Mount Kigali hiking is one of the most adventurous activities one would involve in to keep yourself fit for the gorilla encounter of to keep you busy before or after your safari trip than staying all day long in your hotel. The hike is not as harder as other mountains but simple and worth a thrill. Going up Mount Kigali can be a strain not because it involves any overt unbearable physical climbing activity but because it is a long stretch which you can keep wandering without a clue as to where it leads. The tour can either start in the morning or Afternoon and takes some few hours to get done with the hike.
Mount Kigali isn’t a ‘mount’, exactly. It’s more of a hill and most of the hill is populated with houses so it’s not exactly remote wilderness, either. But somehow, it’s still a nice little walk. The houses on the way up are small and charming and the narrow roads as you start the hike are kind of cool, too. If you’re hoping for a physically challenging day of mountain climbing then Mount Kigali will probably be a disappointment, but if you’re looking for an interesting stroll up a large hill leading to beautiful views of the city, then this is a great way to spend a few hours.
Mount Kigali is located on the southwestern edge of the city with the walk starting in the Nyamirambo area of town. Mount Kigali does stretch north to cover other Kigali neighborhoods and I think it can be approached from different locations, but the most common access point is through Nyamirambo. Be warned that Nyamirambo is a deceptively large area so, unless you want to spend an hour walking through the neighborhood in order to get to the bottom of the hill where the walk starts, you’ll probably want to take a moto or taxi straight to the bottom of Mount Kigali.
Sun city Hotel is a good landmark that many moto or taxi drivers will know. Or if you’d prefer to start your walk a bit more towards the bottom of the hill, the Kigali Stadium (probably known more commonly as ‘Stade Nyamirambo’) is another good landmark to ask for. Or if you’d rather make a day of it, a stroll through Nyamirambo either before or after the hike is a great way to make it into a full day outing. If you start in Biryogo (where the green mosque and Nyamirambo Women’s Centre are located) then it’ll take about an hour to walk to Kigali Stadium with a gradual uphill incline. The area is lively and there are lots of small shops and local bars the whole way along and you could start the walk with a cheap and yummy lunch at Chap Chap.
Or you could hike first and then wander around Nyamirambo afterward, rewarding yourself with a neighborhood pub crawl or ice cream at Kubrom’s Place. Nyamirambo is my favorite part of Kigali and if you don’t find yourself there very often, I’d recommend exploring around a bit as an add-on.
The hike to the top, will give you a very scenic view of the city, and you will have it all in you palm. For any inquiry or tour to hike mount Kigali, get in touch with our reservation team at info@beyondkigalitours.com who will make all arrangement and allocate for you a guide whom you will hike along with as you scroll up to have the beautiful view of the city.
This Mount Kigali hiking activity includes:
- Transport by Motorbike / vehicle to starting point.
- 1 Water Bottle
- English speaking Guide