In short
Kigali is built across a succession of hills, and its reputation precedes it: it is regularly named among the cleanest and safest cities on the continent. That cleanliness is not spontaneous, it is organised.
The centre is compact and modern. Nyamirambo, the oldest and liveliest quarter, keeps a street life the centre does not have. Kimihurura and Kacyiru hold the restaurants and the institutions.
Arriving and getting around
Kigali international airport is some ten kilometres from the centre.
Motorcycle taxis are the dominant transport, with helmets provided and fares regulated through an app. City buses run on a contactless card.
Kigali is very hilly: the distances do not walk well.
What it really costs
Kigali is more expensive than its East African neighbours for accommodation, less so for transport.
The permit to approach the mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park is among the most expensive in the world for wildlife viewing, and it is strictly rationed — one hour of observation, a limited number of permits per day. Consult the Rwanda Development Board for the current price and availability: they change and book out months ahead.
When to come
June–September and December–February are the dry seasons, the best for the Volcanoes park trails, which become very muddy in the rain.
The altitude — about 1,500 metres — gives a temperate climate all year.
What nobody tells you
Single-use plastic bags are banned in Rwanda since 2008, and the ban is enforced: luggage is checked on arrival at the airport and bags confiscated. It is not a symbolic formality.
Umuganda takes place on the last Saturday of each month: a morning of community work compulsory for residents, during which shops close and traffic is restricted until midday. Arriving that day without knowing costs half a day.
The Gisozi Genocide Memorial is the place that explains the country. It is free and rests above the remains of more than two hundred and fifty thousand victims of the 1994 genocide. The visit takes time and a certain frame of mind.
Photographing official and military installations is restricted.
