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Burundi

Republic of Burundi · Eastern Africa

Burundi is a small country in East Africa, although it has some cultural and geographical ties with Central Africa. It is surrounded by Rwanda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Although the country is rich in culture and history, the country has been in a state of instability since gaining independence in the 1960s. Burundi is one of the world's poorest and least developed countries and has a myriad of social, political, and economic problems.

Guide content adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Burundi". Source · CC BY-SA 4.0

CapitalGitega
CurrencyBIFBurundian franc
LanguagesFrench, Kirundi
Dial code+257
Time zoneAfrica/Bujumbura

Weather

Live

24°C

Overcast · feels like 22°C

  • 33%
  • 10 km/h
  • AQI 49
  • SunOvercast16° / 26°
  • MonOvercast16° / 27°
  • TueOvercast17° / 27°
  • WedOvercast17° / 27°

Measured at the country centroid, not a specific city.

Money

Live

Burundian franc (BIF)

$1 USD
Fr2,994
€1 EUR
Fr3,448

Reference rates for 2026-08-08. Indicative — not the rate a bureau will give you.

Trip cost

What a trip to Burundi costs

Visas, flights, beds, food and everything in between, priced for your party and your dates. Every line shows its own arithmetic, so you can disagree with the parts you know better than we do.

Your trip

8 days on the ground

Hotel category
Flight class

Estimated cost

$2,192

$1,096 per person · $137 per person per day

  • Visa & entry

    $50 × 2 — typical tourist visa or eVisa fee

    $100
  • Flights

    $571 return × 2 · 7,047 km

    $1,141
  • Accommodation

    $43/night × 7 nights × 1 room · Standard

    $302
  • Food & drink

    $13/person/day × 8 days × 2

    $208
  • Local transport

    $5/person/day × 8 days × 2

    $80
  • SIM & internet

    $8 per person, once × 2

    $16
  • Attractions

    $9/person/day × 8 days × 2

    $144
  • Travel insurance

    $2/person/day × 8 days × 2

    $38
Subtotal
$2,030
Miscellaneous (8%)
$162
Total
$2,192

Budget at a glance

Per day

$274

Per person

$1,096

Family of 4

$4,385

7 days

$2,192

14 days

$2,963

30 days

$4,726

The 7, 14 and 30-day figures re-price the whole trip at that length — flights and visas do not repeat, so a month is far from four times a week.

A planning estimate, not a quote — ground costs are modelled from a cost tier for Burundi, not scraped from live inventory. Your settings are saved to this device.

Visas & entry

Entry requirements

This information is for people travelling on a full ‘British citizen’ passport from the UK. It is based on the UK government’s understanding of Burundi’s current rules for the most common types of travel.

The authorities in Burundi set and enforce entry rules. If you’re not sure how these requirements apply to you, contact the Burundi Embassy in the UK.

Passport validity requirements

To enter Burundi, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive and have one blank page.
   
Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.

You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.

Dual nationals

When returning to the UK, British citizens must carry a valid British passport or certificate of entitlement. See Dual citizenship.

Visa requirements

You must have a visa to visit Burundi.

Applying for a visa

You should apply for a visa online ahead of travelling. Visas are issued on arrival in Burundi. A one-month visa costs $90 which can be paid online or in cash on arrival and is valid for single and multiple entries.

All travellers without a valid settlement visa or permanent residence must complete the Airport entry visa or Transit visa application before arriving in Burundi. Once the application is submitted, you will receive a validation certificate. This certificate will be needed to get your visa upon arrival.

Vaccine recommendations

To enter Burundi, you must have a certificate to prove you’ve had a yellow fever vaccination, due to a risk of yellow fever transmission.

For more details about health entry requirements and recommended vaccinations, see TravelHealthPro’s Burundi guide.

Customs rules

There are strict rules about goods you can take into or out of Burundi. You must declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty.

Source: UK FCDO, published 2026-05-21 under the Open Government Licence.

If something goes wrong

Getting help

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) cannot provide tailored advice for individual trips. Read this travel advice and carry out your own research before deciding whether to travel.

Emergency services in Burundi   

Telephone: 112 (ambulance, fire, police)

You can also request help from the Red Cross by calling 109.

Contact your travel provider and insurer

Contact your travel provider and your insurer if you are involved in a serious incident or emergency abroad. They will tell you if they can help and what you need to do.

Refunds and changes to travel

For refunds or changes to travel, contact your travel provider. You may also be able to make a claim through insurance. However, insurers usually require you to talk to your travel provider first.

Find out more about changing or cancelling travel plans, including:

  • where to get advice if you are in a dispute with a provider
  • how to access previous versions of travel advice to support a claim

Support from FCDO

FCDO has guidance on staying safe and what to do if you need help or support abroad, including:

Contacting FCDO  

Help abroad   

See how to get help from the UK government abroad including in an emergency.  

Help in the UK   

You can call FCDO in London if you need urgent help because something has happened to a friend or relative abroad.   

Telephone: 020 7008 5000 (24 hours)   

Find out about call charges 

Get travel advice updates   

Sign up to get email notifications when this travel advice is updated.   

Follow FCDO:  

Cities

Where to go in Burundi

Where next