24 Hours in Kigali, Rwanda
We just got back from one of the most beautiful countries we have ever been- Rwanda. This tiny country in the middle of Africa is a little slice of a nature lover’s paradise!! We booked our trip through Shadows of Africa, and we HIGHLY recommend requesting Paul as your tour guide. First of all, Shadows of Africa is phenomenal. Secondly, Paul took care of everything and we miss him already.
Before visiting we knew very little about the country of Rwanda- except the adolescent information- Hotel Rwanda. We’d both heard about the Genocide, but we had no idea about the history and the events leading up to the 100 days of the Rwanda Genocide.
Due to our negligence, Paul made sure to take us straight from the airport to the Genocide Museum. Talk about a powerful experience! We learned A LOT about the history of the country, and the events of the Genocide.
We’ll save you a history lesson- but be sure to look it up because we were astonished by the whole thing.
After the museum we went to “Hotel Rwanda” which we quickly learned was never called Hotel Rwanda like the movie led on. The hotel is called, Hotel des Mille Collines, and it was beautiful!
We spent the rest of the day driving around Rwanda before heading to our lodge (We planned on gorilla trekking the next morning). The drive to the lodge was through the picturesque countryside where we were able to take in the views, stop to visit with some locals, and watch various children’s football games (one of Holly’s favorite parts).
One of our quickest observations of Rwanda was how happy EVERYONE was as we drove by. The Rwandans seemed to have such a positive outlook on their life, which warmed our hearts! Be sure to check out our upcoming post on the gorilla trekking!!!
The city was very clean and we felt very safe everywhere we went. Similar to Lagos, Kigali has a Sanitation Saturday each month.
However, unlike Nigeria, Kigali did not have trash all over the roads and has taken steps to mitigate environmental issues. For example, they outlawed plastic bags years ago.
Facts About Rwanda:
- One of the most dense countries in Africa
- Money- Rwandan Franc
- Tip- 10%
- Rwanda Genocide
- Occurred in 1994
- Lasted 100 days
- Killed almost 1 million people
- The Rwandans use all their land – the country has farmland essentially everywhere outside the city.
- Farming is done all by hand- Many villages run Co-Ops in order to have a sense of community and shared benefits.
- Most Rwandans are vegetarians because they value the animal use more than the meat itself. They would rather keep the cow for milk (and therefore cheese) and manure than slaughter it for a meal.
- Beer- try Mutzig
- Food- try a Tree Tomato (delicious!) – We are able to get a variety of meals in Kigali – we were given various options to eat. Local food, pizza, Indian cuisine, etc.
