Kigali – first days, first impressions

We were met by Jaco (Lons colleague) at the airport, where our new status was apparent in that we bypassed the whole entrance / visa queue.

The drive to the hotel was very odd in that it was “Public Cleaning day” – the last Saturday of the month when everyone is obliged to perform community work. In practise this meant that the streets were virtually deserted, and roadblocks were checking vehicles that were on the streets.

Once we reached the Novotel, we were met by some more of the embassy staff who helped us by checking in for us and organising coffees.


The hotel is clean and dated, and African, and is a local hangout for embassy staff as it is a 5 minute walk away, and is also popular with wealthier Rwandans.

We went on a tour of the city, which in comparison to other African countries and capitals that we have visited is clean, orderly, small and oddly laid out due to the hills. I’m not confident that I will ever be able to navigate it successfully!

Our first priority will be to find a permanent house, a shortlist of 4 possibles has already been scouted for us, so we are hopeful that we can look and make a decision sooner rather than later.

We have been warmly welcomed by the dutchies, and it looks as if there will be plenty of opportunity to build a rich social life here.

The internet connection in the hotel is a prepaid card and not super fast, so we’re not online too much at the moment and will probably have to upload images later, but are grateful to have any connection.