Sunrise & sunset times in Kigali
Sunrise in Kigali today is at 05:45 and sunset is at 17:52, giving 12h 8m of daylight (times for Friday, 2 October 2026, in Kigali's local time zone). Evening golden hour runs 17:25 to 17:52. The moon is a waning gibbous at 67% illumination.
Live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, golden hour, blue hour and moon times for Kigali, Rwanda. Pick any date to see the light for that day in local time.
On the 2026 June solstice the sun rises at 06:01 and sets at 18:01 in Kigali (12h 1m of daylight). On the December solstice it rises at 05:50 and sets at 18:04 (12h 14m).
| Event | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:03 | 18:10 | 12h 7m |
| June solstice | 06:01 | 18:01 | 12h 1m |
| September equinox | 05:49 | 17:55 | 12h 6m |
| December solstice | 05:50 | 18:04 | 12h 14m |
Full sun timeline for Kigali
Civil dawn, when the sky starts to brighten before sunrise.
The moment the top edge of the sun appears on the horizon.
End of the soft, warm morning light photographers love.
The sun reaches its highest point in the sky for the day.
Start of the warm, low evening light before sunset.
The moment the sun dips fully below the horizon.
Civil dusk, when the last usable daylight fades.
Golden hour and blue hour in Kigali
The best windows for warm and cool natural light on this date.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 06:02 | 18:15 | 12h 13m |
| February | 06:08 | 18:19 | 12h 10m |
| March | 06:05 | 18:12 | 12h 7m |
| April | 05:57 | 18:01 | 12h 4m |
| May | 05:55 | 17:56 | 12h 2m |
| June | 05:59 | 18:00 | 12h 1m |
| July | 06:05 | 18:06 | 12h 1m |
| August | 06:02 | 18:05 | 12h 3m |
| September | 05:52 | 17:57 | 12h 6m |
| October | 05:41 | 17:50 | 12h 9m |
| November | 05:38 | 17:50 | 12h 12m |
| December | 05:47 | 18:01 | 12h 14m |
Sun and moon in Kigali
Whether you are planning a sunrise photo walk or timing an evening run, the daily sun and moon schedule for Kigali is easy to check here. This page shows live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, morning and evening golden hour, blue hour, dawn and dusk, plus the current moon phase and the moonrise and moonset times for Kigali. Every value is calculated in the browser for the date you pick and shown in the local time of Kigali, Rwanda. Kigali sits at roughly 1.94 degrees south, in the southern hemisphere, so it sees very little seasonal change, with day length staying close to twelve hours all year and a short, fast twilight after sunset. Because the length of the day changes with the seasons, the exact sunrise and sunset in Kigali shift from week to week. Pick any date with the date picker to see how the light will fall on a specific day, which is handy for planning a shoot, an event, a wedding, a flight or simply the best moment to catch the last warm light of the evening. Golden hour, that soft warm window near sunrise and sunset, is the favourite of photographers in Kigali. Blue hour, the cooler stretch just before sunrise and just after sunset, is ideal for cityscapes and long exposures. Combined with the moon phase and moon times, this gives you a complete picture of natural light over Kigali, Rwanda for any day of the year.
What time is sunset in Kigali today?
The sun sets in Kigali at 17:52 today, Friday, 2 October 2026, in Kigali's own local time. The warm light starts well before that: evening golden hour opens at 17:25, giving 27 minutes of low golden light before the sun reaches the horizon. Sunset is not the end of the light either. Last light, the moment usable daylight ends at civil dusk, follows 21 minutes later at 18:13, and the sky is properly dark at 19:01, 1h 9m after sunset.
Tomorrow the sun sets at 17:52 in Kigali. To the minute, that is the same time as today. Over the coming week sunset moves 1 minute 41 seconds earlier.
Planning around the light? See golden hour in Kigali.
Is the day getting longer or shorter in Kigali right now?
Kigali gets 12h 8m of daylight today, from sunrise to sunset. Tomorrow will be 7 seconds longer. Across the whole coming week the day changes by less than a minute, which is what a standstill looks like.
When are the earliest and latest sunrise and sunset in Kigali?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Kigali falls on 29 October at 17:48, 53 days before the December solstice, and the latest on 7 February at 18:19.
Sunrise runs on its own schedule: earliest on 6 November at 05:37, latest on 15 February at 06:08, 56 days after the December solstice. The four dates in the table below do not line up with the solstices, and they are not supposed to. Earth's orbit is slightly elliptical and its axis is tilted, so the sun runs a few minutes fast or slow against clock time through the year. That offset, the equation of time, is what pushes the earliest sunset ahead of the shortest day and the latest sunrise behind it.
| Extreme | Date | Local time | Why then |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earliest sunrise | 6 Nov 2026 | 05:37 | 45 days before the December solstice |
| Latest sunrise | 15 Feb 2026 | 06:08 | 56 days after the December solstice |
| Earliest sunset | 29 Oct 2026 | 17:48 | 53 days before the December solstice |
| Latest sunset | 7 Feb 2026 | 18:19 | 48 days after the December solstice |
For the longest and shortest day themselves, see day length in Kigali.
How long does twilight last in Kigali?
First light in Kigali arrives 21 minutes before sunrise today, at 05:24. After sunset the light hangs on for another 21 minutes, until 18:13. That evening stretch is not the same all year in Kigali: it runs from 21 minutes at its shortest, in March, to 23 minutes at its longest, in December. The lower the angle at which the sun crosses the horizon, the longer twilight lasts, which is why dusk is a slow affair at high latitudes and abrupt near the equator.
Full three-band twilight tables: dawn in Kigali and dusk in Kigali.
How high does the sun get in Kigali?
At midday on the December solstice the sun stands 68.5 degrees above the horizon in Kigali. On the June solstice it climbs only 64.6 degrees. The midday sun stays high enough all year that noon shadows in Kigali are always shorter than the object casting them, about 0.47 times their height at the lowest point of the year.
Twice a year, on 15 March and 28 September, the midday sun over Kigali comes within half a degree of straight overhead, reaching 89.89 degrees at its highest. On those days an upright post casts almost no shadow at solar noon, which is why they are sometimes called zero shadow days. It can only happen between the tropics, where the sun passes directly over a place at all.
Frequently asked questions about Kigali
What time is sunrise in Kigali today?
The sun rises in Kigali, Rwanda at 05:45 on Friday, 2 October 2026, and sets at 17:52. Use the date picker above to check sunrise for any other day. All times are given in the local time zone of Kigali.
When is golden hour in Kigali?
Kigali has two golden hours each day. On Friday, 2 October 2026 the morning window runs from 05:45 to 06:12, and the evening window from 17:25 to 17:52, all in local time. Pick another date above to plan a shoot down to the minute.
Why do sunrise and sunset change through the year in Kigali?
Because Kigali lies in the southern hemisphere, its days are longest around December and shortest around June. In Kigali the longer solstice day runs about 12h 14m and the shorter one about 12h 1m, as shown in the table above. As Earth orbits the Sun, the point on the horizon where the Sun rises and sets moves, which lengthens or shortens the day and shifts sunrise and sunset times.
Are the times for Kigali accurate?
Yes. Times are computed with the well established SunCalc astronomy library using the coordinates of Kigali and shown in its local time zone. They are accurate to about a minute for a clear, flat horizon. Hills, tall buildings and atmospheric conditions can shift the moment you actually see the Sun by a few minutes.
Does this page show the moon phase for Kigali?
Yes. The current moon phase, the percentage of the Moon that is lit, and the moonrise and moonset times for Kigali are all shown for the selected date, so you can plan around a full moon or a dark new moon sky.
How much daylight does Kigali gain or lose each day?
Almost none at the moment. Kigali has 12h 8m of daylight on Friday, 2 October 2026, and over the following seven days the day length changes by less than a minute in total. That standstill happens around each solstice, before the day turns back the other way.
When is the earliest sunset in Kigali?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Kigali is on 29 October at 17:48, 53 days before the December solstice. The earliest sunset and the shortest day are not the same date, because the sun runs a few minutes fast or slow against clock time through the year, an effect called the equation of time.
How long does it stay light after sunset in Kigali?
About 21 minutes on Friday, 2 October 2026. The sun sets at 17:52 and usable daylight ends at civil dusk, 18:13, with full astronomical darkness at 19:01. The higher the latitude, the longer that fade takes.
Data and methodology: every time on this page is computed from Kigali's coordinates with SunCalc, an open source astronomy library, not estimated or looked up from a table. Coordinates -1.94, 30.06, time zone Africa/Kigali. Accurate to about a minute for a flat, unobstructed horizon; terrain, tall buildings and atmospheric conditions can shift the moment the sun is actually visible by a few minutes. Full method on methodology.
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