Georgia Tech Rwanda Study Abroad

In March 2023, a group of six students participated in Georgia Tech's first study abroad in Rwanda. Scroll down to read about what they learned during their week abroad.

Here are some general tips we have put together for traveling in Rwanda:

• Getting Around: In Rwanda, locals get around riding on the back of motorcycles. They are quite inexpensive and very convenient. However, when riding the motorcycle taxis, be prepared that the driver may not know what place you are trying to go to even if you say it by name or show them a map. Definitely best to have a backup plan if you are planning to travel by moto.
• Currency: Definitely make sure to have cash. Most places do not take card. Also, make sure to bring USD in good condition and extra as USD is always good to have on hand. Especially when bartering, they will often accept USD if you do not have the local currency.
• SIM Card/Cell Service: If you do not want to pay international fees for cell service while in Rwanda, it is quite easy and convenient to get a SIM card. You can get a SIM card and sufficient GB for around $10-$11 (make sure to check that you can remove your SIM card first though, especially if you have an iPhone).

We have separated the stops on our trip into different categories: Restaurants, Cultural Experiences, Official Visits, and Nature Experiences.

Throughout our trip, we tried a variety of restaurants that added to the culturally enriching experience of the trip. From traditional local food to Asian and Ivorian cuisine, each meal was unique and significant to our time in Rwanda.

General Notes Regarding Dining in Rwanda

• Prepare to Wait: Biggest thing about eating out was the wait time, especially with a large group (we were a group of 8). The time between ordering food and receiving our food was generally minimum 40 minutes, probably getting up to just over an hour. Basically, do not show up hungry and make sure to block off minimum 2 hrs per meal!
• Missing Menu Items: Don't get too excited when you see all the options on the menu! Many of the restaurants we went to had massive menus (Cheesecake Factory style). But upon beginning to order, we often soon realized that half of the menu was unavailable. Be flexible and make sure to have an option 1 and 2.

Below is a detailed breakdown of the restaurants we visited. Click the arrow to the right to advance the slides.

Interactive Food Map

Feel free to use the interactive food map below to learn more about each of the places we visited. Click on the location to see details for each establishment, including price range, accepted methods of payment, student rankings for categories like taste and menu diversity, as well as pescatarian and vegan friendliness.

Additionally, the query widget (bottom circle on the very right) allows you to narrow down your restaurant search by allowing you to specify a minimum student ranking for some or all of the student ranked categories.

During the visit, we were assigned a project by ESRI Rwanda to identify top locations in the country for a new primary school. We put together lessons from our GIS class (CP 4510) to perform spatial analyses on Rwanda-specific datasets. It was rewarding to have a clear insight emerge from the mist: prime locations for a new primary school are concentrated in southeast Rwanda. Not only do these locations meet the criteria required to realistically build and operate a school, these areas are also in need of a primary school due to not having one in vicinity.

Our work in detail is presented in the story map below:

Hear what the students had to say about the inaugural Rwanda Spring Break Study Abroad program in March 2023.

 Our Google Photos 

Interested in applying? Please contact either  Dr. Valerie Thomas  or  Tony Giarrusso  for more information.