Experience
Kigali City Tours
The day that gives the rest of the trip its context
01What it is
A guided day in Kigali covering the Genocide Memorial, neighbourhoods, markets and the contemporary art scene.
Kigali is usually given one night at each end of an itinerary, and it deserves better. A day here is what makes sense of everything you will see afterwards.
The Kigali Genocide Memorial at Gisozi is the essential visit. It is the burial place of more than 250,000 people and it explains 1994 carefully and without flinching. Allow half a day, and go near the start of your trip rather than the end.
The rest of the day can be as light as you want it: Nyamirambo on foot, the fabric hall at Kimironko, artists in their studios, and coffee that finally does the country justice.
- Where
- Kigali
- Duration
- Half to full day
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Do it
- Early in your trip
02What to expect
- 01
The Genocide Memorial
Demanding, carefully done, and the most important place you will go in Rwanda. Allow time afterwards.
- 02
Nyamirambo on foot
The city's oldest quarter, best walked with a local guide — tailors, barbers, mosques, street food.
- 03
Kimironko market
Produce on one side, a whole hall of kitenge fabric on the other, with tailors who work same-day.
- 04
Working art studios
Kigali's galleries are studios, and the artists are usually in.
03Best time
Year-round. Avoid the last Saturday morning of the month, when Umuganda closes the city.
- JanJan: best
- FebFeb: best
- MarMar: best
- AprApr: best
- MayMay: best
- JunJun: best
- JulJul: best
- AugAug: best
- SepSep: best
- OctOct: best
- NovNov: best
- DecDec: best
- Umuganda community work closes roads and businesses on the last Saturday morning of each month.
04What to bring
- Comfortable shoes
- Cash for the market
- Modest dress for the memorial
05Requirements
- Photography is not permitted in parts of the Genocide Memorial. Follow the posted guidance.
- The memorial is a burial site — dress and behave accordingly.
Permit costs, age limits and park regulations are set by the Rwanda Development Board and its partners and change from time to time. We confirm the current position with you in writing before anything is booked.
07Journeys that include it
Tours
3 days · 2 nights
3-Day Rwanda Gorilla Experience
The shortest trip that does the gorillas justice
Kigali, then straight to the Virungas for a mountain gorilla trek, with a golden monkey trek or a community visit on the second morning.
ClassicChallengingPrice on request
5 days · 4 nights
5-Day Rwanda Wildlife Adventure
Big Five savannah and mountain gorillas in one week
Akagera's plains and lakes for the Big Five, then north to the Virungas for a gorilla trek — the two headline experiences, without rushing either.
ClassicModeratePrice on request
7 days · 6 nights
7-Day Rwanda Discovery
Gorillas, rainforest and the lake in between
Kigali, the Virungas for gorillas, down the shore of Lake Kivu, and into Nyungwe for chimpanzees and the canopy walk.
ClassicModeratePrice on request
10 days · 9 nights
10-Day Rwanda Complete Experience
The whole country, at a pace that lets you enjoy it
Kigali, Akagera's savannah, the Virunga gorillas, Lake Kivu and Nyungwe's rainforest — every landscape Rwanda has, without a forced march.
ClassicModeratePrice on request
The start. It gives you the context for everyone you will meet and everything you will see over the following days. Leaving it to the last morning before a flight does it a disservice.
Add it to your trip
Plan kigali city tours
Tell us roughly when you want to travel and what you want to see. We will come back with an itinerary built around it, not a package pulled off a shelf.