Kigali city tour experiencing the Rwanda genocide memorials

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The Kigali City Tour offers one an in-depth view of Kigali, past and present, assuring that one feels the genuine heartbeat of the city. Kigali is the capital city o f Rwanda, blessed with a year round moderate climate. It is also the country’s vibrant commercial center. Kigali is particularly beautiful at night as the lights glimmer over a few of the country’s “one thousand hills”.

The Kigali City Tour begins as a historic journey through the city with a guided tour from the first modern building from which the capital city was first founded, to the rapidly growing neighborhoods that are changing the face of the city. Kigali is one of the friendliest, cleanest and safest of Africa’s cities attracting numerous visitors and investors to the capital.

Kigali City was founded in 1907 as a small colonial outpost by Dr. Richard Kandt, the first German colonial resident of Rwanda. His residence at the base of Mount Jali and Mount Kigali in the heart of the city has been converted into the Natural History Museum in honor of Dr. Kandt’s work, and is one of the first stops on the tour.

Along the tour, visitors will pass by Kigali’s older commercial “quarters”, business and residential areas, visit historic sites commemorating the 1994 Tutsi Genocide, take a guided tour within the Gisozi Genocide Memorial, and learn about the city’s diverse neighborhoods and local attractions.

Coffee shops, bars and local and international restaurants ranging from Chinese,   Italian, North African, East African, Thai and Greek cuisine can be found around the city. Resto-bars are a favorite among Kigali’s residents as people enjoy a delicious meal early on and stay to enjoy the music and drinks afterwards. Kigali’s growing nightlife is sure to entertain any visitor to the city.

Rwanda has variety of museums where you can experience the Kigali city cultural excursions and are:

National Museum of Rwanda launched on September 18th 1989 and located in Huye, the National Museum of Rwanda is the most well-known museum in Rwanda and houses perhaps the finest ethnographic and archaeological collections in East Africa with more than 10,000 artifacts. Absorbing displays of traditional artifacts are illuminated by a fascinating selection of turn-of-the-century monochrome photographs, providing insight not only into pre-colonial lifestyles, but also into the subsequent development of Rwanda as a modern African state.

Nyanza Royal Palace, Rukari, under the reign of King Yuhi V Musinga in 1899, Nyanza became the royal capital of the country. The court became the home of the artistic and intellectual activities and was also a place for economic exchange. Today, a replica of the traditional Royal Palace sits at Rukari. The impressive, enormous domed structure is made entirely with traditional materials, has been painstakingly restored to its 19th century state and is now maintained as a museum.

Museum of Rwandan Ancient History, once the residence of King Mutara III Rudahingwa, this museum also sits at Rukari near to the Royal Palace. This Palace has been restored and offers a glimpse into Rwandan life as it once was. On the neighboring hill of Mwima, King Mutara III and his wife Queen Rosalie Gicanda are buried.

Rwesero Arts Museum, located across the valley from the Museum of Rwandan Ancient History and the

Nyanza Royal Palace, the Rwesero Arts Museum displays contemporary artwork which testifies to the originality of Rwandan creativity, while not overlooking either tradition or national history. The museum was originally built as a Palace for King Mutara III Rudahingwa but he passed away before occupying it. Both the Museum of Rwandan Ancient History and the Rwesero Arts Museum are located 2km from Nyanza town.

Museum of Natural History, the Nyarugenge residence in Kigali City once occupied by German Richard Kandt has been turned into the Museum of Natural History. A scientist by profession, Richard Kandt was the first German Imperial resident in Rwanda and this museum is homage to his work.

Experience the Rwanda magical cultural performances

The culture of Rwanda is varied; Rwanda is a unified state since per-colonial times, populated by the Rwandan people who share a single language and cultural heritage. Eleven regular national holidays are observed throughout the year, with others occasionally inserted by the government. Additionally, the week following Genocide Memorial Day on 7 April is designated an official week of mourning. The last Saturday of each month is Muganda, a national day of community service, during which most normal services close down.

Music and dance are an integral part of Rwandan ceremonies, festivals, social gatherings, and storytelling. The most famous traditional dance is In-tore, a highly choreographed routine consisting of three components - the ballet, performed by women; the dance of heroes, performed by men, and the drums. Traditionally, music is transmitted orally with styles varying between the social groups. Drums are of great importance, the royal drummers having enjoyed high status within the court of the Mwami. Drummers usually play together in groups of seven or nine. The country has a growing popular music industry, influenced by East African, Congolese and American music. The most popular genres are hip-hop and R&B, often blended with ragga and dance-pop. Popular local artists include The Ben and Meddy, both of whom have won awards, and more recent artists like Miss Shanel, Kitoko, Rider man, Tom Close, King James and others.

Clothing was traditionally made from bark cloth and animal skins. Traditional female dress, called the mushanana, consists of a floor-length skirt with a sash draped over one shoulder, worn over a tank top or bustier. A traditional hairstyle consists of a bun decorated with beads and tied in place by two ribbons that pass across the forehead and over the bun, crossing above the ear. A comb is placed above one ear beneath the crossing point of the ribbons. This costume is often worn by female dancers in In-tore dance troupes. It is no longer common daily wear but may be worn at weddings, church services and other formal events. At formal events, the traditional dress for men includes a Western-style dress shirt tucked into a wrapped floor-length skirt. A beaded necklace may be worn with this outfit, particularly during weddings or by the musicians during traditional dance performances. Male dancers may wear a wrapped skirt without a shirt; they wear beaded straps that cross over the chest.

Rwandan cuisine is based on local staple foods produced by the traditional subsistence agriculture. Historically, it has varied among the country's different ethnic groups. Rwandan staples include bananas, plantains (known as ibitoke), pulses, sweet potatoes, beans, and cassava (manioc). Many Rwandans do not eat meat more than a few times a month. For those who live near lakes and have access to fish, tilapia is popular. The potato, thought to have been introduced to Rwanda by German and Belgian colonialists, is now also very popular. Ugali (or bugali) is a paste made from cassava or maize and water, to form a porridge-like consistency that is eaten throughout East Africa. Isombe is made from mashed cassava leaves and served with dried fish. Lunch is usually a buffet known as mélange, consisting of the above staples and possibly meat. Brochette is the most popular food when eating out in the evening, usually made from goat, but sometimes tripe, beef, pork or fish. In rural areas, many bars have a brochette seller responsible for tending and slaughtering the goats, skewering and barbecuing the meat, and serving it with grilled bananas. Milk, particularly in a fermented form called ikivuguto, is a common drink throughout the country. Other drinks include a traditional beer called urwagwa, made from sorghum or bananas, which features in traditional rituals and ceremonies. Commercial beers brewed in Rwanda include Primus, Mützig, and Amstel.

Traditional arts and crafts are produced throughout the country, although most originated as functional items rather than purely for decoration. Woven baskets and bowls are especially common. The south east of Rwanda is noted for imigongo, a unique cow dung art, whose history dates back to when the region was part of the independent Gisaka kingdom. The dung is mixed with natural soils of various colors and painted into patterned ridges, forming geometric shapes. Other crafts include pottery and wood carving.

Traditional Rwandan housing was constructed from locally sourced sustainable materials. Historically houses were dome-like round houses made from cedar poles, linked with bamboo and reeds and thatched with grass or banana leaves. During the colonial period clay walling became common, at first for circular thatched houses, the walls of which were sometimes decorated with bold geometrical patterns, and subsequently as rectangular houses reflecting European influence but retaining the clay-filled timber framed walls. More recently, these have been replaced with adobe or sun-dried brick walling. Clay tiles, often baked locally, were used for roofs, as well as thatch. The government has a program to replace these with more modern materials such as corrugated iron, but these are not produced locally.

Rwanda does not have a long history of written literature, but there is a strong oral tradition ranging from poetry to folk stories. In particular the per-colonial royal court developed traditions of ibitekerezo (epic musical poetry), ubucurabwenge (royal genealogies typically recited at coronation ceremonies), and ibisigo (royal poems). Many of the country's moral values and details of history have been passed down through the generations. The most famous Rwandan literary figure was Alexis Kagame (1912–1981), who carried out and published research into the oral tradition as well as writing his own poetry. The Rwandan Genocide resulted in the emergence a literature of witness accounts, essays and fiction by a new generation of writers