- There are privately owned pharmacies that can prescribe most medication should you

be sick. A few wildlife lodges and camps have a private nurse on duty and almost all have camp staff trained in basic first aid.

- Unfortunately petty theft and more serious crime is a factor in East Africa. Take the same precautions as you would in any major city.

- Avoid walking alone in apparently deserted areas, especially in and around the cities.

- Avoid displaying expensive items, especially jewellery, in public areas.

- Use the safe boxes, and other security accessories, made available to you in hotels and lodges/camps.

- It is preferable and usually more enjoyable to walk with company or in groups.

- In general, the food served in hotels and lodges is European food. A full breakfast and lunch will be buffet style and dinner is usually a set menu. A few top of the range lodges offer limited a la carte menus.

- Agriculturally, Tanzania is virtually self sufficient with staple crops, and fine quality beef and other livestock. On safari, game meat is sometimes on the menu.

- Pineapple, mango, papaya, banana, avocado and coconut are all plentiful and inexpensive when in season.

- Freshwater fish from the abundant rivers and lakes is plentiful, especially trout from around Arusha and tilapia and Nile perch from Lakes Victoria and Tanganyika.

- Of course, at the coast the seafood from the Indian Ocean is included on all menus, with a variety and quality which is now legendary.

- Wine is imported from South Africa, Europe and the New World. There is also a red wine which is made by the monks near Dodoma; it is “challenging”, as is the locally made gin konyagi!

- Local beers are of the lager type and are good.

- Serengeti: All year round. The best time for migration river crossings is June and July and late September and October.

- Ndutu, Serengeti: December to March as this is when the migration is based in the area with most of the calves being born around February and March.

- Ngorongoro: All year round

- Lake Manyara: All year round

- Tarangire: July to November when it is dry elsewhere and the animals move to the Tarangire River.

- Arusha National Park: All year round

- Lake Natron & Lake Eyasi: Avoid April and May

- Kilimanjaro: All year round except April to May.

- Zanzibar, Pemba, Mafia and the Coast: All year except April and May

- Selous: June to November

- Ruaha: June to the end of February

- Mahale & Gombe: All year except April and May

- Lake Victoria: Almost year round.

- When meeting and parting, hands are always shaken; this applies throughout the country in both rural and urban areas. It is the convention to use the right hand, not the left, to shake hands or pass or receive anything.

- The dress code is casual, although most international hotels and restaurants prefer gentlemen to wear long trousers for dinner.

- Bright, light colours and white clothing is not advisable for safaris particularly for walking safaris as animals see mostly in black and white. Safari clothing should be in neutral or bush colours (please note that army camouflage or military uniform is not permitted in almost all African countries)

- Good manners and respect come naturally to Tanzanians, charming national traits which they look upon visitors to reciprocate.

Tanzania has good Internet Service Providers with email and internet services offered by many hotels and lodges (free / paid). In most towns there are plenty of private business centres and cyber cafes offering email and internet access, although the speeds might be somewhat slower than what you are used to. 

- 230 volts AC, 50Hz.

- Plugs may be round or square three-pin, fused or un-fused.

- Power cuts can be common in the rainy season, though most hotels and businesses have back-up generators.

- In some safari lodges electricity is not available during the night.