Yeah ok, I know I go on and on about Kigali but this blog is supposed to have a travel element to it and I’m not really travelling anywhere at the moment, so I’m afraid you guys are stuck with me blabbing on and on about the city I’m currently and happily calling home.
There’s a lot to love about Kigali (and Rwanda in general), a place I knew very little about before I found myself on a bus on the outskirts of town. Usually when I approach a city the smog, traffic, congestion and whatever else put me off straight away but, in this case, as I rode the bus into Kigali I just had a smile on my face and a really good feeling about the place.
So I thought I’d come up with a list of the reasons on why love this city so much so you can get an idea why I’m always going on and on about it. Here goes, in no particular order…
Safety
Kigali is one of the safest places I’ve ever been. I think it’s on par with some of the places I’ve been in Asia. I feel a lot safer walking down the street here than I do in my hometown. In fact, I don’t think I’d even walk around alone at night in Canada! True, the guys with machine guns on the corners are slightly intimidating but after awhile they just sort of blend in with the scenery. So much so that I often find myself scared to death when I nearly walk into them.
Friends
I’ve been really lucky to have met a really fantastic group of friends here in Kigali and they’re a big part of the reason I’ve stuck around for so long. My best friends are scattered all over the world which makes it difficult to choose a city to call home so, for the time being, I’m happy to have a great group of people around me here.
Easy Lifestyle
Life as an expat here in Kigali is an easy one. It’s not the cheapest city in East Africa, but it’s still ok value and a lot cheaper than living in Canada or the US. There are lots of good restaurants to check out, I can afford tennis lessons a couple times a week (on clay courts!), I’m taking guitar lessons, we employ someone to clean the house and do the laundry (I’m a passionate hater of housework), I’m hoping to start Kinyarwanda lessons soon and day to day life is just relaxing.
Friendly Locals
Africans have a reputation for being friendly and, while Rwandans are a lot more reserved than their neighbours in the rest of East Africa, I still get a good vibe from most people. Making genuine local friends is harder than in many places I’ve been (unless they want to date you) but the people I’ve met have all been welcoming, curious and warm.
Friendly Expats
The expats that I’ve met here always seem to be fun and interesting. The expat scene here is small and if you’ve been here for awhile, you’ll probably know a lot of the other longer-term expats. People are friendly and parties are fun and there doesn’t seem to be the ‘I’ve been here longer and know more about this place than you’ type of pissing contest that you get in a lot of cities popular with expats. Most people I’ve met so far have been welcoming which is good since the expat community here is a small one and there’s not a lot of room for arseholes.
Local Bars
Kigali has restaurants offering up any kind of food you could imagine but I most enjoy eating out at the various local bars scattered all over the city. I’ve recently been exploring an area of town called Nyamirambo which has a lot of lively local bars with good food (whole fish, whole chickens and goat meat on a stick are popular, and yummy, choices) and questionable entertainment. Lip syncing to local tunes which gyrating on a small stage as throngs of men look on seems to be popular with the ladies here. Comedians who pretend to fart as the sound system plays fart noises is also well-received. If nothing else, local bars offer up entertainment choices you’ll probably never see at home. They’re a great place to come for a cheap, fun, yummy night out.
Lots of Opportunity
This is an exciting time to be in Kigali. I feel like there are a lot of business opportunities here and Rwanda is open to new investment. I have a few friends who have started small businesses and things seem to be going well so far. New businesses are popping up all the time and it’s exciting to see what’s next.
Climate
I’m convinced that the weather in Kigali is perfect. Perfect for me, at least. The temperature seems to hover around 25C and the sun shines every single day in the dry season. In the rainy season it still shines and the skies only open up for a few hours each day. And when it rains, it really rains which is just fun to watch.
Scenery
The city is built across a bunch of rolling hills with even bigger hills on the horizon. There are great views everywhere from the side of one hill across to some other hill. I can watch the sun set behind Mount Kigali from my back porch every night and seeing the hills light up at night combined with the stars in the sky is really beautiful. It’s just a friggin’ pretty place and I always find myself smiling as I walk around town or take in all in from the back of a moto.
Moto Taxis
I’m sure zipping around on the back of motorbikes every day is the most dangerous thing I can do here, but it’s fun! I love being able to flag down a motorbike driver (they’re registered and even carry a helmet for their passengers) for point-to-point transport from anywhere to anywhere for under $2 a ride.
And a few things I don’t love…
Security
Kigali and Rwanda in general is… well policed. The security is great because it keeps the city safe (and in Rwanda there are obviously other reasons to keep things as secure as possible) but you need to be careful here about what you talk about and to whom. People are being watched. I’ve probably already said too much…
Subdued
Except in the Nyamirambo area, the streets in Kigali are empty by about 8pm. Street food is illegal here and there’s little in the way of music. It’s a sleepy city but you can still have late nights at the bars or at parties… it’s just not going to be spilling into the streets.
Annoying Rules
Flip flops apparently are illegal and thatched roof houses are on their way out too as the government tries to outlaw things that might make Rwanda seem less… I don’t know… successful? Rich? Who knows. You can’t walk on the grass, either! Annoying.
Flip flops illegal? I read that three times thinking I was reading it wrong. Wow, what a crazy rule.
What a great list – especially enjoyed to hear what you don’t love. I really wanted to go to Rwanda before and now even more so. Could you share some travel info on your suggestions for a shorter term stay? I had contacted an NGO for a volunteer position that came with housing but that fell through. Thanks so much!
Hi Kirsty,
I have a couple friends here on the Costa del Sol which is from Kigali and the first thing they told me it was the Hotel des Mille Collines and the history about it. Your description of the area and people in Kigali are correct, they are a very nice and friendly people.
@glenn Well that’s what I keep hearing. I wear them around though. It’s about keeping up appearances which is one annoying thing about this place.
@jenn Sure, send me an email to travoholic@yahoo.com and I’ll hit you back with some ideas. I’ll eventually write posts about all that stuff over on my Kigali site, too.
@property Yep, that’s been my experience as well!
This article is great especially for those people who like to travel. If given the chance to travel, Rwanda is not in my list. With this article, I find it interesting to visit the place.
Thanks for sharing the things that you don’t like. You just keep it more and more interesting especially when you mentioned that flip flops are illegal. Hmmmm… What are the things that I could possibly experience in that place. I better find out.
I have to say I am really tempted to head on over to Rwanda myself after reading that, Kirsty. Everything just sounds perfect, and to have good people and friends around you just tops it all off. Next time me and my pals think of a place to go for our yearly trip, Kigali is pretty much at the top of my list right now.
I spent some time looking through your Kigali website and was interested to see in the buy and sell section the discussion about how expensive the shipping of electronic items was. Can you tell me is it possible to import 2nd hand or new computer equipment into Rwanda or do the import duties make it impossible. As a traveller do you have to register things like laptops as you enter the country and still have them when you leave ?
hi Kirsty,
i’ve been visiting your blog for a while and it serves me as a inspiration.
Nice to see that you found a place to call “home”.
Can you give some special advice for me, as I want to volunteer soon?
And I am wondering how you handle visas, income taxes, etc. For example, if you volunteer where you go, do you have to pay taxes there as well? It looks complex for me yet.
Thanks so much!
Yes it sounds like a great place. I don’t understand the flip flops rule though. I guess whoever is in charge is quite proud of Rwanda and wants to reflect the best possible image. Still, no flip flops in a warm climate seems silly. Regardless, you seem extremely happy with everything there. Glad to hear you found somewhere to settle down for a while.
My wife has a no flip flop rule for me but I break it as well. Yes you have a travel site but I love the post that talk about how you can do what you do as well. Your last post was especially helpful. Keep rocking girl!
Kristy, which one in the pic is you??
Actually considering some of the rules annoying all in all sounds like a wonderful place to visit. What happens when you accidentally step on the grass?
Question about the the men with machine guns, is that part of the security and policing that you mentioned later in the post?
-Jean
Hello Kirsty how much for food in Kigali Local Bars? It’s look delicious
Rwanda seems like a very special place. My best friend volunteered there for a year, and the stories about the people she met there and the friends she made are really heartwarming.
She also told me about the strange rules, and how it took a while to get used to them, especially when invited to peoples’ homes!
Sounds like you have found yourself i nice home for the time being. I have been in places with the guys with machine guns and it is a bit creepy but lets you know you are protected at the same time. It is unfortunate that you have to be careful who you talk to and about what, but I also can’t see myself getting into any kind of conspiracy story, so I think that one could be easily avoided. Not being able to wear flip flops or walk in the grass that would bother me. I live in flip flops.
Strange place and crazy rules, hope it doesn’t put off people who go to volunteer every year. I think volunteering is already a great thing to do, and you shouldn’t have to risk your life to do it so I hope things improve there, sounds like there are some really nice locals living there.
To be honest, am a Rwandan citizen and would wish to thank Kirsty about Rwandan life but also i would wish to explain few things about what annoys her like a local who is been in Rwanda many years.
About Flip Flops,Actually it’s not a rule.if you wear flip-flops, no one will come to tell you that remove but the government sensitised the citizens to try all the best and look smart and clean since we do believe in the Rwandan society that once you are smart and clean even your mind works well and in a clean way.
I do believe that she might have seen many people not wearing them and think that it’s totally prohibited but surprisingly in villages ppl are sensitised to put on shoes or flip flops so as not to walk bare footed.Plz feel free in Rwandan society we do believe that visitors are like kings and even if it would be a rule it wouldn’t hurt or be harshly applied to any visitor i assure as a citizen who knows well the society.
Regarding the Street grasses,It’s true, it’s prohibited to step into them since there are pedestrial routes to use and the gvt uses to much money to maintain those street grasses to make the city look good.who would wish to live in a dirty disorganised city?take examples of your own homes..but still you are allowed to have pictures in those grasses mostly round-abouts.
For the security guys,Yeah you have to know that the safety people are enjoying as Kirsty said, is due to those strict security people… what i can assure you, those security guys are very polite..there is one of them who requested me an identity card at night and after seeing it he gave it back to me followed by “thanks”..to be frank, i felt i would give him all i have in my life.
Actually, Rwanda has passed through lots of hardships during and after genocide you can’t compare it with Canada or any other country that has been peaceful many years ago and you should really be understanding this.
As many said there are many things that should be revised but again i would never wish my government to hear advices of letting my city become dirty.Thanks
Hi Kirsty, just wondered, you mentioned the climate is really good with plenty of sunshine outside the rainy season, are many people using solar panels on the roof to generate electricity ? I looked through the photos on your website but couldn’t see any.
Thanks