Climate - Rwanda

In Rwanda, the "land of a thousand hills", located just south of the Equator, the climate is pleasantly warm all year round, with cool nights, because of the altitude. In fact, most of the country is located on a plateau, around 1,500 meters (5,000 feet) above sea level. The altitude decreases below a thousand meters (3,300 feet) only in the westernmost part, along the Rusizi River, which marks the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and which is therefore the only area where it can get hot, and the temperature can sometimes reach 35 °C (95 °F).

Precipitation ranges from 1,000 to 1,400 millimeters (40 to 55 inches) per year depending on area. There's a dry season from June to August (with July as the driest month) and a rainy season from September to May. On closer view, there would be two rainy seasons, caused by the zenith passages of the sun, from March to May and from September to November. However, the decrease in rainfall from December to February is small, and it's just more pronounced in the north, where it drops below 100 mm (4 in) per month, so we cannot properly speak of dry season. Between the two rainy seasons, the most intense is the one going from March to May, and the rainiest months are usually April and May, when precipitation reaches 150 mm (6 in) per month, or even more.

Kigali

The capital, Kigali, is located at the center of the country, at 1,500 meters (5,000 feet) above sea level. Temperatures are stable all year round, and hover around 26/28 °C (80/82 °F) during the day and around 16/17 °C (61/62 °F) at night. Here are the average temperatures.

Kigali receives 950 mm (37.5 in) of rain per year, with a maximum in April and a minimum from June to August, when it almost never rains. From December to February, the rains are still quite frequent. Here is the average precipitation.

The rains in Rwanda usually occur in the form of downpours or thunderstorms, but there is not much sun, in fact, the sky is often cloudy, although in the driest months, especially in June and July, the sun comes out more often. Here are the average sunshine hours per day in Kigali.

In the east, the Akagera National Park is located around 1,300/1,400 meters (4,200/4,600 feet) above sea level. In the west, Lake Kivu is at 1,450 meters (4,757 feet).
In the cities located at higher altitudes (see Nyanza, Butare, Ruhengeri), the temperatures are a bit lower, and at night it's cool, if not a bit cold.
Here are the average temperatures of Ruhengeri (or Musanze), located in the north, 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) above sea level, near the Volcanoes National Park.

Here, 1,200 mm (50 in) of rain fall per year, with a similar trend to that of Kigali (a more pronounced dry season from June to August and a less pronounced one from December to February).
In the south, the decrease in rainfall from December to February is felt even less, so much so that there is only one rainy season from September to May, as you can see from the rainfall in Cyangugu, on the southern shores of Lake Kivu.

In Rwanda, there are also mountainous areas, in particular, in the north we find the Virunga Mountains, a volcanic chain whose highest peak is Mount Karisimbi, 4,507 meters (14,787 feet) high, located in the Volcanoes National Park. Along the mountain slopes, the sky is often covered with clouds. At middle-low altitudes, a cloud forest grows, while above 3,000 meters (9,800 ft), the climate is colder, the vegetation is sparser and the forest is replaced by shrubs, and the temperature at night can drop below freezing (0 °C or 32 °F). Finally, at high altitude, we find a cold desert.
South of the Virunga Mountains, the whole western part of the country is mountainous: in the west, in the Murambi province, the highest peaks reach 2,700 meters (8,900 ft), while in the south-west, in the Nyungwe Forest National Park, they reach 2,500 meters (8,200 ft). Above 2,000 meters (6,500 feet), it can get cold at night throughout the year.
In mountainous areas, rainfall is more abundant, and showers can occur throughout the year.

Back to top

When to go and what to pack in Rwanda