Reviews: Kigali Tour and Genocide Memorial Visit

"During the three full days we spent in Kigali we toured the city with our driver/guide, Sula, from Primate Safaris. We enjoyed partial-day tours, giving us time to relax in our hotel and time to walk around the city on our own. Our tour was tailored to our interests and timing. The Genocide Memorial and museum is a very moving exhibition that also includes a large burial ground. The exhibits inside are well organized and thought out. In addition, they are very personal and include many photographs of the victims of the genocide. It is very much a memorial and as well as a museum with a warning for the future.

Another highlight was a walking tour of Nyamirambo, Kigali’s Muslim quarter. Our tour started at the Nyamirambo Women’s Center, an organization that teaches women to read and write as well as to sew as a livelihood. The shop sells items made by the ladies. We proceeded on a walk around the neighborhood that ended in a lunch cooked in the home of a local woman. The food was delicious and the fellowship was outstanding. This is a vibrant neighborhood well worth seeing.

Over several days we drove around various parts of the city through the city center, commercial parts of the city and up to Mount Kigali.

During the three full days we spent in Kigali we had the services of a private driver/guide named Sula from Primate Safaris. Sula was so knowledgeable about Rwanda’s history and its current place in the world. He tailored our tours of the city to suit our interests, including a delicious lunch restaurant with outdoor dining. We also drove around various parts of the city through the city center, commercial parts of the city and up to Mount Kigali.

In addition, Sula drove us from Kigali to Akagera National Park where we were met by our guides from Wilderness Safaris’ Magashi Camp. During our drive to Akagera, Sula explained the various crops being grown in the countryside and how Rwandan people live. Sula then met us at Akagera again at the end of our stay there and drove us back to Kigali for an overnight stay at The Retreat.

The next morning he drove us to Wilderness Safaris’ Bisate Lodge near Volcanoes National Park. Knowing we were interested in local coffee growing, he arranged a tour of a small coffee processing place along the way. Once at Bisate, Sula drove us to and from Volcanoes National Park headquarters prior to our golden monkey and mountain gorilla treks. In addition he suggested we visit the newly opened Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund nearby ahead of our mountain gorilla trek to learn about the gorillas before we saw them. It was an excellent suggestion. After our stay at Bisate he drove us to Kigali International Airport.

Sula is extremely knowledgeable about Rwanda’s flora and fauna as well. He was an excellent guide and we loved the time we spent with him. He helped us get the multiple COVID tests required throughout our stay in Rwanda and he kept the safari vehicle immaculate." Read more about this whole safari

"Having only Hotel Rwanda as a reference point for information about the Rwandan genocide, this was an eye-opening and educational experience that was also a sobering one that should not be missed.

The audio guide and exhibits paint a different picture than what was dramatized in the movie and provides a lot more context and truths about what led to the tragedy and its aftermath. We thought it was very well-presented.

After the memorial, we had buffet lunch at the Serena Hotel in Kigali which was OK." Read more about this whole safari

"a necessary confrontation with a shocking past, but in a deeply dignified way." Read more about this whole safari

"This museum is a not to be missed experience.

It is important for the world to know and never forget the horrible things that the local people have experienced very recently. We must remember this history and safeguard from things happening like this again.

Our teenage children learned a lot from the experience as well." Read more about this whole safari

"." Read more about this whole safari

"It was such a great experience to explore the different areas of Kigali and learn more about its history.

Going to the Genocide Memorial is a must for anyone visiting Kigali.

It is very well made and makes you appreciate how far this amazing country has come since the last 25 years." Read more about this whole safari

"The Genocide memorial is well done and very sobering. It drives home what an amazing recovery has taken place in Rwanda" Read more about this whole safari

"The city tour was great. It was neat to see the entire city and the landscape.

The Genocide Memorial Tour is an absolute must if you are in Kigali. We spent almost 3 hours in the Memorial, and could have easily spent 3 more hours. Although it is heart-wrenching, I think it is absolutely important to experience this and honor those who lost their lives." Read more about this whole safari

"Very thought provoking.

Rwanda is a place where you need to pay your respects to the dead." Read more about this whole safari

"Sula, our excellent driver/guide, started out with a driving tour of some of the important areas of the city, and finished at Kigali Genocide Memorial. We took longer than expected going through the very affecting exhibits, but Sula was perfectly OK waiting as long as we needed. The KGL was a very worthwhile stop. Learning more about the genocide makes the current peaceful condition that much more amazing.

We expected lunch at Hotel Mille Collines (the original “Hotel Rwanda”) and were a bit disappointed to be redirected to a different hotel. Lunch was lunch, but the fame of Mille Collines was an attraction that we were looking forward to. I understand the reason for the change, but Mille Collines should not have been promised in the itinerary." Read more about this whole safari