wikitravel_rwanda/Kigali.txt

Kigali is the capital of Rwanda.
The centre of political and commercial life, Kigali dominates Rwanda and few visit the country without passing through.
  The city is developing fast and is very much a modern showpiece capital designed to impress visitors: from the humble tourist to foreign investors and visiting dignitaries.
With a population topping 1 million, the city spreads out over several hills and valleys, with many of the better restaurants and hotels at a distance from the traditional downtown area.
  The Kigali City Masterplan outlines the future for this burgeoning metropolis – with plans for a new city to be built south of the current city centre.
As a clean, comfortable and ordered city, Kigali is very popular with long term expats, and the city is teeming with westerners, from young church or NGO volunteers having their first experience of Africa to career development workers enjoying a relaxed lifestyle where it is safe to bring up young children.
 This in turn means the city supports numerous restaurants, coffee shops and supermarkets that cater to this demographic.
 The country is also rapidly developing, with huge infrastructure and construction projects expanding rapidly, taking advantage of the country's stable peace period.
 Residents are quite openly proud of the progress the country has made and are widely supportive of it.
 New, well-maintained roads have been extended throughout the country and you'd be hard pressed to find a single piece of litter.
 Schools, clean energy projects, water services, and cellular and broadband connectivity are all being rapidly developed nation-wide.
However, visitors are cautioned to be respectful on matters related to ethnic / tribal affiliation and the genocide in the 1990s.
 While tribal / ethnic affiliation in other countries in the region is commonly discussed, it is not appropriate to ask or refer to individuals what their ethnicity or tribal affiliation is in Rwanda.
 Rwanda has gone to great lengths to preserve and remember the tragedy of the genocide - with it frequently held in schools and memorials as a call to ensure such tragedy and atrocity can never happen again.
 However, it remains a sensitive topic and should not be raised as light conversation with Rwandans.
 Certainly take time to pay your respects at one of the many memorials in country, but do not expect this to be a topic for small talk with Rwandans.
 Also when referred to in appropriate settings, the generally accepted terminology is 'genocide against the Tutsis', and not 'Rwandan genocide'.
Dinky Kigali International is a delightful airport - small and organised, it is rare to encounter any problems.
 Be aware that plastic bags are illegal in Rwanda, so please pack using a different material.
 Security and check in also often operate differently here.
 When driving into the airport, you'll be stopped and asked to exit your vehicle with all of your bags.
 You'll go through an airport scanner at this road block and your bags and car will be checked by a security team independently, likely with a K9 unit.
 You'll then load your bags back in and continue on to the airport.
 Check-in times are more tightly scheduled, so you won't be able to enter the airport until around 2-3 hours before your flight time.
 Once you do, all airlines are served by AirRwanda staff for check-in.
 You'll then go through passport control and then security again before arriving at the 6 available gates.
Plans are in progress to transition to the larger airport outside of Kigali as the primary airport - construction has begun to expand that airport and will eventually transition most international flights there.
KLM [1] started flights to Kigali from Amsterdam on 31 October 2010.
Brussels Airlines [2] flies to Kigali from Brussels in Belgium.
Kenya Airways [3] also has frequent flights from Nairobi.
Ethiopian Airlines [4] has daily flights between Addis Ababa and Kigali.
Rwandair  [5] the national carrier, has several flights a day to other African destinations, as well as Dubai, Brussels, London, Mumbai and Guangzhou.
 It's a modern affair, with ticket sales and online check-in available.
South African Airways [6] will resume flights to Kigali from Johannesburg in 2012.
Air Uganda [7] flies six times a week to Kampala.
Turkish Airlines [8] started flights to Kigali from Istanbul in May 2012.
On flying out of Kigali airport keep in mind the need for a Yellow Fever Certificate at your destination (eg South Africa) - Airport officials will ask for this.
 Also be careful of waiting in the cafe for your flight - some flights (eg Kenya Airways to Nairobi) are often overbooked and you won't hear any announcement when they decide to start boarding early, and you could miss your flight.

Also be prepared for at least 2-3 security checks before the departure.
 Checks are pretty thorough.
Alternative Entebbe, Uganda
Some international fliers find it much cheaper to fly into Entebbe in Uganda and then take the bus to Kigali.
 Depending an how long they stop you at the border, the bus trip takes about 9 hours.
 Try to get a seat on a Jaguar bus, on which WiFi is currently being introduced.
 The seats should be booked a day or two in advance in order to get seats #1 to #4.
 Actual (06/13) prices: Kampala - Kigali: UGX 45,000.
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 / Kigali - Kampala: UGX 45,000.
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Roads in Rwanda are famously well-paved and clean, thanks to huge investments in infrastructure over the past decade.
 However, rules are strictly enforced.
 Speed traffic cameras are commonplace on roads through Rwanda - from small streets to larger intercity roads.
 Police presence is also extensive - and regular roadchecks are commonplace - often with police officers setting up in the middle of a street and having each driver pull to the side while their licence plates are run.
 Corruption in these cases isn't a real concern so these stops shouldn't be equated with similar exercises in other countries where police may be looking for a bribe.
 Just follow their directions and it should move along quickly (a bribe offer will likely instead get you in a world of trouble).
Buses arrive and depart to many parts of Rwanda regularly.
For buses around Kigali, there are several companies that have each won contracts for separate lines in the city.
 These are identifiable by their bus line number (for example 300 series which includes bus lines 302, 304, 305, etc, and are usually white with a dark green stripe).
 Buses can either be minibuses like matatus, or quite standard looking municipal city buses.
 Most Rwandans will have a contactless card that can be loaded with funds and tap in on entry.
 If you don't have one, you can pay the driver in cash - though won't get exact change (while there are technically smaller coins in circulation, most transactions in Rwanda round to 100 francs - so for example, while the fare on the 305 bus is 264 Rwf as of Nov 2021, if you give the driver 300, don't expect change).
 You'll need to flag down the bus if you're waiting - don't expect it to stop at every stop.
 Similarly if you're on the bus, you need to request the stop.
 This is easier on minibuses / matatus, but on the larger city buses, even if there is a call button, this is usually done by banging the plastic handholds on the safety rail against the rail repeatedly.
 Also don't be surprised to see people with big luggage, huge sacks of grains, or large bags of fruit and vegetables.
 These will usually be stowed in the front by the driver.
There is an e-hailing app called Move which is run by VW.
 The app doesn't function well but you can phone the driver up directly to arrange a pick up.
 Payment is cash or card and at a fraction of the price of other taxis depending on the type of vehicle you choose.
 For airport trips expect to pay an extra 3000rwf for airport parking.
Take a trip to a craft centre, like the Dancing Pots Craft Centre or the Cards for Africa workshop and sales room in Kigali.
Learn a bit of French, maybe even a bit of Swahili and Kinyarwanda, all three are extremely useful here.
 English is also widely spoken, at least in Kigali.
 A useful Kinyarwanda vocabulary cheat sheet is available hereKinyarwanda is most widely spoken, though English is increasingly important and a mandatory part of the curriculum as an official language - supplanting the traditional role of French.
 French still has a clear presence though is largely only used by older, well-educated Rwandans.
 Most Rwandans, especially younger Rwandans and those in client service jobs, will speak English quite well.
 Swahili was more recently included alongside English and Kinyarwanda as a mandatory part of the school curriculum as part of the wider East African Community integration.
 While most Rwandans will understand and speak enough of it, most of it regularly manifests as loan words and phrases in day to day use.
English will likely be the easiest and most widely understood lingua franca for most visitors - though it's still well-appreciated to learn at least a few of the basics in Kinyarwanda (hello - muraho, goodbye - murabeho, thank you - murakoze).
Your best bet would be with an aid organization or NGO.
  If you are a resident of the US or EU, keep in mind that you can avoid paying for an expensive residency permit simply by declaring yourself a tourist upon arrival and then traveling outside of Rwanda once every 90 days for the length of your stay.
  Your 90-day tourist visa (automatically granted upon entry) will be renewed each time you leave and reenter the country (and it's a convenient excuse to go on vacation!).
The first thing to be aware of is that Kigali is expensive.
 As a cash strapped landlocked country costs of imported goods are high and import duties and VAT considerable.
 Foreigners often complain that wine, olive oil, breakfast cereals, kettle chips and other mundane foodstuffs cost a fortune, so beware.
 Costs can be lowered considerably by buying Rwandan or East African Community goods - Kenya in particular produces a wide range of produce that often cost half the imported European equivalent.
Outside of supermarkets and restaurants most venders are used to a bit of haggling (even over fruit and veg) although as always keep things in perspective - but don't let storekeepers charge you double what you think you should be paying.
When changing money at a forex bureau or on the street, be aware that only US dollar bills dated Series 2009 or newer will be accepted.
What to buy
Rwandan coffee is generally very good (although stay away from the cheapest stuff, which will be the sweepings from the grinding factory floor).
  Expect to pay around Rwf 4,000 per 500g.

Rwandan honey is great, especially the Nyungwe Highlands type.
 Around Rwf 1,750 per 500g.

Rwandan tea (both black and green) is also pretty good.

Rwandan handicrafts and kitenge products can be found almost everywhere, but Tubahumurize Association is a unique spot that uses the profits from their sales to fuel their trauma counselling, vocational training, micro-credit loans, sewing school and cooperative programs.
 The prices are affordable and you'll find everything from yoga bags and circle scarves to agaseke baskets and gorgeous quilts.
Local markets are stocked with Rwandan handicrafts, clothing, fabulous colourful fabric from West Africa and just about anything else.
The large market in Kimironko is a good place for fruit, veg, rice and other basic foodstuffs - and it can be good fun looking through the secondhand clothes section.
 Kimironko is organised with food up front - with butchers and fishmongers lining much of the outer edge, and on the inside square, there's eggs and nuts, followed by fruits and vegetables, and then grains and flours.
 After food, the outer edge shops change to luggage, phone accessory, and housewares shops.
 The inside square changes to hardware (hammers, nails, picture frames, buckets) to shoes, then tourist / souvenir items, and then finally fabric stalls where you can have clothes, bags, or shoes custom made.
 Kimironko is smaller than it looks and often involves squeezing tightly through spaces.
 The shops are all 'booths' so you can pass from one to the other.
 If you are visibly foreign, expect to be called after and followed for business, but if you give a firm no - you're more easily left alone than in some other markets.
 As always, everything is a negotiation and they'll often high-ball you on prices with an expectation to negotiate down, especially if you're buying a lot.
 You're expected to negotiate but don't be too ruthless if you can - if you can afford to pay some of the 'foreigner tax' on products, a lot of these resellers are making pennies on the margin - for most travellers, a couple hundred francs is negligible but makes a big difference to them.
 For the woven baskets, as of 2021, you can probably expect to pay pretty fairly pay around 4,000 - 5,000 Rwf for large ones, 2,000 Rwf for the smaller ones.
 Amahoro baskets (famous from Rwanda and a national symbol) usually come in 'nesting' sets of 5 - and will usually go for around 8,000 - 10,000 Rwf depending on quality.
 Gorilla staffs will usually be around 17,000 - 22,000 Rwf.
 Custom clothing often won't be the most careful stitch-work but if you offer a bit of a tip upfront, you'll usually get a better product.
 A custom dress usually runs around 45,000 Rwf for a rather simple design.
Cash machines / ATMs-  More and more bank ATMs are starting to accept Visa cards, including the Bank of Kigali and Ecobank.
 Ecobank's headquarters are located in the center of town next to CNLS and near UTC / Nakumatt.
 There is a Visa ATM at the airport too.
There are banks in Kigali with counter service for withdrawals (and Ecobank can do MasterCard withdrawals at a price).
Note that most shops are closed on Sundays.
By any standards Kigali is an excellent city in which to dine.
 A combination of Belgian culinary influence, plenty of cows, plenty of freshwater fish, and plenty of fresh vegetables equates to some of the best eating in the region.
 And it's all pretty affordable.

Note that Kigali restaurants and bars go in and out of fashion, not to mention close down, quite frequently.
 Check for the latest once you are in town and be aware that some places mentioned in some print guidebooks no longer exist.
 (The oft-mentioned Turtle Cafe has been closed since 2003!)
Finally note that as with the rest of the region restaurants take their time – with a usual 45 minutes to 1 hour wait between ordering and your food arriving, especially for dinner.
 If you are after a quick eat at lunchtime there are several ‘African buffets’ dotted around where you pile your plate high and are out the door in 30 minutes.
 
As Kigali is quite a sprawling city eateries are organised by suburb.
 The local corner cafes serve decent quality food at excellent prices.
Bottled water is recommended for foreign visitors.
Accommodation in Kigali is noticeably more expensive than neighboring capitals like Kampala and Nairobi.
Kigali has three international class hotels.
English/French language broadcasts are available from BBC World Service in Kigali on 93.
9MHz.
Kigali is relatively safe and friendly as far as African capitals go.
 Keep your eyes open and your wallet out of the reach of pickpockets, especially in crowded areas.
 Avoid walking after dark if possible, especially alone.
 Take extra precaution in the area between New Cadilac Nightclub and Carwash bar.
Police officers are generally helpful if you're in a bind, but don't expect speedy results.
Fun outdoor activitiesFurther along the wayTo Uganda
As of Jan 2019 it was possible to get a VOA into Uganda for $50.
 To get from Kigali to Uganda is very easy.
 There are many buses to Ruhengeri for around 5000rwf, 3+hours.
 From there take a Moto or matatu (500rwf) to Cyanika.
 Cross at the Cyanika border, take another Moto (4000USH) or Matatu to Kisoro.
 In Kisoro, change for other buses onto the country.
To Tanzania
The Visa requirements for Tanzania are a little fuzzy (January 2019).
 Online the embassy says that some nationalities can get visas at some ports of entry, but it is strongly advised to get a Visa in advance, especially if doing a land crossing.
 At the Embassy/High Commission for Tanzania in Kigali, their exact words were "Is possible, but things could go wrong and they could run out of visas".
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 So best to be safe and get one ahead of time.
 $50 for most countries, $100 for US residents; good for 90 days.
 The Tanzanian High Commission is open for visa applications M-F from 8am-12pm.
 Pick up the following day between 2:30-3:30pm.
 No appointment needed.
 They only accept USD.
To get to Tanzania from Kigali, there are buses to the border town of Rusumo, or directly to Nyakanazi (which leave at 4am).
WikiPedia:Kigali
World66:africa/rwanda/kigali