Rwanda's round of the African Rally Championship
The Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally, known originally as the Fraternity Rally, is an international rally racing event organised by the Rwanda Automobile Club. Based in the capital, Kigali, it is a round of both the FIA African Rally Championship and the Rwandan National Rally Championship.
Three days of gravel special stages loop out of the city into the hills of Bugesera, drawing crews from across the continent and beyond to one of Africa's most atmospheric events.
From Fraternity Rally to Gorilla Rally
The Fraternity Rally was first run in 1999 as motorsport re-established itself after the Genocide against the Tutsi. It began as a cross-border rally that started in Kampala, Uganda, before finishing in Kigali.
The rally became part of the African championship in 2000, restoring a Rwandan presence absent since 1988. Over time the Ugandan portion of the event faded, and the rally was renamed the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally in 2002.
In the modern era it has become one of the ARC's marquee rounds. Karan Patel took a hat-trick of wins from 2022 to 2024, before Samman Vohra won the 2025 edition — and the field arrives in 2026 stronger than ever.
Champions of the hills
The African Rally Championship
The FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) is the continent's premier rally series, crowning the best crews across a season of rounds in different African nations.
The Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally is one of the season's marquee rounds, where championship points — and bragging rights — are decided on the gravel of Bugesera.
Why Rwanda
Kigali is one of Africa's safest, cleanest and most welcoming capitals — and just minutes from the fast gravel stages of Bugesera.
World-class hospitality, easy access from Kigali International Airport and the backdrop of the land of a thousand hills make Rwanda an unforgettable place to go rallying.
2026 highlights
Four days of action
Provisional schedule — Thursday to Sunday, 9–12 July 2026.