Kigali · Rwanda
March
Peak of the long rainy season — gorilla trekking possible but conditions are at their hardest.
Strong option
#11 of 12 months
There are better months for Kigali — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
26°C
Low
16°C
Rain
138mm
Sun
5.4hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How March scores in Kigali
Weather
Average
Value
Excellent
Crowds
Very good
Events
Below average
Atmosphere
Above average
What you gain in March
- ↑March is genuinely the low season for Rwanda tourism, and the value is real: luxury lodges like Singita Kwitonda and Bisate Lodge discount heavily. A gorilla trekking experience that costs $3,000+ per person in dry season can be assembled for half that price with lodge and permit combined.
- ↑Despite the rain, gorilla families are reliably tracked year-round — Rwanda Gorilla Conservation has habituated families for over three decades, and trackers locate the groups every single morning. The rain actually concentrates gorillas in bamboo feeding zones, making some encounters more accessible than in dry season ranging.
What you sacrifice
- ↓March is typically Rwanda's rainiest month. The combination of 138mm of rainfall distributed across frequent heavy showers with the volcanic mountain terrain makes for genuinely challenging trekking: knees, boots, and energy reserves are all tested. Hire the recommended porters — they are essential, not optional.
- ↓Kigali itself is affected: the city's notoriously clean streets (plastic bags have been banned since 2008, litter fines enforced) handle the rain well, but outdoor restaurant and rooftop bar culture is curtailed by afternoon downpours.
How March compares to June (best month)
| Factor | March | June ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 4 | 9 |
| Value | 8 | 5 |
| Crowds | 7 | 4 |
March in other destinations
Lisbon (16.6°C)Barcelona (15.8°C)Tokyo (13.8°C)Bali (30.8°C)Santorini (14.6°C)Paris (11.5°C)New York (9.7°C)Marrakech (22.3°C)Amsterdam (9.2°C)Maldives (30.8°C)Rome (15°C)Bangkok (34.3°C)Istanbul (11.6°C)Vienna (10.3°C)Seoul (9.6°C)Dubrovnik (13.9°C)Rio de Janeiro (29.7°C)Kyoto (14.3°C)Phuket (33°C)Cape Town (25.4°C)Prague (10°C)Amalfi Coast (15°C)Mexico City (26°C)Medellín (28°C)Fiji (30°C)London (12°C)Sydney (25°C)Iceland (4°C)Tulum (30°C)Dubai (29°C)Singapore (32°C)Hoi An (28°C)Chiang Mai (34.5°C)Miami (26.7°C)Florence (14.8°C)Queenstown (19.5°C)Madrid (15°C)Porto (17°C)Edinburgh (9°C)Copenhagen (7°C)Budapest (11°C)Kraków (9°C)Tbilisi (13°C)Palawan (31°C)Hanoi (22°C)Osaka (14°C)Goa (34°C)Cusco (19°C)Buenos Aires (27°C)Mykonos (15°C)Zanzibar (32°C)Sri Lanka (32°C)Costa Rica (27°C)Cancun (30°C)Krabi (34°C)Athens (16°C)Seville (21°C)Cartagena (32°C)Siem Reap (33°C)Havana (28°C)Split (14°C)Taipei (22°C)Kuala Lumpur (33°C)Valletta (17°C)Ho Chi Minh City (35°C)Hawaii (27°C)Cappadocia (11°C)Dominican Republic (29°C)Jamaica (30°C)Tanzania (27°C)Seychelles (30°C)Nepal (24°C)Jordan (17°C)Azores (18°C)Bora Bora (30°C)Los Angeles (21.5°C)Cairo (25.1°C)Kenya (28.5°C)Jaipur (30.8°C)Las Vegas (22.5°C)San Francisco (15.1°C)Madeira (20.5°C)Vancouver (10.5°C)Muscat (31.5°C)Lima (26.4°C)Cinque Terre (14°C)Kotor (14°C)Tel Aviv (21°C)Santiago (27°C)Bogotá (18°C)Bruges (10.1°C)Penang (33.1°C)Lombok (31.4°C)Cape Verde (26.5°C)Fez (19.5°C)Kerala (33°C)Hong Kong (21°C)Oslo (5°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 →