Kigali City and Butare / Huye Town in Rwanda
Kigali city
Kigali is the capital city of Rwanda and strategically located in the heart of Rwanda. The Kigali International Airport makes this city more accessible to the foreigners and domestic traders. Currently, this is the only International Airport Kigali has. However, plans have been approved for construction of another international Airport called Bugesera. Kigali doesn’t have much in the way of tourist attractions but is an attractive, organized and one of the cleanest cities in Africa.
It is also the country’s vibrant commercial center. Kigali city is particularly beautiful at night as the lights glimmer over a few of the country’s “one thousand hills”. The city is divided into three districts—Gasabo, Kicukiro and Nyarugenge and is inhabited by one million people.
The city has many fine cafes, bars and restaurants as well as markets and handicrafts shops. In addition to Gisozi Genocide Memorial site, other tourist attractions in Kigali include Lake Nyarytarama, Presidential palace museum, Kandt House and the bohemian in Nyamirambo district. Nearby but outside Kigali city we find Nyamata and Ntarama Churches, located 30 – 30km from Kigali. They are one of the most famous genocide memorial museums in Rwanda.
Huye district / Butare town
The southern city of Huye district, formerly known as Butare, located 3hours drive from Kigali. It was the largest and most important city in Rwanda prior to 1965 when it lost out to more centrally located Kigali. It has an impressive royal palace as well as an absorbing National Museum. Butare was the largest and most important city in Rwanda prior to 1965 when it lost out to more centrally located Kigali.
It is the intellectual capital of Rwanda, being home to the National University, the Institute of Scientific Research and the National Museum which contains some excellent ethnographic collections and provides insights into Rwandan culture and history. Once the largest colonial settlement in Rwanda, today it is a sleepy, attractive town renowned for its colonial buildings and terrace cafes.
