Kigali city, Rwanda

Facts about Kigali city

Kigali is the capital city of Rwanda; it is the biggest city of Rwanda with a population of 850,000. The city is among the cleanest and well organized cities in Africa. Kigali was founded by the Germans in 1907 but only became Rwanda's capital when the country became independent (from Belgium) in 1962.

The city has become very important  in terms of tourism with the a number of Genocide memorial centre like Gisozi , Historical parliamentary building, presidential palaces, local art and craft shops, National museums, fruit markets among others. Tourists enjoy Kigali city tour before or after Mountain gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National park.

Kigali is pretty, politically stable and hospitable people willing to welcome foreigner and to feed them with firsthand information concerning Rwanda.  While in Kigali you'll hear people speaking Kinyarwanda, English, and French.

Kigali is always a stopover for the tourists and it is only 3 hrs drive to the Parc National Des Volcans. Flights into the capital arrive from Brussels, Nairobi, Entebbe, Addis Ababa, Kilimanjaro, and Johannesburg. Tourists also arrive in Kigali by long-distance bus from Uganda.

From Kigali, tourists can also travel to Akagera national park to see a variety of wildlife. This is only 2 hour drive to Akagera and five hours drive to Nyungwe forest National park which is known as the home of chimpanzees and other 12 primates.