Location: Kigali
Top Things to do in Kigali
Countries
10 Sights & Landmarks in Kigali That You Shouldn't Miss
Inhabited since the 11th-century, what is now Kigali has been the home of Twas, Tutsis and Hutus. The city sits on a series of verdant ridges and lush valleys, and has a Muslim Quarter and a bustling market. Rwanda's capital is the site of battles that left over a million, mostly Tutsi and moderate Hutus, dead. Kigali Memorial Centre is a permanent memorial to 1994's Genocide, built on a mass grave where 250,000 are buried. Kigali City Tour Bus offers an excellent introduction to this now safe, friendly city.
Restaurants in Kigali
1. Ntarama Church
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 176 reviews
This site of the April 1994 massacre has been declared a genocide memorial. It remains a solemn tribute to those who were slain, the bones and belongings of the dead still lying among the aisles and the altar.
Reviewed By TimKNottingham
Our guide gave a gentle and thoughtful tour of this site of a former church and ancillary buildings where hundreds of men, women and children were slaughtered during the 1994 genocide. Truly horrendous acts of needless violence happened here, but visiting is an essential part of paying respect.
2. Saint-Famille Church
3. Nyamata Church
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 277 reviews
Reviewed By C3965HGpeterh
We had already visited the main genocide memorial in the capital of Rwanda, and found that experience extremely moving. But a few days later, we made a trip to Bugesera Province, and stopped at the Nyamata Church, and found the experience almost overwhelming, but at the same time, you could do nothing but feel to your core that it is our duty to bear witness to the horrible events that happened there. The main genocide memorial in the capital of Rwanda is a well-curated exhibit, with lots to see, and also the burial site for hundreds of thousands of the genocide victims. At Nyamata Church, you feel less that you are at a "memorial," and more that you are stepping into a crime scene--- because you are. The clothing remains of the numerous victims are stacked in the pews of the church, the bullet holes and the damage to the entrance of the church from grenades and crow bars to pry open the metal gates are still visible, and less you have any doubts about what happened there, you can, and should, descend to the lower vault where the skeletal remains of hundreds if not thousands of victims are visible. Rwanda is a young, vibrant country with a lot of promise and potential, and we were really glad we spend a significant portion of our first trip to Africa there. The genocide that happened in 1994 is part of is a tragic part of the country's history, but we were impressed, the more we read, about the extensive efforts since then that the country has undertaken for forgiveness and reconciliation. There is still a lot of trauma rippling through the country, and we only saw small glimpses of it as visitors. But the world's tourists should be coming to visit Rwanda, a beautiful country, and yes, be sure to bear witness to the worst that can happen if you stoke hatred, ethnic division, and combine it with the general indifference of the rest of the world.
4. Yego Arts studio
5. Camp Kigali Memorial
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 90 reviews
Reviewed By 395ally - Johannesburg, South Africa
Small museum in the town on the site of the death of deaths of the Belgian soldiers guarding the Prime Minister in the first few hours of the Genocide. The bullet holed building brings the violence of the Genocide into perspective and the heavy calibre of the bullet holes dispels any illusions that the elimination of the political leaders was spontaneous! In many ways more frightening than the Genocide Museum itself as the violence it is in your face. Very definitely worth visiting.
6. Amahoro Stadium
7. Muslim Quarter
8. Cathedral of St. Michael
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 9 reviews
9. Kigali City Tower
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 28 reviews
10. Parliament
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 37 reviews
Reviewed By mumbike - Nairobi, Kenya
We had an amazing guide, she took us through the history of the genocide, (how it started and how it ended). We learnt a lot, and had a new found appreciation for this documentation of history. It definitely helps you understand Rwanda history
