Burundi

Is Burundi safe to visit?

Only with care, and not in the north-west. The US advises travellers to reconsider going because of political violence, crime and poor health care, and says do not travel to Cibitoke, Bubanza and Kibira National Park. The UK advises against all travel to communes near the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and to the roads through Kibira, but in March 2026 it stopped advising against travel to Bujumbura itself. We score Burundi 50, a little above Uganda, below Rwanda and well above the DRC.

Few tourists come, and the data reflect it. UNODC's last national homicide figure is from 2016 (WHO's 2021 model gives 6.5 per 100,000), and WHO's two road estimates disagree by a factor of three, so our confidence is low.

Spillover from eastern Congo

Fighting in South Kivu, just across the Rusizi river and Lake Tanganyika from Bujumbura, is the main security concern. When AFC/M23 rebels took the Congolese town of Uvira in early December 2025, more than 100,000 people fled into Burundi, according to UNHCR, and Reuters reported in January 2026 that 53 of them had died in Burundi. A first convoy of 470 refugees returned voluntarily to Uvira in April 2026, but the situation along the border remains unstable.

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says armed group activity on the border has increased and that fighting, troop movements and refugee flows can affect the Burundian side. It advises against all travel to the Mugina, Cibitoke, Bukinyayana, Bubanza and Mpanda communes because of a rebel group in Kibira National Park and possible incursions from the DRC, to the RN5 north of the airport, to Rusizi National Park, and to the RN6 and RN10 west of Kayanza. In December 2023 the RED-Tabara rebel group attacked Vugizo, about 20 km from Bujumbura, and local reports said up to 20 people died.

Leaving can be hard. Melchior Ndadaye International Airport in Bujumbura is the only international airport, the land border with Rwanda has been closed since January 2024, the DRC border is unstable and severe fuel shortages limit road travel to Tanzania.

Grenades, arrests and roadblocks

Grenade attacks are common in Burundi, the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says; on 10 May 2024 two attacks hit crowded places in central Bujumbura, one at the bus stop by the former Central Market. They can be criminal or political. Avoid crowds, markets and bus stations where you can.

Politics are tightly controlled. The FCDO reports arbitrary arrests, detentions and disappearances, mostly of Burundians seen as critical of the government, and police may search homes for weapons. Roadblocks are common and not always official, and police control access to Bujumbura at night. Carry copies of your passport and visa, and expect to show originals.

Crime in Bujumbura

UNODC recorded 5.7 homicides per 100,000Homicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary people in 2016, a middling rate for the region, but the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary calls the crime rate high. Armed muggings at gun or knife point, armed carjackings, burglary and car break-ins all happen, and the US says criminals target people thought to carry large sums of cash.

• Do not walk or use buses or motorbike taxis after dark, even in the city centre.
• Withdraw or change money by day, discreetly, and carry little.
• Stay in a hotel with good security and keep car doors locked.

Burundi is mostly a cash economy. Bring clean US dollars printed after 2006; torn or older notes are often refused, and cards rarely work outside Bujumbura.

Roads and landslides

WHO estimatesWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 12.3 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, though its older series gave 35.5 for 2019, so treat the lower figure with caution. Either way, the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says driving standards are very poor, vehicles are badly maintained and serious crashes are common, and that emergency services are unlikely to respond quickly. Only a few roads are paved, and in the rainy season from October to May landslides block roads and sweep away bridges. Avoid driving outside Bujumbura after dark.

Malaria, cholera and limited care

Malaria is present across the country, and CDC recommends preventive tablets for all travellers. You need a yellow fever vaccination certificate to enter, and cholera continues to circulate, so drink only bottled or treated water. The Ebola outbreak in the DRC has reached South Kivu, but WHO has reported no cases in Burundi.

The US says medical care falls well below US standards and there are no adequate trauma services, and the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says evacuation to Kenya or Rwanda may be needed for anything serious. In Bujumbura, the FCDO lists Kira Hospital, the Kamenge military hospital and the MSF-supported Prince Régent Charles Hospital for serious accidents. Call 112, or the Red Cross on 109.

How we scored it

Health (30) is Burundi's weakest factor, followed by conflict (42), which reflects the border spillover, grenade attacks and political repression rather than open war. Road safety (62) scores highest on WHO's 2021 estimate of 12.3 deaths per 100,000, though the older 2019 figure was far worse; natural hazards (60) and violent crime (56) follow, the latter below the band for WHO's modelled homicide rateHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary because both the UK and US describe high armed crime. Our cap of conflict plus 35 (77) does not bind.