Is Butare safe? Rwanda travel risk
Is Butare safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
Butare scores 57/100 on our travel risk index (Elevated). The US State Department rates Rwanda Level 3 (Reconsider Travel, updated 4 Jun 2026); the UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to parts of the country (updated 4 Sep 2026); Canada says: exercise normal security precautions (with regional advisories). No GDACS or USGS hazard events within 100 km in the last 14 days. No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
Butare scores 57/100 (Elevated). The score combines security, crime and scams, health and medical access, natural hazards and current alerts measured for this location and Rwanda (how it is calculated). The sections below are specific to Butare: nearest emergency and transport facilities, 5-year natural hazard history within 100 km.
Driven by: security (69/100) and health and medical access (68/100). Governments disagree: US Level 3, UK Level 2, Canada Level 1.
A score of 57 is higher than the scores of 81% of the 241 countries we cover.
Consult the Rwanda travel risk page for nationwide security advisories, entry protocols, and consular warnings.
Local Geographic Profile
Found at 2.6000° S, 29.7500° E within Southern Province, Butare is situated 79.7 km NNE of Kigali at an altitude of 1769 m.
Southern Province
2.6000° S, 29.7500° E
1769 m
Africa/Kigali
19,937
Emergency & Transport Infrastructure
Surrounding Localities in Rwanda
Natural Hazard Calendar & History
5-Year Hazard Calendar (100 km Radius)
| Hazard | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | 2 | — | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| Wildfires | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Most flood events within 100 km of Butare happened in November (5 of 20 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
For consular advice on women's safety, LGBT+ travel, and local laws, see the Rwanda travel advice & laws.
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel. See the Rwanda entry requirements.
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