Overview
** KIGALI, RWANDA TOURS **
Read travel tips for Kigali from our amazing community of BLACK AND BROWN TRAVELERS that will help you find some of the best places to visit in Kigali.Our variety of travel tips will definitely help you plan your next trip. Our tips range from best places to visit in Kigali, affordability, nightlife, local food, where to stay and even what it is like Traveling While Black. Lastly, we are working diligently to create a comprehensive city guide for Kigali Tours . Stay tuned! But in the meantime, scroll down to read tips below!
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The history is quite amazing, it’s one of the cleanest places in AFRICA. The food was amazing, I recommend the restaurant the fork while in town. The people are nice, the police is everywhere to enforce the law, they are honest citizens and for me, it’s definitely worth a visit !!!
Rwanda is a home of history. This country has been through so much to be where it is now. You can see a lot of this through lots of changes in the country like;
1. 1st shocker for me was how clean the country is. It was among the first countries in the world to ban plastic bags and that was super evident.
2. During our visit to their parliament my shock was that the ministers were casually dressed, they had ordinary cars( unlike in the parliament ministers in my country) and a majority were women.
3. This was the most real and saddest experience I have ever had in a foreign land …. the genocide memorial centre. They vividly explain what they went through the genocide, the animal actions that was undertaken, the emotions and feelings are clearly felt even years on. Survivor speak of the experience and you can feel the pain through their eyes as they recall the inhumanity.
They also tak you through their lessons learnt and what they are doing to ensure it doesn’t happen again. A leaf I think lots of African countries need to borrow.
For more visit their website at https://www.kgm.rw/visit/
Honestly there aren’t enough stars listed here to aptly rate my experience to and in Nigeria. It’s a richness and connection I believe every person of color should experience. And I’m beyond grateful I had the opportunity to.
The visa process was no joke. I did the research online but decided that going to the Nigerian Embassy in DC to complete the process. It required a completed application, letter from a host pledging to take responsibility for my visit, a copy of my host’s passport, and a copy of my accommodations. Seemed simple enough, but definitely took multiple trips to the embassy to complete. The office personnel was very helpful though, and after a few visits my passport was returned to me bearing a very beautiful Nigerian visa etched onto its pages. Hyped was an understatement!
My trip there was also eventful. For my 12 day trip I packed my 3 piece luggage collection to. the. brim! Nigeria is HOT so plan for breezy textiles and colorful schemes. But don’t skimp on the swag thinking your going to some poor nation that doesn’t appreciate fashion. Tuh! Come correct! But in addition to my summery outfits and swimwear I was wise to pack a few cocktail dresses and randomly a gown that proved PERFECT for invites to lavish Naija events!
Arriving at the airport in Abuja was surreal. It’s surrounded by lush trees it almost looks like you’re landing into a forest. The porters are super friendly and eager to help you with your bags. It definitely calmed my anxiety til my host (bf) required them to calm down and take whatever tip we gave lol. Nigeria grinds. People chasing money from sunrise to sunset, not in the scammer format we’re warned about here.. just relentless and dedicated. Having a locally based host definitely eases your vulnerability.
We exchanged my money at a bank. I gave them $500usd and they gave me so much naira it took all the Jesus in me not to do a Nicki Minaj inspired photoshoot in my room. Our money goes FAR there. Definitely check the current rates, but essentially you’ll have the ability to ball out and live like a mini royal lol.
I stayed in a lovely boutique hotel, Nordic Villa, that was gorgeous. Very chic, and modern; with cozy rooms and an amazing pool on an adjacent property next door. Perfectly relaxing and secure during the days when my beau worked. I absolutely loved it and highly recommend them!
Abuja has an abundance of museums, galleries, malls, theaters, and my favorite RESTAURANTS! I probably ate the entire weight of all my luggage twice over. And then some. Even street food was filled with flavors I couldn’t get enough of! I stan for suya, pepper soup, and of course jollof and roasted chicken. The flavors felt so connected to black American food. And to feel connected to a country is an amazing experience!
Of all the places travel takes you..allow yourself the experience of the Motherland! It will speak to you in ways few other travel experiences can!
Art galleries, restaurants, and soul snatching viewpoints. Fresh milk bar, tea house, and a local grown coffee shop exclusively by woman farmers that a put starbucks to bed. The people are the nicest and most welcoming. Kigali is one of the safest and well kept up cities I’ve ever been in through my travels. Leave your media based preconceptions at home. Rwanda has the juice and managed to steal my heart. Most importantly the genocide museum was DEEP and hit me hard. Must visit to understand how Kiligali became of one of the safest cities today. I stayed at the hostel which I was only 2-3 people there and didn’t have much nightlife but maybe it was an off week.
I traveled to Rwanda in 2009 for a Commonwealth leadership training in conflict resolution. This trip was an eye opening experience ad I heard first hand the experiences of those who endured the Rwandan genocide. However since then the country has focused on development and promoted the involvement of youth and women in decision making. The people there are warm and committed to the progression of their country, a trait I highly admire. Rwanda was my introduction to the African continent and I’ll definitely be back.
Firstly, I didn’t intend on stopping , but fortunately because my layover was LONG the Rwanda airline I flew with accommodated me so I was able to sight see for a day & that’s all I needed. It made me appreciate my lifestyle and culture! So when I went to my accommodation the hotel was not what I’m use to stay in, but it was top notch being in Rwanda. No complaints, but I only stayed in the room for like 3 hours the most because I wanted to explore the land and what they had in store. Thanks to the receptionist he helped me BIG TIJJME. He arranged me a tour guide and the guide drove me basically anywhere I wanted to go! I explored the city and what was unique was their taxis, they were motorcars. I seen many people walking many barefoot, and many with baskets on top of their head. Something I picture on TV. I went to the Genocide Museum and that was really eye opening. I would prefer anyone that go there please go it’s not big but it’s interesting. It is also free just in case you may have an excuse not to go, there you have it its free and INFORMATIVE SO GO!
Kigali was an amazing experience for me as a black man who grew up in the USA. There was an impressive level of sophistication and internationalism that brought pride to my heart. I loved riding boda bodas (moto taxis) into and around all the different neighborhoods seeing people that looked like me. As incognito as I wanted to be, it was obvious that I wasn’t Rwandan. That being said, I was still fully embraced with smiles, salutations, and periodic responses of “pamoja!”.
I loved Kigali, Rwanda! A rich city fully of history, culture, and many things to do. I specifically stayed at Mijo Hostel, which was relatively affordable and has clean and spacious dorms. The common area of Mijo was well situated and afforded guests the opportunity to make some great friends during mealtimes and casual hangouts. The staff, specifically Natalie and Santos, were extremely helpful and had a great knowledge of the city of Kigali. The location was wonderful as I was within walking distance to several types of restaurants, nightlife (Papyrus Club is just a block away), and even a convenience store. If I was looking for something a little farther, motorbike taxis were readily available on the street. I would definitely make some time to visit the Genocide Museum and Kimironko Market while in Kigali. This is for sure the Land of a Thousand Hills, a beautiful landscape to look at as you are busing or flying in/out of town.
I knew I would love Kigali long before I got there due to the amazing accounts that people gave of the place.
Recent (20 years ago!)history means that the genocide museum and the church in Ntarama were high on my list of places to visit but after this I was able to kick back and enjoy the city.
Walking around the clean green parks was a joy in itself. I felt safe walking around at night. We went to an outdoor restaurant called “car wash”.. I know which had the best BBQd meat I have ever had in my life!! Well worth the stroll down the hill.
All in all this is one place I hope to go back to soon.
@safirican