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    • TravelerNairo2Rio - Around The World
      Day 24

      Rwanda - Too Short, Wanting To Return

      November 6, 2023 in Rwanda ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

      It was time to visit the third country on this trip and our travel plan led us to Rwanda - the country of a thousand hills. Similar to Kisoro, the drive to the Rwandan border and through its countless hills was spectacular, but what was most striking, was how clean the country is. No trash, no litter on the streets or pavements. Rwanda has banned the use of plastic bags, so that is a big plus.

      After a few days of relaxing in Red Rocks and spending the afternoon lounging at a nearby lodge or having a few drinks in the pub, it was time to drive to Kigali, the capital. There, we visted, what i wanted to see/understand since I saw the movie 'Hotel Rwanda' - the Kigali Genocide Memorial/Museum. It provided an insightful, shocking and devastating account of the genocide that took place in Rwanda in 1994.

      The genocide was triggered by the downing of a plane with the Hutu leader on it and was the shocking result of decades of propaganda and surpression of the Tutsi minority.

      Within the span of 100 days, the Hutu tribe tortured and murdered over 1 million people of the Tutsi minority in the most brutal ways possible - machetes, hammers, sticks, brute force, etc. Over 2 million people fled the country in that time. Basically, a country of roughly 8 million people lost almost 40% of its population with less than 3 months.

      By now, the country and its people have forgiven (or so at least it seems) - a remarkable feat - and Rwandan now live peacefully next to each other with the Hutu and Tutsi classification eliminated and forbidden.

      With such sad, devastating and horrific insights, we headed out to have some dinner before it was time to say goodbye to Rwanda and hello Tanzania. However, Rwanda and especially its clean and buzzing capital, Kigali, certainly makes me want to come back and explore the country more properly. It feels it has a lot more to offer than I have seen.      Read more

    • TravelerSoutheast Africa
      Day 38

      Start of the road trip in an art gallery

      March 4, 2023 in Rwanda ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

      For the next eight days we would be doing something we had been looking forward to do for several weeks already. We rented a car (not a camper) to explore more of Rwanda. We had also both shifted our work schedules around, which meant that we'd have one and a half weekdays free for explorations as well, with no work scheduled then.

      I had done a bit of research into reputable rental car agencies and ended up with the best one, at least judging from the reviews. I had agreed with the agency to deliver the car to our Airbnb at 8am, as we wanted to go and visit an urban art gallery in the morning before heading on a 5h drive with heading southwest to visit a large rainforest National Park.

      Eventually, with more than an hour of delay, the car was delivered, and we were already super impatient. The delivery driver had apparently not been briefed, as he expected cash payment in USD. I had to call the agency again and tell them that I don't have cash, and that we had agreed on a payment by card. We were running late, so I rejected the owner Frank's invitation to come to the head office and pay by card there. Instead, I told him he had 15min to send someone with a card terminal to the art gallery, and from there we would depart at once.

      We went to the gallery and marveled at the displayed art, several of the pieces really spoke to me. Unfortunately they were usually very large and cost 10 000 - 15 000 USD, haha. It did give us a good opportunity to do an intense dive into the Kigali art scene, which is quite developed.

      While we were there an agency guy showed up with the payment terminal, and I was able to pay as planned. I pointed out to the guy that several check engine lights in the car were on and that I didn't appreciate that the car seemed stuck in 4WD, but I was reassured that this is normal on these imported cars and that they were no reason to worry. A bit of a red flag there, but I decided to roll with it, seeing how we were almost 2h behind our intended schedule.      Read more

    • TravelerSoutheast Africa
      Day 37

      Visiting the Genocide Memorial

      March 3, 2023 in Rwanda ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

      From Annie we didn't really know how to leave again, as the motos had dropped us far from the main roads. We ended up calling our trusted taxi driver, who took some 20min to come for us, but came when he said he would. We drove straight to the Genocide Memorial.

      Rwanda had a major disruptive event happening as recent as 1994, when the Hutu majority called for all of the Tutsi minority to be killed. Husband's killed their wives, friends killed each other, people set their neighbor's house on fire... In 100 days of genocide in 1994 over one million people died, while the global community stood by and did essentially nothing to intervene.

      The genocide memorial was opened in 2003 as a permanent reminder for the world to better identify situations similar to those that led up to the boiling point event, and make sure it is never repeated again. During the genocide, a lot of kids lost their parents, which is one of the main factors why Rwanda nowadays is such a forward thinking and innovative country.

      Now there are a lot of businesses run by 30 year olds, who are reinventing how business works. There is a thriving tech scene, and Rwanda is actively working to establish itself as the tech hub of Africa. And they are doing well on their journey!

      The genocide memorial is a powerful display of how horrible humanity can be. It illustrated in both text and pictures all the events before, during, and after the 100 days. It is definitely a must visit when in Kigali. Over 125 000 people are buried at the memorial ground in mass graves.

      We had been advised of this, but our moods were definitely very somber when we left the museum. All I could do is shake my head at the brutality that us humans can conjure up when led by immoral leaders.      Read more

    • TravelerSoutheast Africa
      Day 37

      Lunch with Annie

      March 3, 2023 in Rwanda ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

      Lunch for today was something special. We'd found out about this lunch event happening in the private home of a Rwandan grandma. We went there by moto (Anne's ran out of fuel again...), and then enjoyed a wonderful three course lunch with fantastic views over the many hills of Kigali.

      Speaking of hills. One thing we were not quite clear about before we came was that Rwanda is known as the "Land of a thousand hills". A fitting name, because once you master one hill, another one awaits behind the next corner. These hills are everywhere.      Read more

    • TravelerSoutheast Africa
      Day 33

      Working from Impact Hub Kigali

      February 27, 2023 in Rwanda

      There is no WWF office in Rwanda, but a very active Impact Hub community. This morning the plan was to go to Impact Hub, Anne would give a presentation, and I would use the time to find a new home for the next week or so. Well, it turned out to be near impossible to find a cab for the 7min ride to IH. Whenever I ordered a taxi, the driver would immediately call me to reconfirm my location. A bit annoying in times of GPS, but easy to explain.

      But then they would just not show up! It was extremely frustrating. We ended up calling four different taxis across multiple platforms and even more attempts. Only after around 25min the second taxi we had called showed up, looong after I had already canceled the ride with him. He must've remembered the address, gone to run an errand, and then check up on us 20min later... Or something like that.

      Anyways, we finally had a taxi, and made it to IH a bit too late, but all was well. While Anne was working her magic, I worked mine, and after I finally heard back from our desired Airbnb's host (she's away on vacation, unable to host us this week, but would love to host us in Kigali *another time* - two magic words that would've been helpful to write in the first message she sent us), I found another incredible looking place within our budget not too far away, which was then immediately confirmed.

      When we got there in the evening after a day of work, it turned out that the room we rented was located *inside* of a super cozy looking coffee shop, through a door leading to the back area. There was a secret garden in the back, good for doing yoga or other exercise, unlimited fiber optic internet, and a good kitchen on site, with fresh breakfast included in the room rental. It was pretty cool 😎 It was owned and operated by a female entrepreneur that also operated a travel agency from within the premises.

      The coffee shop was super chill, and only closed from 10pm to 9am, so plenty of quiet time for restful sleep outside of opening hours.      Read more

    • Traveler2023
      Day 267

      Kigali, Rwanda

      September 13, 2023 in Rwanda ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

      We had a few more days to fill in before our trip home from Johannesburg, so we took a three hour flight to Kigali. The city was green and very hilly. The locals seemed friendly and we felt very safe. Unfortunately mum was quite sick, so we didn’t do too much in the city. I really wanted to trek with the gorillas but it was extremely expensive and we didn’t have much time. The highlight of our visit to the city was the genocide memorial, where we learnt about the genocide between the Hutu and Tutsi people of Rwanda. It took place in 1994 and between 500000 and 80000 people were killed. The country has recovered remarkably well and now is a leader in Africa in many progressive areas (women’s right and climate change). Rwanda is also famous for it’s coffee culture so Alex and I enjoyed trying out the trendy cafes around the hillsides.Read more

    • Dobbs Away IIDobbs Without Jobs
      Day 104

      Kigali

      August 18, 2017 in Rwanda ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

      A short, very scenic drive took us back to Kigali. However, poor timing meant we hit INSANE traffic and endless road closures as President Kagame’s inauguration ceremony was just wrapping up in the nearby stadium. It was also Friday rush-hour, and raining. It took us nearly 2 hours to find our way to the Airbnb we’d booked.
      We were very suspicious of Rwanda’s president, who has been described by some as a benevolent dictator and who won his 3rd term with ~98% of the vote. However, he is absolutely LOVED and REVERED by every Rwandan we’ve met. He’s credited with ending the genocide, unifying and re-building the country. It’s hard to argue with his results. The reality is that Rwanda has incredible infrastructure in terms of roads, quality of housing in the villages, and free education and good healthcare. This is a place where you feel corruption is not a big issue and that international aid is actually getting to the people.
      We decided to spend a few days in Kigali relaxing, exploring the city and visiting the excellent Genocide Memorial that explained in painful detail how the 100 days of killing unfolded.      Read more

    • TravelerThe African GLO Tour 2018
      Day 10

      Back to Kigali

      June 1, 2018 in Rwanda ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

      The final countdown. Up for breakfast at 6am 80 miles ahead of us. The first group (who were taking it at a slightly slower pace) left leaving 6 of us (including Kiki, team Rwanda and our mechanic) to enjoy a Rwandan coffee at a coffee shop next to the guest house. We set off in peloton formation - something we hadn't done all week as normally the terrain was steep hills. This was different - gently undulating hills allowed good peloton riding - and we soon picked up the pace. The group came back together after about 30 miles which signified the start of the annual 'race' - the rules simple those that want to race start about 10 minutes after those that don't. The first group cycle and wait at an unknown point to the racing group and that is the finish. Five of us raced. A rolling start, Kiki took off - in fairness there was only ever going to be one winner so it was really a race for second place! The course was short and kind to the heavier rider finishing on an uphill after a down hill, so after clinging on for dear life at the start with the advantage of extra momentum I managed to finish in the middle after Kiki and Wesley thank goodness for those extra pounds!?!

      However my legs after that were shot and as hard as I tried I could not keep up with the faster riders any longer. While the scenery was perhaps not as breathtaking as in previous days - familiarity was perhaps a factor the roads were much kinder with none on the long brutal climbs we had had before. We all regrouped about 15km from Kigali to ride in together. This was potentially the most risky part of the day as we came into a busy city. Riding in was straight forward and fairly flat, although this was Rwanda and hills were always present and coming into Kigali there were some steep climbs as we made our way back to the finish of our guest house.

      We all rolled in, tired but exhilarated. We had made it. A really hard week, with a number of individual days being the hardest days most had ever experienced. Eric's chips and sausage awaited - a perfect end to an 80 mile day and a 500 mile week.

      Chips, brochettes and beer at a nearby hotel was the evening fare, exhaust but happy we lasted until about 9.30. An amazing week, great riding, great friends and a great God.

      'But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.' (Isaiah 40:31)

      Remember you can still give to the work of GLO. The work they do is amazing, it literally changes and saves lives. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hughwells

      Thank you to Tallis Woomert (instagram @talliswoomert) for the amazing photos - you'll imediately see which ones! Do go to his instagram for more you won't be disappointed!

      Thank you to Simon Guillebaud www.simonguillebaud.com) for organising - an amazing trip.      Read more

    • Darren and JanetRwanda 2017
      Day 3

      Doha to Heaven,via Entebbe

      July 2, 2017 in Rwanda ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

      Wake up time was 4.20am for a 5am departure to the airport. The roads are busy already and the overnight construction is still going on - most construction during summer happens at night because of the heat.

      Our flight to Kigali was via Entebbe, Uganda, where we stayed on the plane for an hour while they cleaned around us. The jump from Entebbe to Kigali was the shortest international flight we've been on, 30 minutes. Fortunately for the hosties there were only about 50 people on the flight so they had time to rush some food around before we landed.

      On arrival in Kigali we were met at the plane door by a very welcoming airport staff member who checked our boarding passes (yes, on the way off the plane!), then escorted us across the tarmac to the terminal. First queue was to pay the the entry visa, which we were told had to be paid in cash, US dollars only, but they now also accept credit cards, which slowed things down a bit. Passport control was also high tech, with electronic finger printing done, in addition to taking our photo.

      We were met outside by our drivers for the next 2 weeks, and had a 20 minute drive to our hotel (some road line-marking slowed the traffic to a crawl at one stage while they were hand painting one lane of the zebra crossings)

      Rwanda is known as "the land of 1000 hills", and is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa, with a population of 12 million people in a country one tenth the size of Victoria. The capital Kigali is built around several ridges and valleys, so the distance as the crow flies is not large, but navigating the hills takes some time - and plenty of hill starts! Armed Police or army personnel man most of the major intersections throughout the city 24 hours a day, as a general deterrent, and Kigali is widely regarded as the safest capital city in Africa.

      Dinner tonight was at a rooftop restaurant with a spectacular view over Kigali. Goat cutlets and a Mutzig (local) beer for me, poached line fish and a Tusker (Kenyan) beer for Oliver.

      Stayed: Heaven Boutique Hotel      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Gasabo District, District de Gasabo, Akarere ka Gasabo

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