Kimironko Market

Kimironko Market is the busiest market in Kigali and the best place to see everyday city life up close. It occupies a large covered warehouse complex next to the Kimironko bus park in the east of the city, and sells everything from fruit and vegetables to fabric, shoes, hardware and household goods, with produce arriving from Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The main reason many visitors come is kitenge, the brightly printed cotton fabric worn across East and Central Africa. The stalls near one of the side entrances are stacked with bolts in every pattern, and seamstresses and tailors work around the outer edge of the market, so you can choose a fabric and have a shirt, dress or bag made up. Allow a few days for tailoring and agree the design, measurements and price clearly before you leave.

Elsewhere the market is divided into sections. The produce hall is piled with potatoes, tomatoes, mangoes, passion fruit, avocados and plantains; there are stalls for oil, spices, garlic and ginger, a meat and fish area with dried tilapia and the small lake fish known as isambaza, and narrow alleys selling baskets and other crafts, shoes and second-hand clothes. It can feel crowded and overwhelming at first, but that is part of the experience.

Prices are negotiable, so bargain patiently and with good humour, and carry small notes. The market is generally open from around 8am into the early evening every day; Saturdays and Mondays tend to be the busiest and Sundays the quietest. Keep valuables secure as you would in any crowded market, and ask before photographing people or their stalls.

The Kimironko bus park, one of the main hubs of Kigali's bus network, is right outside, and motorcycle taxis and cars wait by the gates, so getting there and away is easy. Small restaurants just outside sell snacks such as samosas and chapati with cold drinks. Allow one to two hours, more if you are ordering tailoring.

It pairs well with a visit to the art galleries in Kacyiru, a short ride away, and it is a practical last stop for souvenirs before a flight, since the airport road is on this side of the city.