Why go
- Capital and largest city of Rwanda.
- Served by Kigali International Airport (KGL).
History
Kigali, officially the City of Kigali also known as Kigali City, is the capital, largest city, and a province-level administrative unit of Rwanda. It is located near the country's geographic centre, in a landscape of rolling hills marked by valleys and ridges connected by steep slopes. As Rwanda's primate city, Kigali is a relatively young urban centre. Founded in 1907 as a German administrative outpost, it served as a minor administrative centre until it became the national capital at independence in 1962, shifting the main administrative focus away from Huye.
Restaurants & places to go
Airports
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 15 airlines, 16 direct destinations
- Rwandair Express WB (737-800, CRJ, 737-700, Dash 8-400, A330-200, 737-900) · 15 routes: Brazzaville, Brussels*, Bujumbura, Dar Es Salaam, Dubai, Entebbe, Istanbul, Johannesburg, Juba, Kamembe, Kilimanjaro, Lagos, Libreville, Mombasa, Nairobi
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (Embraer 170, 330, EMJ) · 3 routes: Bujumbura*, Entebbe, Nairobi*
- Air Canada AC (A330-200) · 2 routes: Entebbe*, Nairobi*
- Air France AF (330, A330-200, Embraer 170) · 2 routes: Bujumbura*, Entebbe*
- Brussels Airlines SN (A330-200) · 2 routes: Entebbe, Nairobi
- Egyptair MS (737-800) · 2 routes: Addis Ababa*, Bujumbura*
- Ethiopian Airlines ET (737-800, 737-700) · 2 routes: Addis Ababa, Bujumbura
- Kenya Airways KQ (Embraer 170, Embraer 190) · 2 routes: Bujumbura, Nairobi
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (A330-200) · 2 routes: Entebbe*, Nairobi*
- Northern Dene Airways U7 (CRJ) · 2 routes: Bujumbura, Entebbe
- United Airlines UA (A330-200) · 2 routes: Entebbe*, Nairobi*
- Delta Air Lines DL (330, A330-200) · 1 route: Entebbe*
- Qatar Airways QR (A320) · 1 route: Entebbe
- South African Airways SA (737-700) · 1 route: Johannesburg
- Turkish Airlines TK (737-900) · 1 route: Entebbe
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Getting there by ferry
Where things are
Photographs
credit: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons · See source page
When to go
The warmer, longer-day half of the southern-hemisphere year.
Milder and quieter, with better value.
The southern winter — check local conditions before travelling.
Getting there & around
Getting there. The nearest airport on record is Kigali International Airport (KGL); 6 other airports serve the wider area. Check rail and road links from the tourism sources below. By air: KGL has direct flights to 16 destinations on 15 airlines (incl. Entebbe, Bujumbura, Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Johannesburg…). By water: 2 ferry terminals within 20 km.
Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for Kigali. Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.