The race was rated as a category 2.1 event on the 2021 UCI Africa Tour calendar, and was the 24th edition of the Tour du Rwanda.

[4][5] The race was originally scheduled to be held from 21 to 28 February,[1] but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it had to be postponed and rescheduled to early May.

The eight-day stage race covered 913.3 kilometres (567.5 mi) and over 16,347 metres (53,632 ft) of elevation, with 29 categorized climbs and many stages ending with a summit finish.

Like in previous editions, the Rwandan capital, Kigali, featured heavily in the race, being a start and/or finish location on all but one of the eight stages.

The Mur de Kigali time trial on stage 7, which often draws out large crowds along its infamous cobbled sector, continued to make its appearance in the race.