Kigali

The Kigali Genocide Memorial is a place of remembrance and learning dedicated to the victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. The visit is worthwhile for travelers who want to gain insight into the history of genocide in Rwanda, it will also help travelers appreciate how far Rwanda has come. The Memorial Centre is open every day from 09h00 with the last entrance at 4 pm. It opens at 14h00 on Umuganda Saturdays (the last Saturday of every month when Rwandans get together for community clean up). Audio-visual equipment will be provided in Dutch, English, and other languages at a fee of US$30.

Founded in 2012 by brothers and self-taught painters Emmanuel Nkuranga and Innocent Nkurunziza. Inema Arts Center spurs creativity for personal, social, and economic growth. Nkurunziza and Nkuranga started Inema to tap the untapped potential of art in Rwanda, use creative expression as a way to bring the community and country alive, provide exposure to creative people, and create opportunities for Rwanda’s most underserved communities while using creativity for a productive livelihood. Today, Inema Arts Center has become a beacon in Rwanda for cultivating creative expression.

You can visit the studio to see and potentially purchase art.

Niyo Arts Gallery is a place for creativity to thrive. The visit starts with a tour of the exhibition area followed by an introduction to a painting class where you will create a masterpiece and have lots of fun memories.

You will later enjoy an amazing cultural performance by children from the Niyo Foundation which was created in 2021 to assist and support art children in the streets, single mothers, genocide survivors, and more generally individuals stroked by poverty.

The class starts where coffee transforming from a seed into a fruit-bearing tree—the farm. The cafe features a coffee thriving garden that is representative of a classic Rwandan coffee farm, where they explain the steps that go into coffee agronomy and harvesting. After you’ve learned about coffee agronomy, harvested ripe cherries, and tasted the sweet coffee fruit, you’ll de-pulp your harvest and learn how it’s processed in order to be ready for roasting. The coffee also makes great gifts to bring home to your friends and family and for your own home brewing.

Kigali has several top fashion designers with each one specializing in creating unique and beautiful pieces. There are various clothing brands like Moshions, Rwanda Clothing Company, Sonia Mugabo, Haute Baso, House of Tayo etc and those who focus on producing jewellery like Abraham Konga Collections and K’tsobe.

Luxury, fine dining and Afro Fusion Cuisine experiences at some highly recommended restaurants like Meza Malonga, Anda Kigali, Kozo Kigali, Nyurah restaurant etc.

For local food experiences, there are some restaurants in the neighbourhood of Nyamirambo town which serve local foods as well as offer a cooking class i.e. Nyamirambo Women’s Centre and a walking food tasting tour at Jollof Appetit.