# Mahembe Cell, Byimana Sector, Ruhango District – Villages > Source: https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/southern-province/ruhango/byimana/mahembe/ Cell · Byimana Sector # Mahembe Mahembe is a cell of Rwanda in Byimana Sector, Ruhango District, Southern Province. It covers **6.88 km²**. 10 named villages and localities are recorded here. - 6.9km² - 1,774 mtypical elevation ## Where is Mahembe? Mahembe lies in [Byimana Sector](https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/southern-province/ruhango/byimana/), [Ruhango District](https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/southern-province/ruhango/), [Southern Province](https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/southern-province/), [Rwanda](https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/). It borders 6 other cells: [Buhoro](https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/southern-province/ruhango/ruhango/buhoro/), [Bunyogombe](https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/southern-province/ruhango/ruhango/bunyogombe/), [Kamusenyi](https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/southern-province/ruhango/byimana/kamusenyi/), [Kirengeri](https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/southern-province/ruhango/byimana/kirengeri/), [Ntenyo](https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/southern-province/ruhango/byimana/ntenyo/) and [Rwinyana](https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/southern-province/ruhango/bweramana/rwinyana/). By area it is the 615th largest of 1,000 cells in Rwanda. It covers 11.2% of [Byimana Sector](https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/southern-province/ruhango/byimana/). The centre of Mahembe is about 42 km in a straight line from Kigali, the capital. The centre point is at 2.1733° S, 29.7493° E. Source: [National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR). via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-rwa). ## Things to see in and around Mahembe ### Nearby, outside Mahembe - Queen Mother's House · ruins, Mubuga6.0 km - Kiboniyi Caves · cave, Gifumba8.1 km - Cyabakamyi Genocide Memorial · memorial, Nyabinyenga18 km Source: [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright). Named attractions, museums, viewpoints, historic sites and natural features mapped in OpenStreetMap. Places of worship are not listed. ## Know before you go: Mahembe - Time zoneUTC+2, no daylight saving · Africa/Kigali - CurrencyFranc (RWF) - Country calling code+250 - LanguagesKinyarwanda, English, French, Swahili - Plug typesType C, E, G · 230 V - Driving sideRight ### Nearest airports - Kigali International Airport (KGL) · Kigali49 km - Goma International Airport (GOM) · Goma80 km ### Daylight Days are longest in Dec (about 12.2 hours, sunrise around 05:48) and shortest in Jun (about 12.0 hours, sunrise around 06:01, sunset around 18:00). Source: [GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0)](https://www.geonames.org/); [Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-03](https://www.wikidata.org/); [OurAirports (public domain)](https://ourairports.com/data/). Airports with scheduled passenger flights; straight-line distances. Daylight is calculated for the 15th of each month in local standard time. Check entry and visa rules with official government sources before travelling. ## Villages and localities in Mahembe Open gazetteers list **10 villages, towns and localities** in Mahembe. Settlements here lie between about 1,709 m and 1,818 m above sea level (median 1,774 m). - Gakurazo - Gihinga - Kamatongo - Kavumu - Mahembe - Muhororo - Mujyeruru - Mutobo - Nyagisozi - Umujyanjoro Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/); [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright). ## Landscape and landmarks of Mahembe Named natural and historic features inside Mahembe, from the GeoNames gazetteer. ### Water 3 rivers and streams. - Nyabikongi - Nyagafunzo - Ruseke Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/). Places of worship are not listed. Elevations are from the GeoNames terrain model and are approximate. ## Weather in Mahembe and the best time to visit Using the climate of Ruhango District, the warmest month is Feb (average 21 °C) and the coolest is Jun (19 °C). About 1,291 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Apr (178 mm) and the driest Jul (31 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are **December to February and June to September**. - Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec Month Average °C Rain mm Jan 20 96 Feb 21 102 Mar 20 153 Apr 20 178 May 19 139 Jun 19 50 Jul 19 31 Aug 20 56 Sep 21 88 Oct 20 129 Nov 19 160 Dec 20 109 Source: [NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29](https://power.larc.nasa.gov/). ## Nearest hospital, bank and fuel from Mahembe Need Nearest mapped Distance Hospital Shyogwe Health Centre · Mubuga 6.1 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-2.12586&mlon=29.77747#map=17/-2.12586/29.77747) Bank GT Bank · Nyamagana 8.0 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-2.23533&mlon=29.78651#map=17/-2.23533/29.78651) ATM BPR ATM · Gacaca 40 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-2.05241&mlon=29.41235#map=17/-2.05241/29.41235) Petrol pump Rubis · Kirengeri 2.1 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-2.15431&mlon=29.74828#map=17/-2.15431/29.74828) Hotel Jangwe Lodge · Mubuga 5.1 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-2.14222&mlon=29.78341#map=17/-2.14222/29.78341) School Byimana School of Sciences · Muhororo 3.1 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-2.14562&mlon=29.74397#map=17/-2.14562/29.74397) College GS Bukomero · Muhororo 3.1 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-2.14650&mlon=29.74236#map=17/-2.14650/29.74236) Police station Muhanga Prison · Ruli 10 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-2.08060&mlon=29.76392#map=17/-2.08060/29.76392) Source: [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/). Straight-line distance from the centre of the division, within 40 km. ## Other cells in Byimana Sector - Kamusenyi - Kirengeri - Mpanda - Muhororo - Ntenyo - Nyakabuye ## Quick answers - Where is Mahembe?In Byimana Sector, Ruhango District, Southern Province, Rwanda - What borders Mahembe?Buhoro, Bunyogombe, Kamusenyi, Kirengeri, Ntenyo and Rwinyana - What is there to see in Mahembe?Queen Mother's House, Kiboniyi Caves, Cyabakamyi Genocide Memorial - What time zone is Mahembe in?UTC+2 - What currency is used in Mahembe?Franc (RWF) - What language is spoken in Mahembe?Kinyarwanda, English, French (main languages nationally) - How many villages are in Mahembe?10 named settlements (GeoNames, OpenStreetMap) - What is the elevation of Mahembe?Settlements lie between 1,709 m and 1,818 m - What is the best time to visit Mahembe?December to February and June to September - Where is the nearest hospital to Mahembe?Shyogwe Health Centre, about 6.1 km from the centre - Where is the nearest bank to Mahembe?GT Bank, about 8.0 km from the centre - Where is the nearest ATM to Mahembe?BPR ATM, about 40 km from the centre - Where is the nearest petrol pump to Mahembe?Rubis, about 2.1 km from the centre - What is the P-code of Mahembe?RW260203 (OCHA common operational dataset)