History

Kigali was founded in 1907 under German colonial rule, but did not become the capital until Rwandan independence in 1962. The traditional capital was the seat of the mwami (king) in Nyanza, while the colonial seat of power was in Butare, then known as Astrida. Butare was initially the leading contender to be the capital of the new independent nation, but Kigali was chosen because of its more central location. Since then the city has grown very quickly and is now the major political, economic and cultural centre of Rwanda.
Beginning on April 6, 1994, Kigali was the scene of the Rwandan Genocide - the slaughter of approximately one million Tutsi and moderate Hutu by Hutu militias (interahamwe), and some members of the Rwandan army - and of fierce fighting between the army (mostly Hutu) and Tutsi-dominated Rwandese Patriotic Front. Although damaged, the city's structure has recovered.

Kigali Country Name

Rwanda

Population

As per 2009 the total population was 965,398.

Kigali Rwanda Currency Name

Rwandan franc

Places to Visit and Things To Do in Kigali Rwanda

Kigali Memorial Centre / Gisozi Genocide Memorial Centre

The Centre in Kigali was created by a joint partnership of the Kigali City Council and the UK-based Aegis Trust. It contains a permanent exhibition of the Rwandan genocide and an exhibition of other genocides around the world.

Ntarama Church

Just 20 minutes away from the Nyamata memorial, is also worth visiting. Like the Nyamata memorial, this site was a church before the genocide, and was nationalized to serve as a memorial after thousands of people were killed within its walls. The church itself is similar to Nyamata, with victims' clothing and remains visible to offer proof of what happened there, but Ntarama also has a peaceful memorial garden and wall of names in the back of its compound.

Nyamata Church

Nyamata Genocide Memorial is a worthwhile complement to the Gisozi Memorial Centre in Kigali. Located in the town of Nyamata, 40 minutes south of Kigali on a newly paved road, the memorial is in a church where over 5000 people were killed during the 1994 genocide. Visitors take a short tour and see the evidence of the genocide that remains there today.

Akagera National Park

The Akagera National Park covers 1,200km? in eastern Rwanda, against the Tanzanian border. It was founded in 1934 to protect animals and vegetation in three ecoregions: savannah, mountain and swamp. The park is named for the Kagera River which flows along its eastern boundary feeding into several lakes the largest of which is Lake Ihema. The complex system of lakes and linking papyrus swamps makes up over 1/3 of the park and is the largest protected wetland in central Africa.
Much of the savannah area of the park was settled in the late 1990s by former refugees returning after the end of the Rwandan Civil War.

Nyabugogo Marche Market

If you are an African traveler than you cannot afford to miss out this travel hub. On two hectares of flat gravel are buses, taxi-voitures, minibuses, mopeds and inter-country coaches all jostling for space. The yellow striped white minibuses on the south side are for greater Kigali, those with green stripes (western side) are for around Rwanda.

Bourbon Cafe

Union Trade Center shopping plaza in the centreville and at the MTN Centre in Remera.

Republica Club

Its wide selection of brewed and espresso coffee drinks, free wireless, and fashionable interior will remind many visitors of the ambience of the ubiquitous American chain.

New Cadillac Club

For alcohol try the New Cadillac night club and the Republica. Both are superb. Watch out for pickpockets outside the New Cadillac.

Planete Club

Don't Miss Planet Club at the KBC roundabout in Kimihurura, it has 2 sides, a Lounge bar with House music and a Club with African and modern Hip-Hop music.

Occasions and Festivals in Kigali Rwanda

Music and dance are an integral part of Rwandan ceremonies, festivals, social gatherings, and storytelling. The most famous traditional dance is Intore, a highly choreographed routine consisting of three components - the ballet, performed by women; the dance of heroes, performed by men, and the drums. Traditionally, music is transmitted orally with styles varying between the social groups. Drums are of great importance, the royal drummers having enjoyed high status within the court of the King (Mwami). Drummers usually play together in groups of seven or nine. The country has a growing popular music industry, influenced by East African, Congolese and American music. The most popular genre is hip hop, with a blend of rap with ragga, R&B and dance-pop. Popular local artists include The Ben and Meddy, both of whom have won awards.

The Rwanda Mini Film Festival

The film festival in Rwanda is very popular. The main attractions of this film festival include forums, interesting workshops and various other programs to be held at Kigali. The films that will be shown in this film festival offer a variety of programs raging from comedy, thriller and drama.

Liberation Day

Hope Rwanda: 100 Days of Hope

Harvest Festival

Public Holidays

Food

Bananas with Split Green Peas

Bananas with Split Green Peas are a traditional Rwandan recipe for a classic dish made with split green peas and bananas fried in palm oil.

Kachumbari

Kachumbari is a traditional Rwandan recipe for a classic relish of tomatoes, onions and chillies flavoured with coriander, lime juice and olive oil.

Rwandan Chicken

Rwandan Chicken is a traditional Rwandan recipe for a classic stew of chicken in a celery and tomato sauce flavoured with chillies.

Brochettes de Boeuf

Brochettes de Boeuf (Beef Kebabs) is a traditional Rwandan recipe for a classic kebab of marinated beef that's cooked on a barbecue and served with hot sauce.

Peanut Nougat

Peanut Nougat is a traditional Rwandan recipe for a classic sweet (candy) of roasted peanuts in a sugar toffee base flavoured with lemon juice.

Rwandan Porridge

Rwandan Porridge is a traditional Rwandan breakfast dish of sosoma, a mix of sorghums Soya and maize cooked to porridge in water and sweetened with sugar.

Goat Brochettes

Goat Brochettes is a traditional Rwandan recipe for a classic dish of goat meat kebabs that are grilled and served with a sauce of tomatoes, onions and Piri Piri chillies.

Rwandan Beans with Cassava

Rwandan Beans with Cassava is a traditional Rwandan recipe for a classic vegetarian accompaniment of beans mashed with cassava flavoured with onion and celery.

Ubugali

Ubugali (Cassava Porridge) is a traditional Rwandan recipe for a classic accompaniment of cassava meal cooked to porridge in water and flavoured with oil or butter.

Isombe

Isombe is a traditional Rwandan recipe for a classic vegetarian stew of strongly-flavoured greens cooked with onions, bell peppers and Aubergines in a sauce flavoured with palm oil and peanut butter.

Rwandan Beef Stew

Rwandan Beef Stew is a traditional Rwandan recipe for a classic stew of beef with onions and plantains cooked in a tomato and lemon juice based stock.

Emergency Contact Numbers

Tourist Information

Traveling

The city is home to an international airport, Kigali International Airport, with passenger connections daily to Nairobi and Entebbe. Less frequent connections are available to Addis Ababa, Brazzaville, Brussels, Bujumbura, Kilimanjaro, Kinshasa, and Johannesburg. There are also weekly passenger and cargo flights to Amsterdam. There is also one domestic air route from Kigali, to Cyangugu in the far south-west. The airport is somewhat limited by its location on the top of a hill, and a brand new one is being considered in the Nyamata area, some 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Kigali.

Transportation from Kigali Rwanda to Other Countries in Africa

There are several daily coach services which depart from Kigali to destinations in East Africa. Most leave from the Nyabugogo bus station. These services include:
Jaguar Executive Coaches, which connects Kigali to Kampala, the Ugandan capital, via Gatuna or via Kayonza and Kagitumba.
Akamba Bus Services, which runs services to Kampala (8 hours), Nairobi, Kenya (24 hours), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (36 hours) and Mombassa, Kenya (32 hours)
Onatracom Express - a Rwandan government service using quite basic buses, running between Kigali and Kampala.
Yahoo Car Express - A minibus service running between Kigali and Bujumbura, Burundi.

Transportation from Kigali to other destination in Rwanda

Kigali is the hub of the Rwanda transport network, with hourly express bus routes to all major towns in the country. The major nationwide companies are Atraco, Stella, Omega, Okapi, Impala (minibuses), and Onatracom, which offers a big bus service, while Volcano Express (to Butare), Virunga Express and Onatracom (to Ruhengeri), Muhabura Express (to Ruhengeri and Gisenyi) serve specific destinations and follow a set schedule. There are also taxi minibus services (matatus) leaving from Kigali, which also goes through to the major towns, but some of them stop frequently along the route to pick people up and set them down. Generally, these services run to a fixed timetable, however, in rare cases one would wait few minutes for them to fill up before departing.

Local Transport

Public transport within Kigali is exclusively by taxi minibus (matatu), with a number of different routes, connecting the main hubs of Mu (Mujyi) (the city centre), Nyabugogo, Kacyiru, Kimironko and Remera. Similar to the national taxi minibuses, these services wait to fill up before setting off from the terminus, then pick up and drop off frequently en route. Most routes within the city operate on a flat fare of 180 FRW (about US $0.30).

Rent a Car

Kigali has many taxis (known as 'special hire' or 'taxi voiture'), which are generally white with an orange stripe down the side. Fares vary from 2000 FRW ($4) up to 5000 FRW ($10) for a journey right across the city. Prior negotiation of taxi fares is advisable. There are also motorbike taxis ('taxi moto'), which offer a service similar to a taxi, but for lower prices, typically in the range 300-1000 FRW. Though fine on major roads, on crowded city streets, motorbike taxis are not for the faint of heart or under-insured.