The Kigali city tour takes you to Rwanda a small country famous for having a thousand hills. Kigali is the capital city of Rwanda and is one of the safest and cleanest cities in Africa. Kigali city has a lot of attractions although a lot of tourists use it’s as a transit point to the country’s national parks namely volcanoes national park having mountain gorillas, Nyungwe forest national park having chimpanzees and the canopy walk, Akagera national park with over 1000 large mammals and Gishwati-Makura national park with chimpanzees.
Kigali city tour can be done at any time of the year before or after visiting the country’s national parks or one can decide to spare a day and explore the city. There are several attractions in Kigali city where tourists can take a visit but the best ones include Kimironko market, Kigali genocide memorial, Inema arts and crafts center, The king’s place museum, Hotel des Mille Collins and Mount Kigali.
Places to visit during the Kigali city tour
Kigali Genocide Memorial Center: This is among the most visited places in Kigali city. Kigali genocide memorial center has above 250,000 graves of people who were victims of the 1994 Rwanda genocide against the Tutsi. The graves are divided into 3 sections, one for children, the other for adults, and the last one for others that were killed in other places in the country.
A visit to Kigali genocide memorial center will give you an opportunity to know about what really happened before and after the genocide. You will see different names of victims on the wall, short video clips about what really happened.
Kimironko market: Kimironko market is another place to visit while in Rwanda for a city tour. A visit to Kimironko market will give you an opportunity to interact with the local traders, buy cheap stuff such as vegetables, fresh fruits, and local foods from the hotels in the market. Inside Kimironko market there are kitengi, second-hand clothes, suits, handbags, fruits like guavas, bananas, oranges, apples, watermelon, flour, baskets, honey, greens, and much more.
Inema art center: Inema art center is more than an art gallery started by two brothers with an aim of promoting local artists. The art center specializes in contemporary African arts, crafts, dance, and music. The area has the best art products in the country. A visit to Inema art center will give you an opportunity to see different arts made by the local people such as chairs, motorbikes, stools, clothes, paintings, and jewelry among others. When you visit Inema art center, you can buy some of their work and take it back home to friends or design your house. There are dance classes at Inema art center so if you are interested you can be part of the dances done by Intore cultural group.
The King’s palace museum: On a Kigali city tour, the King’s palace museum located in Nyanza town is one of the places you don’t have to miss out on. The place is built in form of a beehive and huts ares grassthached. The place is the best to visit in Rwanda if you want to learn about the history of Rwanda culture and the kings. The museum was built by the Belgium government during the regime of king Rudahigwa Mutara III. A visit to this place will enable you to know what happened in Rwanda 200 years ago with some of the artifacts that were not stolen during the 1994 Rwanda genocide. While on a visit to this museum you can hike the nearby hill to see the graves of Ming Mutara and Rosalie Gicanda his wife.
Mount Kigali: While on the Kigali city tour, you can decide to take a hike to Mount Kigali. Mount KIgkai is not a mountain as the name says, it’s a simple hill in the city with human settlements on it. Hiking Mount Kigali doesn’t require one to be physically fit since the hike takes a few hours and the hill is not steep. Hiking mount Kigali starts from Nyamirambo and ist a local guide who leads you throughout the hike as they explain to you how the hill was formed. The hill is used as a spiritual place by the local people and it’s where they go to ask spiritual needs. At the summit of Mount Kigali, you will have an aerial view of Kigali city, surrounding hills, plantations, and homesteads.
Hotel des Mille Collins: On a Kigali city tour, you can take a visit to Hotel des Milles Collines which featured in the hotel Rwanda movie that was provided in 2004. The hotel is famous because of a hotel manager that helped in hiding thousands of Tutsis from being killed by the Hutu during the 1994 Rwanda genocide. A visit to this hotel will give you an opportunity to know about what really happened during the war and this is why so many people love staying at this place.
What is the best time to visit Kigali for a city tour?
Kigali city tour can be done at any time of the year but there are months that are better than the rest. The drier months that occur from June to September and December to February are the best to have the Kigali city because they are characterized by little or no rainfall which makes the roads leading to these places passable. Tourists can still visit Kigali for a city tour in the rainy seasons of March to May and October to November to enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities. During the rainy season, there is plenty of rainfall that makes the roads leading to the places impassable.
Accommodation on a Kigali city tour
Tourists that want to stay in Kigali before or after the city tour don’t have to worry about where they will stay because the city has several accommodation facilities which range from luxury to id range to budget options so where to stay will depend on your budget. Hotels in Kigali include Mount Kigali Hotel, Kingfisher Resort, Kigali Marriott Hotel, Hotel des Mille Collins, The Manor Hotel, Onomo Hotel, and The Retreat among others.
