Overview

The verdant bustling capital city of Rwanda is Kigali which has been inhabited since the 11th century and has been home to Twas, Tutsis, and Hutus. Kigali is ideally positioned in the heart of Rwanda and extends across several scenic hills and sweeping valleys and is well linked to the rest of the country.

Kigali’s Muslim Quarter is a bustling, colorful center with a popular market, the streets are clean with great restaurants, charming cafes, bars, and plenty of things to see and do. The city suffered some tragic, dark battles leaving millions of Tutsi and moderate Hutus, dead. The Kigali Memorial Center is a permanent memorial to 1994’s Genocide, it is built on a mass grave where 250,000 are buried.

Kigali is one of the most cosmopolitan and forward-thinking cities in Africa. The city is the gateway for Rwanda’s famous gorilla trekking at the Volcanoes National Park, and safaris. The city is known as “the land of a thousand hills and a thousand smiles” and The Most Inviting City in Africa. The city is filled with beautiful landscapes, it is exceptionally clean and offers different places to visit and discover museums, cultural centers, the Nyungwe Forest, the national park, the great national museum, and the Royal Palace of Mwami.

Things to see and do

Gorilla trekking in Rwanda is one of the best places in the world to see these gorillas up close and in the wild. The breathtaking Volcanoes National Park offers visitors countless mountain hikes, plenty of wildlife, and the great outdoors. Take part in an eco-friendly gorilla tour, wildlife safaris, and local cultural experiences.

Visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial for a few hours to remember and honor the more than 1 million Tutsi people who were killed in less than 100 days in 1994. The memorial sites are where over 250,000 of these victims are buried. The memorial and haunting museum focus on educating visitors on the event that field the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Today the country focuses on remembering this tragedy and moving forwards toward healing and subsequent decades of peace. Make your way through the museum with three permanent exhibitions, filled with artifacts, powerful photographs, and an audio-visual on dark, circular halls, that unveil the events that sparked the genocide. Be sure to visit the Gardens of Reflection to pay your respects to the victims.

The Inema Arts Center was founded by a pair of brothers on a mission to “tap the untapped potential of art in Rwanda”. The Inema Arts Center has become the place to visit to see contemporary art in the city, it was founded in 2012. The building is decked out with colorful murals and its interiors have to space for 10 artists to reside. Check out some of the best artwork in Africa including modern takes on traditional African crafts, abstract and expressive portraits, and mixed media works depicting scenes of African life. Check out the center's weekly performances including art-inspired yoga classes, gallery tours, and concerts.

The Rwanda Art Museum is an institution housed in the former Presidential Palace on the outskirts of Kigali. Opened in 2018 it is one of eight national museums in the country showcasing the breadth of local creativity, as well as works from international artists. There are over 100 pieces of artwork including ceramics, sculptures, paintings, and experimental pieces on display in this sprawling space. The Nyamirambo Woman’s Center is a woman-founded organization launched in 2007 to address gender inequality and empower women. The center offers free education and vocational training, it employs women at fair wages to fill its intimate boutiques with ethnically made goods. Pick up beautiful souvenirs such as printed tote bags, hand-woven baskets, patterned placemats, crocheted rugs, beaded jewelry, and local-inspired fashions. Visitors can participate in walks through Nyamirambo with guides, take traditional cooking classes, and basket weaving workshops.

Amahoro Stadium is located in the Remera neighborhood of Kigali, the largest stadium in the country with a capacity of 30,000. The stadium hosts rugby matches, soccer games, live performances, marathons, and other events. Amahoro means “peace”, 12,000 people sought refuge at the stadium for weeks during the Rwandan genocide. The stadium pays homage to this important piece of history with events of remembrance around the anniversary of the genocide.

The Camp Kigali Memorial is a sacred space located a few steps away from the Kigali Serena Hotel, this is where 10 Belgian soldiers became some of the earliest victims of the Rwandan genocide. The Presidential Guard soldiers captured the Belgians, seized their weapons, and brought them to this spot to murder them. The memorial pays tribute to these 10 victims with stone pillars, jutting up in a circle from a platform of pebbles. The horizontal cuts carved into each column, represent the age of each soldier and their initials at the base. The small museum outside is riddled with bullet holes from this important day.

Mount Kigali soars to 6,075 feet above sea level, Rwanda is known for its coffee, gorillas, and genocide past which was told through the movie Hotel Rwanda. Visitors can hike this gentle slope in an hour or two from near the Nyamirambo Stadium to catch incredible views of the city from a variety of vantage points. A short hike takes you through a lovely eucalyptus forest, a coffee plantation, and a series of rustic neighborhoods.

Cuisine

Food in Kigali is a combination of Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, and Traditional African cuisine. Meals in Rwanda are quite simple, not hot, or spicy with a diet consisting of traditional dishes like rice with spices, the sombe, corn, peas, millet, cassava, sweet potatoes, beans, and fruit. Cows are incredibly sacred to Rwandan culture and symbolize wealth, prosperity, and identity. Cows are still used today to pay marriage dowries or bride price. Milk is also very important, and there are small shops (milk bars) dedicated to only milk. There are plenty of milk bars to choose from in the Nyamirambo and Kimisagara neighborhoods. The cuisine here is a delightful mixture of local delicacies and regional delights, Kigali the vibrant capital has a unique food scene.

There are food tours available where you can spend the evening in one of the city’s cool neighborhoods like Remra and discover some of the best spots to try the local dishes which might include chapati, sambusas, a rolex, brochettes, grilled bananas, umutsima, isombe, and cassava. The Nyamirambo neighborhood is one of the most vibrant areas in the city for restaurants, and bars; Big Fish (large grilled tilapia with onions and spices) is a specialty here and can be found at places like Green Corner or Ten to Two Panorama. Rwandan cuisine is categorized by its simplicity and focuses on local ingredients that give dishes their delicious flavor. Hector Chicken is one popular dining experience located in the city center in the Kigali City Tower building at the Bourbon Cafe in the UTC. Coffee is a big part of Rwandan culture and economy, some of the finest beans are grown here in Rwanda by local growers. Coffee Cafe is located in Gishushu where baristas whip up a variety of specialty coffee drinks.

Shopping

The beautiful tree-lined streets of Kigali offer plenty of shopping opportunities to explore. There are several shopping malls in the cosmopolitan capital city, along with some lively markets and local stores where visitors can pick up unique souvenirs. These shops sell everything from fresh fruits and vegetables, handicrafts, clothing, hand-woven baskets, traditional masks, paintings, coffee, and other authentic products.

The Kimironko Market is the largest and busiest market in the city, there are hundreds of stalls set up in a massive warehouse complex with vendors selling everything from bed sheets, carved masks, and other products from all over the country. Women walk around with large baskets on their heads selling handmade products. The market is located in the wonderful Remera neighborhood, there are stalls outside the main market selling meat and fish and other items, and many locals do their grocery shopping at the market which is packed full of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices. Agaseke baskets are beautiful and unique to Rwanda.

Caplaki is an association offering a surprising variety of local handicrafts for every taste, and budget selling traditional masks, musical instruments, paintings, and jewelry. This is located in a small village within the city and is one of the best places to stroll around and pick up some souvenirs for your loved ones.

Nightlife

The nightlife scene is rapidly growing in the capital city of Kigali, there are new bars, restaurants, and nightclubs spread all over the city. There are some fantastic rooftop bars with amazing views, pool bars, cocktail bars, happy hours, and live music several nights of the week. Many of these evening establishments offer great food, delicious cocktails, good city views, and a great atmosphere.

The K-Club is one of the best spots in town for a great night out on the town, with cheap drinks, a flashy atmosphere, and a dance floor. There is a swimming pool bar located at the Hotel des Mille Collines, a popular daytime bar on the weekends where visitors can relax by the pool, swim up to the bar, and partake in the Sunday brunch. Choma’D is a popular restaurant and bar in the Nyarutarama neighborhood is a happening spot, with a long communal table, comfort food, and great cocktails. Trophy’s has the best cocktails in the city (the Dawa or the Cowboy Kiss) with unbeatable happy hour deals on Thursday and Friday. Sundowner is the place to go on the weekends and listen to P-Square and hit the dance floor till dawn. Papyrus is one of the most popular places to go out in the city, it offers beautiful views from the restaurant and bars in the Kimihurura neighborhood. Envy is the basement club at Papyrus, it is vibrant, loud, and packed until 8 am! The indoor club at Le Must is the place to be on Thursday nights with exuberant dancers, music, and an outdoor bar. Ubumwe Grande hotel is one of the best bars in the city with great bar snacks, drinks, and a classy night out.