Kigali: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Kigali is the capital of Rwanda, 1,542 m (5,059 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Kigali International Airport (KGL), 9 km (6 mi) from the centre. Our booking partner lists 1,041+ places to stay.
Key facts
Daylight in Kigali runs from about 12 h 3 min a day in late June to 12 h 16 min in late December (computed for -1.95° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Kigali is served by 2 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Kigali International Airport (KGL), 9 km (6 mi) from the centre, whose 11,483-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft. The alternatives are Goma International Airport (GOM, 97 km).
Flights to Kigali: every airport, routes and times
Buses to Kigali · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 1,041+ places to stay in Kigali (statistics below are from the first 1,000). Of the 471 with a star rating, the largest group is 3-star (280), and 11 are five-star. Across 72 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.4 out of 10. Guests have left 21,701 reviews in total.
Hotels in Kigali: the full picture, and book
What people come for
| Sight | Visitors a year | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Kigali Genocide Memorial | 96,278 | 2017 |
| Nyandungu Urban Wetland Eco-Tourism Park | 48,813 | 2022 |
The busiest is Kigali Genocide Memorial at 96,278 visitors in 2017. Figures are the latest each site has published, so they are not all for the same year.
UNESCO World Heritage in the city: Memorial sites of the Genocide: Nyamata, Murambi, Gisozi and Bisesero.
Tours, tickets and day trips from Kigali
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Kampala, 377 km (Uganda) — flights
- Mwanza, 322 km (Tanzania) — flights
- Bukavu, 148 km (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
- Bujumbura, 177 km (Burundi) — flights
- Nansana, 376 km (Uganda) — flights
- Kira, 388 km (Uganda) — flights
- Kahama, 351 km (Tanzania)
- Bunamwaya, 370 km (Uganda) — flights
- Uvira, 191 km (Democratic Republic of the Congo) — flights
- Bunia, 391 km (Democratic Republic of the Congo) — flights
Twin towns and sister cities: Kampala, San Bernardino, Oklahoma City, Durban, Pretoria, Lusaka, Mainz, Rome, Waremme, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Jinan.
Common questions
Which airport serves Kigali?
Kigali International Airport (KGL), 9 km (6 mi) from the centre, plus 1 other airport with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Kigali?
About 1.1 million people live in Kigali, across 730 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Kigali in?
Africa/Kigali, currently UTC+2.
What currency is used in Kigali?
The Franc (RWF). Traffic drives on the right.
How many hotels are there in Kigali?
Our booking partner lists 1,041 or more places to stay in Kigali, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Kigali?
Kampala (377 km), Mwanza (322 km), Bukavu (148 km), Bujumbura (177 km), Nansana (376 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.