Rwanda
Rwanda is a small, green, hilly country that rewards the traveller who plans it well, and Kigali is where every plan starts.
The capital is clean, calm and spread over a ridge of hills, with a Genocide Memorial that gives honest context to everything else you will see, a crafts-and-coffee street culture, and the Nyamirambo district where the food and music live. From Kigali, the country opens in every direction: north to Volcanoes National Park for mountain gorillas and golden monkeys, east to Akagera for lions, rhinos, elephants and giraffes on open savanna, and south-west to the ancient montane rainforest of Nyungwe and its canopy walkway. This guide books Rwanda properly: the memorial visit and a city tour with a guide, a street-food walk, the gorilla permit with its real price and how to buy it, the cheaper primate and volcano hikes, an Akagera day safari and a Nyungwe canopy day, then matches you to a Kigali hotel, from the Marriott and the Serena to Heaven boutique hotel, because the capital is the hub and the right base saves hours on the road.
Kigali Genocide Memorial
The national memorial to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, set on a hillside at Gisozi where more than a quarter of a million victims are buried. Entry is free, the exhibitions are sober and moving, and a visit gives context to everything else you will see in Rwanda.
Nyungwe Forest Canopy Walk
A suspension walkway 70 metres above the floor of one of Africa's oldest rainforests. The canopy walk costs around 40 US dollars for visitors, and chimpanzee tracking is Nyungwe's other major draw. A full-day tour from Kigali is available, but a night nearby is better.
Kigali City Tour with the Genocide Memorial
A private half-day guided tour that strings together the Genocide Memorial, the Kandt House museum, Mount Kigali, the Niyo art gallery and Kimironko Market. The easiest way to see the capital properly with a guide who can explain what you are looking at.
Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park
Spend an hour with a habituated family of mountain gorillas in the bamboo forests and volcano slopes of Volcanoes National Park. The permit costs 1,500 US dollars, 96 are issued a day and groups are limited to eight, so book early. Rwanda's signature experience.
FreeThe national memorial to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, set on a hillside at Gisozi where more than a quarter of a million victims are buried. Entry is free, the exhibitions are sober and moving, and a visit gives context to everything else you will see in Rwanda.
A private half-day guided tour that strings together the Genocide Memorial, the Kandt House museum, Mount Kigali, the Niyo art gallery and Kimironko Market. The easiest way to see the capital properly with a guide who can explain what you are looking at.
A customisable on-foot tour of central Kigali with a local guide, rated very highly by around a hundred reviewers and priced at a fraction of a car tour. Good for a first morning, for travellers on a budget and for anyone who prefers to see a city at walking pace.
A three-hour walking food tour through Nyamirambo, Kigali's busiest and most characterful neighbourhood, with tastings at local eateries, offered at lunch or dinner. A friendly way to eat your way into Rwandan culture.
Spend an hour with a habituated family of mountain gorillas in the bamboo forests and volcano slopes of Volcanoes National Park. The permit costs 1,500 US dollars, 96 are issued a day and groups are limited to eight, so book early. Rwanda's signature experience.
Track the endangered golden monkeys through the bamboo forest of Volcanoes National Park. The permit is around 100 US dollars, a fraction of the gorilla permit, and the trek is shorter and easier. A rated-150-times Viator tour adds a cultural experience.
A day hike up the Bisoke volcano in Volcanoes National Park to a crater lake high in the clouds, with more than 240 reviews on Viator. The best active option for travellers who want the Virunga volcanoes without a gorilla permit.
Rwanda's savanna park, about two and a half hours from Kigali, with lions, black and white rhinos, elephants, giraffes, hippos and crocodiles. A one-day game drive from Kigali is the easiest way to add the Big Five to a gorilla trip.
A suspension walkway 70 metres above the floor of one of Africa's oldest rainforests. The canopy walk costs around 40 US dollars for visitors, and chimpanzee tracking is Nyungwe's other major draw. A full-day tour from Kigali is available, but a night nearby is better.
A half-day adventure on the hill above Kigali: a guided hike up Mount Kigali for city views, then a zipline through the forest. Forty Viator reviews and a from-price around 150 US dollars make it an easy active break in the capital.
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
City Centre (Nyarugenge)
Kigali's big-brand splurge on KN 3 Avenue in the city centre, with an outdoor pool, a spa, four places to eat and drink and a free buffet breakfast. A polished, reliable base near the financial district and the Convention Centre.
Rates on Expedia →
$$$Kimihurura
A large, modern hotel beside the Kigali Convention Centre with 291 rooms, a pool, a spa, tennis, a rooftop bar and two restaurants. A mid-to-upper choice with lots of facilities and a good fit for families and groups.
Rates on Expedia →Kiyovu
A landmark hotel on KN 3 Avenue with 173 rooms and suites around tropical gardens, an 18 metre pool, a Moroccan-style spa and two restaurants. Five minutes from the business district, a garden retreat in the centre.
Rates on Expedia →Kiyovu
A 28-room boutique hotel on a quiet residential street in Kiyovu, with a salt-water pool, tropical gardens, an award-winning restaurant and a mission to train and employ Rwandans. The characterful mid-range pick.
Rates on Expedia →Kiyovu
The best-value full-service option in the centre: 161 rooms, an outdoor pool, a spa, free parking and free stays for children under twelve. A dependable budget-to-mid-range base near the Presidential Palace and the memorial.
Rates on Expedia →What to book ahead in Rwanda, what gorilla permits really cost, how to get around from Kigali, how many days to allow and where the memorial, the gorillas, Akagera and Nyungwe fit.
Kiyovu, the city centre, Kimihurura and Remera compared, with five hotels from the Marriott splurge to the Park Inn value pick, and tips on early starts for the parks.
