Nyamirambo Women’s Center Walking Tour

The Nyamirambo Women's Center was set up at the end of 2007 by 18 women living in Nyamirambo, one of Kigali's oldest neighbourhoods. Its aim is to give education and vocational training to women who cannot afford it, and the tours and workshops it runs for visitors are one of the ways it pays for that work. Booking a tour here is one of the most direct ways to support a community project in the city.

The walking tour starts at the centre with a traditional snack, a short Kinyarwanda lesson and an introduction to the centre's work. From there you walk through Nyamirambo with a local guide, stopping at a women's hair salon, where you can have a free braid, a family compound where you help pound cassava leaves, two of the area's mosques, a tailor's shop and a lookout with a view over Kigali. The tour ends with a traditional lunch at the home of Aminatha, one of the women involved with the centre.

Two other experiences are offered. On the cooking class you shop for ingredients at several local markets, then walk to Aminatha's home around the corner from the centre, light the charcoal stoves in her courtyard and prepare six traditional dishes under her guidance. The sisal basket weaving workshop explains the cultural history of sisal and how it is harvested and prepared, and you weave a small item to take home before a traditional lunch.

All three run in English, French or Kinyarwanda. Durations and start times are not published, so contact the centre by phone to book and to confirm the details for your date. The centre and its shop open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm, and from noon on Umuganda, the last Saturday of the month. National Geographic Traveller noted that the centre also runs workshops in jewellery making and sewing, and its gift shop sells items made by the women.

The tours suit almost anyone: families, solo travellers and couples who want to see everyday life away from the main sights. Wear comfortable shoes, as Nyamirambo is hilly, and dress modestly out of respect for the mosques and homes you visit. Ask before photographing people. The centre is on KN 7 Avenue in Nyamirambo, an easy taxi or moto ride from the city centre, and the area is also the starting point for hikes up Mount Kigali.