31 Jul 2023
This tour will be worthwhile for you depending on your background. If you know more African countries and you are use to travel around the continent, it won’t be anything special at all. If it’s your first time in the continent, it might be good for you. I think it is too expensive (220€ in my case) but it’s true that you have a driver-guide for you the whole day. In my case wifi was not working well and that was annoying, but the driver did everything he could to try to fix it.
Insist on visiting the Parliament museum. You will have the best view of the city. I think that you could do everything on this tour by yourself if you are used to Africa, but you totally need a driver, so that may be the added value of the tour (that you have it the whole day for you). The Muslim neighborhood is not worthwhile. Going up to M Kigali and Rubero is just being driven by a steep street and that’s all, and the majority of the spots on the tour have nothing really special. What it’s unforgettable is the Genocide Memorial. If you can have a driver that takes you there, and then gives you a ride around the city, you will have the same experience. Markets are for tourist and the local market the take you to is just another African market: fruit, fish, sewers, and some artesanal things, but nothing really outstanding. You have to insist on going to the parliament. Arrive there at 4:30pm more or less and get to finish the visit by 5:30 on the rooftop with the sunset. I repeat: it is the best 360 view of the city.
Lunch is not really ok. They just take you yo a mall (something Americans can like, but it’s not what you expect when you are in Africa I guess). They show you around the mall like if it’s something extraordinary. I can see the point for them, like if it’s something that shows progress, but I don’t really see the point of taking a European guy to a mall in Africa. Good for you for having it, but it’s a very evitable part of the tour. The could take you instead to a fancy restaurant in Kigali. There are plenty of them!
So, if you can mange to have a driver to take you around and pick up you up I think you can organize a less expensive and much more productive visit. If you just like to be taken around in a car with some explanations and you don’t really know anything about Africa, it might be good that you do your first time this way, because it’s easy and everything is previously arranged. You won’t have to think about anything. If not, try to hire a driver and give the plan you want to do. Arrange a price, and experience what you have planed for yourself!
Ps: city is safe. No problems at all