Hey there, fellow travelers! Our family travel to Rwanda was one of the highlights of all of our world travels. Rwanda surprised us in so many ways, but it was a bit daunting trying to figure out what to pack for Africa. There were things we didn’t need and things we wished we’d had. Now that we’ve returned, we’re sharing our tips on what to pack for your Rwanda vacation.
Clothes for Rwanda Travel
If you are going on a safari, you will want to bring special clothes for the safari days. However, if you don’t want to look like a tourist, don’t wear your safari clothes all the time. Save them for safari.
For the rest of your Rwanda vacation, you can dress for the weather. Polos, t-shirts, and blouses are just fine. Since it can be buggy, we liked having long-sleeved shirts for the morning and evening. Lightweight pants and long skirts are great, provided they are easy to pack and hand-wash. A packable midweight jacket will also really come in handy. I always dress myself and my kids in layers that can be added and removed throughout the day. Make sure you also bring a swimsuit if any of your lodges have a swimming pool.
For women traveling to Rwanda, you should plan to dress somewhat conservatively. I avoided wearing low cut tops, short shorts, or tight clothing like leggings. Leggings are great if you have a skirt over them, but I always err on the side of caution when choosing clothes for a conservative destination.
Clothes for Gorilla Trekking
If you are going to see the gorilla in Rwanda, then you’ll want more outdoors-type clothing. You will be instructed not to wear bright colors, so olive or tan safari-style clothes are perfect.
Shocks To Expect When You Visit Rwanda
Footwear for Rwanda
Like your choice of clothing, your choice of footwear will depend on the activities you have planned. If you’re trekking in Rwanda, you want to make sure you have good waterproof hiking boots. In town, you can wear whatever shoes are most comfortable for walking around. Flip-flops are totally fine if that’s what you prefer. I wore flip-flops or sneakers every day when we weren’t trekking or on safari. Flip-flops also come in handy for showering in public showers.
Socks & Underwear
While you can re-wear a lot of clothes a few times over, it’s nice to have fresh socks and underwear every day. We love quick-dry socks and underwear because this saves us from packing socks and underwear for every day. With quick-dry fabric, you can do laundry in the sink and only bring 3-4 of each to be re-worn throughout your trip. Also, in the higher elevations, it’s humid so it can take longer for things to dry. Having quick-dry travel gear really helps out in that scenario.
Insect Repellant
You are definitely going to need some products to ward off the bugs in Rwanda. Everyone in our family wears bug bands on our wrists, which work really well. We noticed the mosquitos were worse in Kigali and lower elevations than in the higher elevations of Rwanda. I also prefer bug lotion over bug spray, as it lasts longer so you don’t have to reapply as often. Sawyer is a brand we often use as it’s very effective.
When traveling to places with a lot of bugs, I also pre-treat our clothes with Permethrin. It’s a treatment you apply to your clothes, and it lasts for several washes. You have to be very careful around pets and children when applying it, but it’s the best option for killing ticks and mosquitos.
Even with proper precautions, you’ll likely end up with a few bug bites, so it’s always nice to have some kind of After-Bite product to help reduce the itching.
Sun Protection
Sunscreen is another “must-have” for Rwanda travel. When choosing your sunscreen, make sure it works with (not against) your insect repellant as you’ll need both at the same time. Don’t forget lip balm with SPF as well. In addition to sunscreen, I like to have a sun hat and sunglasses to keep most of my face and head covered. Remember, you’re close to the equator so even if it’s not sunny, you can still get a sunburn.
Electronics
Of course, you should bring a camera! You will take so many pictures in Rwanda, trying to capture every moment. If you’re going gorilla trekking, you’ll want a really good camera and the biggest telephoto lens that you won. Along with your camera, make sure you have backup batteries and backup memory cards.
Of course, you’ll have a cell phone with you for photos as well. Binoculars can really come in handy, especially if you like to look for birds.
Make sure you charge all your electronics overnight while you sleep!
Medications & Vaccinations
Start at the CDC website to see what vaccinations are recommended for the area you are visiting. Then make an appointment at a travel health clinic, or with your primary care physician. (Ask first if they provide the vaccines you need or if they need to order them in.) Our whole family got Yellow Fever and Typhoid shots, while the adults also had to get a Hepatitis shot. For malaria, there are pills you can bring along on the trip and take while you are traveling. You start the pills before you leave and continue to take them until you get home from your Rwanda trip. We also were able to bring a dose of general antibiotics just in case we needed them.
When you visit Rwanda, do not drink the water or consume ice made from tap water. Traveler’s diarrhea is a common occurrence, but you want to do everything you can to prevent it. We always travel with Immodium, or some type of anti-diarrhea medicine, just in case. Anti-nausea medication is also a good thing to have on hand. You might need a prescription for it, so check with your doctor.
We aren’t doctors, but we’ve traveled the world with our kids, so we have our “first aid supplies” pretty dialed in. When you go to your doctor, bring a list of questions and items to review. If you’re traveling with kids, make sure you bring child-specific medications as well, as the adult doses aren’t usually suitable for children.
Toiletries
When it comes to packing toiletries for Rwanda, I pretty much stuck to the basic list that I bring everywhere.
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Soap
- Toothbrush and toothpaste (use bottled water!)
- Toilet Paper in a Ziploc baggie
Miscellaneous Things to Bring to Rwanda
Rwanda has banned plastic bags, so you can’t even bring them into the country. I always stash a few reusable shopping bags in my suitcase, and our Ziploc bags were OK. I actually bought some really beautiful handmade bags in Rwanda, so that’s a perfect souvenir for our future trips.
As far as cash goes, they use U.S. Dollars in Rwanda, but they really only accept newer, crisp bills. We brought a lot of smaller bills to use when tipping all of the staff and guides we interacted with. As Americans, we had to purchase a visa upon arrival in Rwanda. We paid $30 each in cash at the border crossing.
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Hopefully, our stories from travel in Rwanda inspire you to plan your own trip and when you do, you’ll feel more prepared with this Rwanda packing list! Interested in more of our travel tips from Africa?