Kigali, Rwanda travel guide: things to do, when to go, where to stay

Why go

Kigali (Kinyarwanda pronunciation: [ki.ɡɑ́.ɾi]), officially the City of Kigali also known as Kigali City (abbreviated as KGL), is the capital, largest city, and a province-level administrative unit of Rwanda. It is located near the country's geographic centre, in a landscape of rolling hills marked by valleys and ridges connected by steep slopes. As Rwanda's primary city, Kigali is a relatively young urban centre. Founded in 1907 as a German administrative outpost, it served as a minor administrative centre until it became the national capital at independence in 1962, shifting the main administrative focus away from Huye (formerly Astrida).

As of 31 August 2022, Kigali city has a population of 1,745,555 inhabitants, roughly seven times that of the nation's second most populous city, Gisenyi. Kigali's UNHCR coordinate operations for nearly 135,000 refugees and has a special facility in Gashora, to temporarily host refugees who are being resettled from crisis zones, mainly Libya, Yemen or other conflict areas, and provided with medical care, basic services and legal processing. After preparation, they are resettled to countries like the United States or Canada. Also notable, before cancellation in July 2024, the Rwanda asylum plan or "Rwanda Plan" was an agreement to accept deported migrants from the United Kingdom.

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More about Kigali

Kigali (Kinyarwanda pronunciation: [ki.ɡɑ́.ɾi]), officially the City of Kigali also known as Kigali City (abbreviated as KGL), is the capital, largest city, and a province-level administrative unit of Rwanda. It is located near the country's geographic centre, in a landscape of rolling hills marked by valleys and ridges connected by steep slopes. As Rwanda's primary city, Kigali is a relatively young urban centre. Founded in 1907 as a German administrative outpost, it served as a minor administrative centre until it became the national capital at independence in 1962, shifting the main administrative focus away from Huye (formerly Astrida).

As of 31 August 2022, Kigali city has a population of 1,745,555 inhabitants, roughly seven times that of the nation's second most populous city, Gisenyi. Kigali's UNHCR coordinate operations for nearly 135,000 refugees and has a special facility in Gashora, to temporarily host refugees who are being resettled from crisis zones, mainly Libya, Yemen or other conflict areas, and provided with medical care, basic services and legal processing. After preparation, they are resettled to countries like the United States or Canada. Also notable, before cancellation in July 2024, the Rwanda asylum plan or "Rwanda Plan" was an agreement to accept deported migrants from the United Kingdom.