Kigali City

Kigali city is the capital city of Rwanda with one of the best infrastructure and well-organized safari activities. It is located on Nyarugenge Hill which has one of the best views of the neighboring areas within the country. The city is one of the cleanliest in the African continent. Kigali city was founded in 1907 by the German administrator and explorer Richard Kandt during the colonial time. Kigali became a city of Rwanda after Rwanda gained its independence in 1962. Now the city has become an administrative center for Rwanda with almost all the national offices, commercial banks, and many others.

The natives of the city usually use French, Rwandese, Swahili, and sometimes English. More so, the city harbors three tribes the Tusi, Hutu, and the Twa which have become a linguistic city. The city is one of the cleanliest cities in Africa where plastic bags are not accepted. While on the visit to the city, you won’t see any litter within the city.

The city has one of the worst histories due to the 1994 Rwanda genocide where over 25,000 people were killed. The trigger of this genocide was the death of the then president of Rwanda at that time, Juvenal Habyarimana who was assassinated. The assassination led to the start of the genocide which created hatred between the Hutu and the Tusi. Since then, Rwanda has transformed and is currently one of the safest countries in the world. Rwanda is at the forefront of pioneering and advocating for peace across the world. This has seen the country’s tremendous tourism growth and development.

What to see in Kigali City (Attractions)

Kigali Genocide Memorial Center

The Kigali Genocide Memorial Center has a rich history of the 1994 genocide of the Hutu and Tusi. During this genocide over 25,000 people were killed and some of the remains are in this center. The cause of this genocide was due to the assassination of the ruling president in 1994. Survivors of the genocide buried the people who had lost their lives in this center. The travelers on their Rwanda safaris doing a city tour will visit the site to learn more about the history and the main cause of the war which is so touching. Other genocide sites in Rwanda are found in the areas of the Gisozi memorial site, Gisenyi, Bisesero, Nyanza, and many others.

Presidential palace museum

This museum was founded in the former president’s state house of Rwanda in 1994.  His assassination led to the rise of the genocide in Rwanda. President Juvenal Habyarimana was the second serving president from 1973 to 1994. He was a dictator who had ruled Rwanda for a long time. He was flying out of the country with Burundi’s president Cyprien Ntarymira who served for only two months. The plane crash was due to the missile that was shot from Kigali which led to their death. Hutu people believed that the other communities were behind the killing of their president. This led to the rise of the genocide. The remains of the plane were taken to this place and other properties that the president used at that time.

Belgian Memorial Site

During the genocide, the Belgian government under the United Nations sent troops to Rwanda to stop the genocide from continuing. Ten of the army of the troops were sent to guard the prime minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana who was against the genocide at the former military base of Rwanda. When the Hutu army attacked the base where the base was, they started shooting at each other with the Belgian army where they were all killed and also the prime minister. Then, the United Nations had to withdraw all the Belgian troops from the area and the genocide continued to rise. In 2000 7th April, the government of Belgium commemoration at this site for their army that had lost lives during the genocide.

Sainte Famille Church

The church is located on a hill in the area of Rugenge and it was constructed in 1913 during the colonial as part of the German colonial empire. During the genocide time, most of the lives of people were lost. Since the father Wenceslas Munyeshyaka was armed and had collaborated with the Hutu army and helped them to take people out of the church to be killed. After this scenario, most of the Christians in this area converted to Christianity.

Hotel Mille des Collins

This is one of the largest hotels in Rwanda that became famous in 1994 during the genocide where it had to host over 1400 refugees of the Tusi community. The Belgian airline built this hotel in 1973. During the genocide, Mr. Paul Rusesabagina who was the manager of the hotel helped in the hiding of the refugees. In the 2004 Documentary Hotel Rwanda, Mr. Paul is featured in this movie.

Kandt House Museum

This was known as the Natural History Museum and later it was named the Kandt House Museum. The museum was named after a German colonialist called Richard Kandt. During his time, he changed the area from Nyarugenge to Kigali with the help of King Cyirima I Rugwe because it was difficult to pronounce by the colonialists. This house was their first home to stay in while in Rwanda. Now it has become one of the sites to be visited while on the Rwanda safari.

Where to stay on a Kigali City Tour?

While on your visit to Rwanda, the country has a variety of accommodation facilities that offer local and international cuisines for travelers on their Rwanda safaris. The accommodation facilities in Kigali range from luxury to midrange and budget facilities. The luxury facilities in Kigali include; the Kigali Marriott Hotel, Raddison Blu Hotel, hotel des Milles Collines, and many others. The midrange accommodation facilities include; Kigali Ville Maison, Ishema Kigali home, five to five hotels, and many others. The budget accommodation facilities include; Kigali View Stay, Kigali Ville Maison, and many others

What is the best time for a Kigali City Tour?

Kigali is always open throughout the year for visitors and tourists. The city can be visited at any time of the year let it be the dry or the wet seasons or the months since the city has good infrastructure which easiness accessible. Most of the safari destinations in Kigali are open on weekends and public holidays. Talk to us about your travel plan for more advice.

How to access Kigali City?

The Kigali city can be accessed by either road or air transport. Where by the road can be through any border point of the country since the country has one of the best infrastructures like well-attacked roads which have improved the accessibility to the city. On the other hand, the city can be accessed by air by boarding chartered flights to the city to the Kigali airport, and on arrival at the airport, you can be transferred by road to the city.