Kigali · Rwanda
December
Short dry season returns — a solid month for first-time Rwanda visitors.
Strong option
#6 of 12 months
There are better months for Kigali — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
26°C
Low
15°C
Rain
68mm
Sun
6.6hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How December scores in Kigali
Weather
Very good
Value
Good
Crowds
Above average
Events
Above average
Atmosphere
Very good
What you gain in December
- ↑December marks the beginning of the short dry season (December–January), when gorilla trekking conditions improve rapidly. The first weeks can still have residual November rain, but by mid-December the Volcanoes National Park trails are clearing and the mountain views returning. A late-December Rwanda trip combines improving gorilla conditions with a genuinely unusual festive season context.
- ↑Kigali is a striking city to spend Christmas in: the Rwandan diaspora returns home, the city's restaurants and rooftop bars fill with a young, internationally mobile crowd, and the contrast between the country's recent history and its present energy is at its most visible.
- ↑Akagera National Park is accessible and increasingly productive as December's drier conditions begin to concentrate wildlife around the lakes. The park's Big Five — lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and both black and white rhino — are trackable for experienced guides.
What you sacrifice
- ↓Early December can retain November's rain — the transition to the short dry season is not precise. Book lodges with flexible cancellation policies for early December travel.
- ↓Christmas and New Year periods drive international flight prices to Kigali significantly higher. The combination of transcontinental flight costs and the fixed $1,500 gorilla permit makes Rwanda one of the more expensive destinations globally to visit in December.
How December compares to June (best month)
| Factor | December | June ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 7 | 9 |
| Value | 6 | 5 |
| Crowds | 5 | 4 |
December in other destinations
Lisbon (14.4°C)Barcelona (13.8°C)Tokyo (12°C)Bali (30.3°C)Santorini (14.5°C)Paris (6.9°C)New York (5.1°C)Marrakech (18.1°C)Amsterdam (6.4°C)Maldives (30°C)Rome (11.7°C)Bangkok (30.4°C)Istanbul (9.4°C)Vienna (3°C)Seoul (3.7°C)Dubrovnik (11.6°C)Rio de Janeiro (29.5°C)Kyoto (11.3°C)Phuket (31.8°C)Cape Town (25.6°C)Prague (3°C)Amalfi Coast (13°C)Mexico City (21°C)Medellín (28°C)Fiji (30°C)London (8°C)Sydney (26°C)Iceland (2°C)Tulum (28°C)Dubai (25°C)Singapore (30°C)Hoi An (24°C)Chiang Mai (27.5°C)Miami (25.6°C)Florence (9.8°C)Queenstown (21°C)Madrid (9.5°C)Porto (14°C)Edinburgh (7°C)Copenhagen (5°C)Budapest (5°C)Kraków (2°C)Tbilisi (7°C)Palawan (29°C)Hanoi (20°C)Osaka (11°C)Goa (32°C)Cusco (20°C)Buenos Aires (29°C)Mykonos (14°C)Zanzibar (31°C)Sri Lanka (30°C)Costa Rica (25°C)Cancun (28°C)Krabi (32°C)Athens (14°C)Seville (15°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (28°C)Havana (26°C)Split (11°C)Taipei (20°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (16°C)Ho Chi Minh City (31°C)Hawaii (27°C)Cappadocia (6°C)Dominican Republic (28°C)Jamaica (30°C)Tanzania (27°C)Seychelles (30°C)Nepal (17°C)Jordan (14°C)Azores (18°C)Bora Bora (30°C)Los Angeles (20.4°C)Cairo (20.8°C)Kenya (26°C)Jaipur (22.8°C)Las Vegas (14.7°C)San Francisco (13.8°C)Madeira (20°C)Vancouver (7.1°C)Muscat (27.8°C)Lima (24.2°C)Cinque Terre (12°C)Kotor (11°C)Tel Aviv (19°C)Santiago (29°C)Bogotá (18°C)Bruges (6.8°C)Penang (30.9°C)Lombok (30.9°C)Cape Verde (26.8°C)Fez (15.2°C)Kerala (31°C)Hong Kong (19°C)Oslo (2°C)Auckland (22°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Kigali, not across destinations. Methodology →