Kigali City Tours / City tours / Kigali Past & Present

Kigali Past & Present

From US$60 per personHalf day 4 hours · full day 9 hoursStarts: 8:30 AM or 1:30 PMFri–Sun: always runs, even for 1 guestMon–Thu: runs from 2 guestsType: Small group, max 8Pick-up: Your hotel in Kigali

Small group of guests in front of a painted Kinyarwanda mural on a Kigali group city tour

Stop here and think of the one you love.

Guests among the ten stone pillars of the Belgian Peacekeepers Memorial at Camp Kigali, with the bullet-scarred building behind, on the Kigali Past & Present tour

One city, two halves: how Kigali was founded and what happened here in 1994, then the Kigali that rebuilt itself.

A small-group Kigali city tour with a licensed guide and no more than 8 guests. Take the morning (Kigali's Past), the afternoon (Kigali's Present), or both as a full day with lunch at Kigali Heights. We collect you from your Kigali hotel.

Choose your half, or both

Morning · Kigali's Past, 8:30 AM–12:30 PM: US$60
Afternoon · Kigali's Present, 1:30–5:30 PM: US$60
Full day with lunch at Kigali Heights: US$100

Itinerary

Morning · Kigali's Past

1
08:30 · Hotel pick-up
Your guide collects you from your hotel in Kigali.
2
Kandt House Museum
Start in the home of Richard Kandt, the German explorer who founded Kigali in 1907, and learn how a hilltop outpost grew into Rwanda’s capital.
3
Belgian Peacekeepers Memorial, Camp Kigali
The former army barracks where ten Belgian UN peacekeepers were killed on 7 April 1994, the first day of the genocide.
4
Imbuga City Walk
Walk Kigali’s car-free street in the city centre, where locals meet, work and relax.
5
Sainte-Famille Church
Walk on to one of Kigali’s oldest churches, and hear what happened to the people who sheltered here in 1994.
6
Kigali Genocide Memorial
The resting place of more than 250,000 victims. Take time in the exhibitions and gardens, which tell the story of the genocide against the Tutsi.
7
12:30 · Drop-off or lunch
Back to your hotel, or stay for lunch at Kigali Heights and the afternoon tour if you booked the full day.

Afternoon · Kigali's Present

1
13:30 · Pick-up or after lunch
Hotel pick-up, or join straight from lunch at Kigali Heights on the full day.
2
Kigali Convention Centre & car-free zone
The domed landmark of the new Kigali, and the walkable streets around it.
3
Campaign Against Genocide Museum
Walk to the Parliament building, still marked by bullets, where the museum tells how the genocide was stopped in 1994. Also known as the Liberation Museum.
4
Question Coffee
Finish with Rwandan specialty coffee and hear how it gets from the hills to your cup.
5
17:30 · Drop-off
Back to your hotel in Kigali.

Times are approximate.

From the tour

Tour guests among the ten stone pillars of the Belgian Peacekeepers Memorial at Camp Kigali — Morning: the ten pillars at Camp Kigali, one for each Belgian peacekeeper killed in 1994.

The Imbuga City Walk car-free zone in central Kigali — A stroll through the Imbuga City Walk, Kigali’s car-free boulevard.

Steel hand sculpture outside the Kigali Convention Centre — Afternoon: the Kigali Convention Centre, the city’s modern landmark.

Campaign Against Genocide Museum statues with the Kigali skyline behind — The Campaign Against Genocide Museum, where Kigali’s past meets its skyline.

A Question Coffee barista in Kigali explains the single-origin Rwandan coffees on the shelf — The last stop: Question Coffee, where a barista walks you through Rwanda’s single-origin coffees.

What's included

Hotel pick-up and drop-off in Kigali
Licensed English-speaking guide
Museum entrance fees
Bottled water
Full day only: lunch at Kigali Heights

Not included

Drinks with lunch
Donations at the memorial
Tips

Know before you go

Runs daily. Friday, Saturday and Sunday are guaranteed departures, even for 1 guest
Monday to Thursday, a departure is confirmed once 2 guests book. If it doesn’t reach 2, we offer you another date or a full refund
Maximum 8 guests per group
The Kigali Genocide Memorial is a place of mourning: dress modestly and expect difficult content
Comfortable shoes: there are two short walks