One way car rental is an arrangement where you can pick up a rental car in one location and drop it off in another. This arrangement is convenient, time saving and flexible for travelers that have no intention of going back to the place/town where they picked the car from.

All that’s needed is specification that you need your car for one way and you’re good to go.  Round trips on the other hand involve you driving back to the original location so it is always wise to choose an arrangement that best suits your travel needs. In this article, we elaborate some of the advantages that a one way car rental has over round trips.

Flexibility and convenience

Whether you’re traveling for business or embarking on a safari trip, a one-way car rental gives you the freedom to end your trip wherever is most convenient. For instance, if you’re moving from Kigali to Musanze, pack your things in a rental car  in Kigali and arrange a customized drop off at your destination in Musanze.

Long-distance travel

Let’s say you’ve been on a sightseeing trip around Rwanda and you want to fly out of Kigali International Airport , but you’re concerned about returning the vehicle. A one-way rental gives you the flexibility to leave the car at the airport, unload your luggage, check into your flight, and go. That extra day you would have spent driving back is used to move to your next destination.

Avoiding round-trip fees

Odds are, the rental agency is going to charge an extra fee for a one-way car rental. Still, that fee is likely much lower than what it would cost to return it. Consider what you’ll save in fuel, parking, and extra travel expenses by dropping the vehicle off in its pickup location. This makes one way car rentals cost effective in the long run.

Peace of mind

Imagine you’re traveling around Rwanda for a safari adventure and somehow lose track of time and you end up taking more time than planned, you’re going to pay an extra fee for returning the vehicle late to it’s original location but with a one way trip, late return fees are the least of your worries.

Pick up and drop off locations

Car rental agencies usually offer customization options, like airport deliveries and drop offs at your hotel or office. When you book a one way car rental, you can choose to get a driver to pick you up from the airport and drop you off to your destination without worrying about how you’ll return the car to its original location.

Crossborder friendly

One way rentals are convenient for cross border trips. As case in point is if you plan to start your trip in Rwanda and end it in Uganda, one way car rentals are the best option. Start your journey in Kigali and visit other destinations of your choice and head to Uganda without worrying about dropping the car back to Kigali. The car rental agency will figure that out.

Explore different routes

One way car rentals enable you to explore different routes which is not the case with a around trip. You do not have to drive back the same route with a one way which gives you an opportunity to discover new places and enhance your travel experience.

Time saving

Since there’s no need to drive back to the original location to drop off the car, you save so much time which can be used to embark on a couple of adventures and relaxation.

Renting a car one way gives you the freedom to roam without the hassle of returning to your starting point. Simply pick up your ride in one place and drop it off in another. It’s a popular choice for road trips, flexible itineraries, and cross-border adventures.

Commonly referred to as the land of a thousand hills, Rwanda is blessed with beautiful scenery and incredibly warm and friendly people making it one of the most visited countries in Africa.

Rwanda is ranked as the second easiest place to do business in Africa by the World Bank and has been awarded for its leadership in tourism and economic competitiveness by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and the World Economic Forum respectively. This can partially be attributed to the partnership between Visit Rwanda and Arsenal which was focused on promoting the country and helping the tourism sector recover from the pandemic.

The Athletic; a New York Times Company recently reported that following this partnership, Rwanda experienced a 30 per cent year-on-year increase in visitors for tourism and MICE tourism (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) from across Europe, and an 18 per cent year-on-year increase from the UK.

Whether you’re visiting Rwanda for leisure or business, the best way to get around is by renting a car and one way car rentals are usually a more convenient and flexible option. These are the places you can’t miss out on your one way trip.

Kigali city

Kigali is the capital city of Rwanda and definitely the very first city you’ll see as soon as you step out of the airport. It is a very calm yet vibrant city with very polite people and beautiful sights. Top of your Kigali bucket list is the Kimironko market, the largest shopping centre in Kigali. Here, you’ll find a variety of fresh foods, fruits, vegetables, spices, meats and sea food. On top of that, there’s a section that has African clothes and shoes and that’s the perfect souvenir spot.

Enjoy a thrilling shopping experience at kimironko market. Another place to visit in Kigali is the Nyamirambo Women’s Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing Rwandan women with the education and skills they need to find work. Here, you’ll get high-quality children’s clothes, accessories, and home decor items out of traditional kitenge textiles, which serve as beautiful mementos while also supporting the center’s community projects.

You can also check out the gift shop at Inema Art centre to buy jewelry, linen amd leather works made by the centre’s students. You can not leave Kigali without paying respect to the genocide victims at the Kigali genocide memorial center. This is the final resting place for over 250,000 people who were killed during the 1994 Rwanda genocide.

It is an emotional place to visit and visiting it will give you an insight of what Rwandans had to endure because of this tragic incident.

Akagera national Park

Founded in 1934 by the Belgian government and currently managed by the Rwanda Development Board and the African Parks network, Akagera National park is one of the largest protected wetland reserves in Africa and home to over 15,000 mammal species all of Africa’s  big 5; African Leopard, African bush elephant, lion, African buffalo and rhinoceros.

Enjoy guided game drives, camping, birdwatching, fishing, nature walks and boat safaris while there.

Lake Kivu

This is the largest lake in Rwanda and 5^th largest in Africa. Lake Kivu is situated on the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, and is in the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift. Lake Kivu is surrounded by serene steep green hills and islands and is accessible from Kigali and all the national parks.

Enjoy a picnic near the shoreline, or take a dive off a pier into the clear, cool water. Enjoy sea kayaking near Kibuye, and paddle your boat through the quiet waters to Bat Island, inhabited by 5 million fruit bats, or Peace Island, a quiet space for thought and relaxation. Don’t forget to try out the famous deepfried tilapia.

Volcanoes National Park

Just two hours from Kigali city, Volcanoes National Park is considered the most accessible National Park in the world. It is home to the endangered mountain gorilla, golden monkey, a variety of birds, amphibians, reptiles and other creatures. The most popular activity here is gorilla trekking but you can ask well hike, bird watch, take nature walks and visit the Batwa community.

Other places to go to on your one way trip is Kibeho, a small town in South Rwanda where the blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ appeared between 1981-1989, the King’s Palace museum in Nyanza, Nyungee forest National Park, the Nyamata genocide memorial and the Ethnographic museum in Huye. Discuss with your car rental provider about your final destination so that they can arrange for the vehicle to be picked up.