Bujumbura, capital city  of Burundi, is built on the edges of Lake Tanganyika (approximately 800 m of altitude) and has an average temperature of 26°C (between 22° et 30° during the day, rarely below 21°C at night). Its therefore not necessary to carry your 'winter gear'! However a small jacket can be useful when you travel in the country where the altitude can reach 2 200m. Light clothes are recommended.

When you land at the International Airport of Bujumbura, you have to apply for an entry visa, if you do not have one already. The yellow fever vaccin is compulsory and some healthcare professionals recommend an anti malaria treatment. In Bujumbura, Visa and Mastercard cars are accepted at very few places. It is therefore recommended to carry cash, in US Dollars or Euros.

During your stay in Bujumbura, you can visit some touristic sites in Burundi and in the great lakes region. For more information, you can visit the french websites Petit Futé and l'Agence Espérance.

The restaurants in Bujumbura offer different African meals, as well as other countries cuisines, such as french, chinese, indian, italian, grec and ethiopian.

More information available below:

Airline Companies   Banks   Car Dealerships   Currency   Entry Visa   Furniture Stores   Groceries   Hotels   Insurances   International Schools   Security Companies   Sports   Telephone   Vaccins   Water and Electricity

AIRLINE COMPANIES

Before giving instructions to your travel agent, be aware that the airlines mentionned below are the only ones that land in Bujumbura:

Air Burundi
Brussels Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines
Kenya Airways
Rwandair

BANKS

National and International bank transactions are offered by the following banks:

Banque Burundaise de Crédit et d’Investissement (BBCI)
Banque Commerciale du Burundi (BANCOBU)
Banque de Crédit de Bujumbura (BCB)
Banque de Gestion et de Financement (BGF)
Diamond Trust Bank (DTB)
ECOBANK
FINBANK
Interbank Burundi (IBB)

CAR DEALERSHIPS

To buy a new car, contact:

Bonauto
GTS
Old East
Toyota Burundi

CURRENCY

The currency used in BUrundi is the Burundia Franc. You can view the actual exchange rate on the Burundian Republic Bank website.
The US Dollar is the main international currency used. Visa and Mastercard cards are accepted in very few banks.

ENTRY VISA

Get your visa from the Burundian embassy in your country. If there is none, don't hesitate to contact us, we can assist you in getting one at the International Airport of Bujumbura.

FURNITURE STORES

Alcometal
Alpha CD Technology
GTS
La Belle Maison
Ludecor
Palais des Meubles

GROCERIES

For your grocery shopping, we recommend:

Au Bon Prix
Belladone
Escale du Bien
Fée du Logis
Fido Dido
International Shop

HOTELS

If you want to stay in an international class hotel, you can contact:

Alexestel Hotel
Bright Hotel
Clos des Limbas
Dolce Vita Resort
Dorado Hotel
Hôtel Amahoro
Hôtel Club du Lac Tanganyika
Hôtel de la Palmeraie
Hôtel Source du Nil
Le Bouquet
New Parador
Sun Safari Hotel
Top Hill Residence
Ubuntu Residence
Village Hotel
Waterfront Hotel

The prices vary between 80 US$ and 200 US $. Cheaper hotels are available down town with prices ranging between 40 US $ and 80 US $.

INSURANCES

The insurance companies offer various services:
Bicor
Jubilee Insurance
Socabu
Socar
Sogear
Ucar

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS

Do not worry about your children's education. Bujumbura has excellent international schools. We highly recommend:

For the french program:
Ecole Belge
Ecole Française

For the english program:
Montessori School
King School

SECURITY COMPANIES

To enforce your securuty, you can contact:

ASEC
KK Security
PSG
Vigiles Burundais

SPORTS

If you like sports, you have many choices:
Cercle Hippique for horse riding, Badminton, Pétanque and Darts;
Cercle Nautique of Bujumbura pour les aquatic sports and squash;
Entente Sportive of Bujumbura for tennis, swimming and judo, ...
Golf Club of Bujumbura for golf
Gymnase Club has a training room and swimming pool

TELEPHONE

The land line is managed by  the National Telecommunications Office (ONATEL), a parastatal company.
The cellular phone is offered by five different companies:

Africell (Tempo)
Econet
Lacell (Smart)
Onamob
Ucom (Leo)

VACCINS

Do not forget that the yellow fever vaccin is compulsory

WATER AND ELECTRICITY

Water and electricity are provided by REGIDESO, parastatal company. We can register you in the set up service.