Overview
Take a trip to Kigali on your Rwanda Vacation
Few people travel to Rwanda without passing through Kigali, the country’s largest and capital city. Located in the geographic centre of Rwanda, Kigali has been the economic and cultural hub since it became the capital in 1962.
Kigali was founded under German colonial rule in 1907. It was chosen as the country’s capital because of its central location after Rwanda achieved independence. Kigali came to international attention as a result of the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 which saw the slaughter of approximately one million Tutsi and moderate Hutu by Hutu militia as well as some members from the Rwandan army. The city was greatly affected by this tragedy but has worked hard to recover. The Kigali Memorial Centre opened on the tenth anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide and has been built on a site where over 250,000 people are buried.
Today Kigali is a clean and comfortable city that is popular with ex-pats and hosts numerous aid workers. Many people come to visit this attractive city on their way to visit the country’s famous gorillas at the Parc National des Volcans on the Rwanda safari. Tourism has increased in recent years and since 1994, the city has been rebuilt and continues to look forward without forgetting its past.
At a Glance
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English, French, Kinyarwanda, SwahiliCurrency
Rwandan Franc (RWF)What do the experts say?
Globetrotters should try to experience The Gorilla Naming Ceremony : Culturally, the naming of an infant is a big affair, and Rwanda has adopted the same cultural event with the New-born Mountain Gorillas, as way to highlight the need to protect these gentle giants that were on the verge of being hunted to extinction.
Rwanda is always a surprise; especially for a 1st time visitor to Africa. The beautiful landscape (hills, mountains and rivers), is accentuated by the clean and organised infrastructure. Being a small country with shorter drives between parks, Rwanda offers superb photography experiences.
I love Rwanda’s stunning natural beauty, peaceful atmosphere, vibrant culture, and the unforgettable experience of meeting mountain gorillas in their lush habitat.
Kigali is typically the start of your Rwanda sa...
A young child in Kigali makes for a great photo...
A water well in Kigali
Most Popular Time to Travel
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Place
Conditions
Daily max temperatureMonthly rainfall
KigaliPartly Cloudy
28°C / 83°F
50mm / 2.0"
Weather data is based on monthly averages.Popularity rating
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ExcellentBased on 5,184 ReviewsThis is an excellent tour agency that provides an excellent, all inclusive safari experience in South Africa, especially in the renown Kruger National Park. The agency will provide a very detailed, day-by-day itinerary of the trip, which, for the most part, describes exactly the order of activities that a customer will experience from start to end of the reserved trip. Our safari trip included a hotel pick-up in Cape Town in the beginning of the safari trip and drop-off at the end of the trip. Flights to and from either Johannesburg or Mpumalanga airport are included. We reserved a 3-day safari trip which included an afternoon safari the first day, a full day safari the 2nd day, and a morning safari the 3rd day. The lodge where we stayed was very clean with modern and convenient accommodations, including WIFI and breakfast. The guides are well trained and very knowledgeable about all animals we came across during our trip, and were also very courteous, polite and easy to engage in conversation. They made our safari trip exciting but safe! I would highly recommend this safari tour agency. Christos PatriotisI had an amazing trip. It was more than I could have expected. I got to see everything I wished to see while I was abroad. All the guides were lovely and provided me with excellent knowledge on their cities/tours. Especially in China where it was their holiday week and they all took time away from their families to make me around their cities. The tour company in Japan made sure I got to every tour destination and knew what the plan was for each day.
This is the second time I have used Goway for traveling and it has exceeded my expectations. katieahotmail.comWe just returned from a 2 week tour of South Africa, Zimbabwe(Victoria Falls) and Botswana, and had a fabulous time! This was the third tour I've used Goway, and as usual, it was such a positive experience! The accommodations that were booked were awesome! The hotels were luxurious, clean and the staff, all so warm and welcoming! Our travel agent, Vanessa Lloyd, did a fabulous job arranging everything, and was always available to answer my many questions! We'll be using them again, next year when we take a family trip to the Greek Islands and Turkey! They are always consistent in the quality of the hotels and experiences, and I highly recommend them for your travel needs!Fran Nitta BarnesWe are still on our journey in Italy. At Capri now and heading to the Amalfi Coast. So far, we can’t thank Goway enough for putting our itinerary together so quickly. Everything is going well and hope the next 10 days are perfect too. Gladys VivianCan't say enough good things about Goway Travel. From the very start, our travel rep, Harpreet, listened carefully to what we were hoping to see and do on our first trip to Japan. She asked great questions and then came back to us with a detailed itinerary packed with adventure and fun, and all within our travel budget.
From the moment we took off from LAX, Harpreet had made sure we had every tour voucher, hotel voucher, plane ticket, train ticket, literally every detail covered. All we had to do was follow our itinerary.
Also, Harpreet booked us into terrific hotels. Each one was spotlessly clean, comfortable, included a full (and delicious) breakfast and, most importantly, was centrally located to all of the activities she had planned for us. So everything was a 5 or 10-minute walk away.
In three weeks' time we were able to visit six cities and so many fascinating shrines, temples, castles, imperial palaces - most of which were World Heritage sites. Harpreet also tucked in fabulous "experiences" like learning how to make sushi with a professional chef, enjoying a tea ceremony and watching graceful Geishas dance.
My husband and I are seasoned travelers. But we don't speak Japanese and we really knew very little about the country. There is no way we would have been able to see and do all of the fascinating things we did in Japan if we hadn't chosen Goway Travel to be our guide. Many thanks for an unforgettable trip! Bobbi FagoneGreat country (Italy), great people and love the feel you get by just being you.
Ingrid Aird did a great job with a pair of tours one private and one group. Organizing pickup from airport and flights.
Hotel, Enterprise Hotel, after a bit of a rough start getting us into a proper room, was more than excellent.Thomas HelpsWe were looking forward to a magical vacation in Greece, and Goway Travel delivered on all fronts. This is the second time that we have booked with them (the first being an incredible excursion in Thailand), and everything went along swimmingly. Only on one occasion did a tour go sideways, but our Goway specialist (Patrick) took care of it for us.
When your tour involves many flights, numerous hotels, various tours, ferries, and transfers, it is nice to know that your travel specialist can handle it all. Goway (from Patrick to all the other staff involved) handled everything in such a professional manner. Thanks Goway for such an incredible experience in Greece. I look forward to another adventure in the near future!Jenny FriessWe recently returned from France - three cities in two weeks - and our trip was fantastic! Jacqueline helped us with a return to France with no worries and concerns. Drivers met us at every destination- hotels were superb and the individual tours memorable. This is a return vacation with Goway and we could not be more pleased. The customer service is top notch and all questions answered promptly. For us seniors, we appreciate all the thoughtfulness and consideration.ElizaGrayMy clients had an amazing trip and they told me that the trip was better than expected. I want to thank Brent Morris who was very helpful in the planning stages.
Job well done Goway & Brent it was great working with with you!!!
Sole Barraza
SoleWhile researching suppliers for a clients Thailand honeymoon, I remembered being referred to GoWay by a longterm TA ….because they “get it right and get it done!” I had already started their training modules, so I put in a quote. Immediately, Taylor responded with a very thorough email and we decided to chat. I gave him my specifics and he again responded immediately and matched my client’s travel needs 100%. I found it comforting to speak with a country expert with the knowledge I needed. My clients booked their vacation and are very excited about their itinerary! Thank you Taylor for making this process seamless.Karla B
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