Kigali City Tour
From an in-depth experience of Kigali, Kigali City Tour are the best experiences to have during your Rwanda Safari. These half or full day tours, led by Rwandan guides, take visitors through five neighbourhood’s on an action packed day of sightseeing, eating, and learning about the city.
Kigali City Tour visits markets, milk bars, local restaurants, Mt. Kigali, and more in the course of just a few hours, and is a great way to this beautiful city.
Things to See and Do on a Kigali City Tour
Shop at Kimironko Market
Kimironko Market is one of the best and the biggest market in Kigali, in the market you will find second-hand clothing, fruit and vegetables, fish, fabric, and baskets which are sold. Spend some time haggling for ovacados before buying gifts for everyone on your list – Agaseke baskets are beautiful, unique to Rwanda, and sold by the dozen at Kimironko.
Visit and Pay your Respects at the Genocide Memorial Centre
Commemorating the horrific and tragic event of the Rwanda’s 1994 Genocide, the Kigali Genocide Centre does an excellent job of commemorating it. A visit to the memorial is unforgettable, as the attached and informative museum teaches visitors about the events before, during and after the genocide.
Drink Coffee
Rwanda produces some of the best coffee in the world. Available everywhere from Costco to Starbucks, try coffee while in Rwanda is an absolute must. Question Coffee, Harvest (a coffee importing company), makes some of the best cups in Kigali City. Also cjeckout Inzora Rooftopa Café as another coffee shop option.
Check out the Gaddafi Mosque
This architectural and historical landmark is one of Rwanda’s most impressive mosques and structures, the Gaddafi Mosque was not actually constructed by Muammar Gaddafi. However, it was named as such for the road that Gaddafi did build that runs parallel to the mosque. The mosque’s official name, though no locals refer to it as such, is the Islamic Cultural Center.
Located in the Nyamirambo neighbourhood, the mosque serves as school, clinic, and community centre for the surrounding area.
Mount Kigali
Mount Kigali looms over the rest of the city, providing a mountainous and hilly backdrop for residents. This beautiful mountain can be hiked, biked, or driven up, and the views from the top, on a good day, stretch on for miles.
Visit a Milk Bar
Cows are incredibly important to Rwandan culture, and symbolize wealth, prosperity, and identity. Stills, cows are used to day to pay a marriage dowry, or pride price. Milk is, as a result, also very important culturally, and small shops dedicated to milk only (called milk bars) are classically Kigali.
Nyamirambo or Kimisagara neighbourhoods of Kigali are often the best, and are designated as such with the phrase “Amata Meza” meaning “fresh milk in Kinyarwanda” and a drawing of a cow on the door.
Eat Big Fist in Nyamirambo
Nyamirambo, Kigali’s Muslim quarter and an architectural landmark, is one of the city’s most vibrant areas for bars, resturants, and general merriment. Big Fish, known as a large tilapia grilled with onions and spices, is one of Nyamirambo’s specialities. Grab a friend or two (one big fish can feed several people), and head to Green Corner or Ten to Two Panorama for some of the City’s best.
Chez Lando
Chaz Lando – a restaurant, hotel and Kigali Institution. Serving some of Kigali’s best brochettes (grilled meat or fish on a stick), chips and cold beers, Chez Lando is located right on the busy Remera Roundabout.
Watch a soccer game at Amahoro Stadium
The iconic stadium is located in Ramera neighbourhood and is the largest stadium in Rwanda with a capacity of 30,000. Soccer matches are held here regularly, as Rwandans from all over Kigali come to support their teams. The most popular teams of Kigali are Police FC and Amee Patriotique Rwandese FC (called APR), with league champions Rayon Sports FC based in Nyanza, the southern province of Rwanda. Games are a reliably rowdy, loud and fun affair.
Inema Arts Centre
This beautiful Art Gallery was founded by brothers Emmauel Nkuranga and Innocent Nkurunziza, and hosts the work of fourteen different Rwandan artists. Kigali’s art scene is on the rise. Unique and contemporary Rwandan art can be found all over the city, and Inema Arts Centre houses some of Kigali’s best and brightest talent.
In addition to beautiful pieces, happy hours (check them on Thursday!), yoga classes, and other events can be found in their creative space.
Visit the Presidential Palace
The presidential Palace, once home to President Habyarimana, is located in Kanombe, a neighbourhood near the airport. The remains of the presidential plane are still visible on the grounds, and the crash is credited as the reason of the beginning of the Rwandan genocide. A visit to the museum is an interested on, and few photographs are allowed to be take onsite.
Murals of Kimisagara
With the help, leadership, and assistance of Kurema Kureba Kwiga, an arts – oriented organization dedicated to spreading public and community art in Rwanda, beautiful murals have been popping up all over the City Community members and students in Kigali’s Kimisagara neighbourhood assisted in making murals on their own stores, homes, and buildings, so walk through the neighbourhood and check them out.
Nyabugogo Bus Terminal
Listing a bus terminal as an attraction and a must visit might sound absurd, but Nyabugogo is a classic Kigali Spot. Buses from all over Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, and Tanzania meet up here, making the terminal chaotic, diverse, absurd, and ultimately amazing. You never know who you will meet at Nyabugogo!
Wedding Roundabout
Located right next to the Kigali Convention Centre and at the intersection of KN 5 Road and KG 7 Avenue, the wedding roundabout, is a Kigali must visit site. A physical roundabout, the garden and fountain at the centre is where many local Rwandans go to take wedding photographs. It is not uncommon to see several couples and wedding parties lining up and waiting their turn at the roundabout, and its undoubtedly a spot in the city beloved by all.