Bujumbura - Post Report Question and Answers
What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
Since I’m only around for a relatively short-term position, I’m living in an apartment close to the UN offices in Kinindo, just south of downtown. It was a little hard to find – an otherwise very helpful onboarding process went quiet when housing came up. And general online information on just about anything is very scant in Burundi; it’s not a place where you can easily plan things out online from afar. Google reviews won’t give you much to work with, but it is a beautiful place, Kinindo is a quiet and lovely neighborhood, home to embassies and diplomats, where the gardens spill over the walls. - Aug 2023
Beautiful colonial-era house with a beautiful garden and views of Lake Tanganyika with the volcanic mountains of the DRC beyond. Quite stunning really from the screened in porch off the master bedroom. Lovely way to start my day with coffee and birdsong. Of course I can hear the turkeys from the neighbor's yard too, but that's part of the charm here! - Mar 2021
Housing with the U.S. embassy is generally nice. Homes are large (~1500+ sq ft, I would estimate), with at least three bedrooms, and two bathrooms each. Homes are stand-alone (no apartments) and are all surrounded by privacy walls. Homes are staffed 24/7 by local guards for security. Commute time to the U.S. embassy is no more than 15 minutes in the busiest of traffic. Occasionally the roads are closed for VIP movement or protests, which can delay travel an additional 5 to 50 minutes. - Nov 2017
Stand-alone houses, 8 minutes to the embassy. - Aug 2015
Embassy housing are all full houses with yards. Size of house and yard, as well as view (of the lake or mountains) varies considerably. - Aug 2009
Expat houses are large and spacious with gardens and/or pools. Many have mango and avocado trees in the yard. Most houses are located on the mountainside above town and have a view of the lake or of the Congo mountains. The city is small so commute times average 5 to 10 minutes, depending on traffic. - Oct 2008
