Kigali: what to do before and after the gorillas

The Kigali Genocide Memorial at Gisozi is not an optional cultural stop. It is where the country's recent history is told carefully and unflinchingly, and it takes about two hours. Go in the morning, go with a guide, and do not schedule anything demanding afterwards.

Guests routinely describe it as the most important thing they did in Rwanda. It also changes how you read the reconciliation and conservation stories you meet in the Virungas later in the week.

Nyamirambo is Kigali's oldest and liveliest quarter. A walking tour with the Nyamirambo Women's Centre takes you through tailors, hair salons, a mosque and a home for lunch, and it is the best two hours of ordinary city life on offer anywhere in the country.

Rwandan coffee is world class and best drunk where it is roasted — Question Coffee and Baho Coffee both run tastings that explain the co-operative model behind the cup. The city's craft markets and the Kimironko market are good for baskets and imigongo panels.

Inema Arts Centre and Niyo Arts Centre are working studios rather than galleries, and buying directly from the artists is straightforward. For dinner, Repub Lounge for Rwandan food, Poivre Noir on the lake side of town, Meze Fresh for something quick, and the Kigali Marriott's terrace for a view over the hills at dusk.

The city is genuinely safe to walk in the evening, which is not something you can say of many capitals.

The Kigali Serena, the Marriott and Retreat by Heaven all work well, the last being the most characterful. One night on arrival lets you sleep off the flight before the drive to the Virungas; one night before departure gives you the memorial and Nyamirambo without compressing them into the day you fly.

The airport is fifteen to twenty-five minutes from the city, so a late flight home does not cost you the whole day.