We recommend allowing at least an hour and a half for a visit of the entire Memorial. The visit could take longer, depending on your pace and the size of your group.
The Kigali Genocide Memorial is open 9:00am – 5:00pm (last entrance 4:00pm), 7 days a week, with the following exceptions:
On the last Saturday of each month, the Memorial is open from 1:00pm to 5:00pm due to Umuganda community work.
The Memorial is closed annually on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Normally it is also closed to the public on the morning of April 7th each year (the start of Kwibuka).
Occasionally the Memorial is closed to the public for a few hours at short notice when VIP visits are taking place. Any such closures are usually advised on the Kigali Genocide Memorial Twitter account, @Kigali_Memorial.
The Memorial is in Gisozi, ten minutes drive from the centre of town. The easiest way to get here is by car or taxi. Parking in the Memorial car park is free of charge.
If using public transport, the nearest bus stop is half a mile away at Kinamba on KN 8 Avenue. From the bus stop, take the fork onto KG 14 Avenue and proceed up the hill. You will see the Memorial on your left.
The Kigali Genocide Memorial is a guided experience. Visitors can choose a guided tour by one of the staff witnesses or purchase the Ubumuntu Package.
Entrance to the Memorial is free, but to enhance your experience while visiting, we provide you with:
Adults/Students/Internationals:
The Kigali Genocide Memorial offers guided tours of the exhibitions and gardens. Many of the guides are survivors of the Genocide against the Tutsi. You can book a guided tour here.
Staff Guides:
We recommend booking guided tours at least a week in advance. Please be sure to do so for groups larger than 15. Due to space constraints at the memorial, groups larger than 30 will be divided into smaller groups.
In the case of unexpected closures, all bookings are reviewed and visitors or tour companies are contacted ahead of time to make alternative arrangements.
Click here to contact the team to book or find out more about the Memorial’s Remembrance and Learning Tours for visitors, students and teachers.
If you are arranging a visit for a VIP, please contact us in advance to inform us of the desired time to visit. This will help us ensure that any necessary preparations are made.
The Memorial is the final resting place for 250,000 victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi. We kindly ask you to dress and behave respectfully.
Children under the age of 12 are not permitted to visit.
Do not step or walk on the mass graves.
Eating or drinking is not allowed in the gardens or in the memorial exhibition. You are invited to visit the memorial cafe where you can enjoy a range of food and drink.
Pets are not allowed at the memorial. Service animals are permitted.
Much of the Memorial site is wheelchair accessible. However, the permanent exhibitions can presently only be accessed via stairs. By prior arrangement, a visitor needing a wheelchair and arriving without one can be provided with a wheelchair. Wheelchair users can also be provided with manual assistance to tour the site and access the exhibitions.
Security at the Memorial is provided by the Rwanda National Police. Officers are stationed at the entrance and occasionally patrol the grounds.
At the entrance of the Memorial, you and your vehicle may be checked for dangerous items. Weapons, knives, lighters and alcohol are not allowed on the premises. Any such legally carried items will be returned to visitors when exiting the Memorial.
Outdoor filming and photography on the Memorial grounds is permitted and free. Any photography inside the museum is not permitted. As you take photos, please be considerate of other visitors.
Professional media must acquire permits and accreditation from appropriate government institutions to do filming. Contact the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement – MINUBUMWE – at info@minubumwe.gov.rw for a permit to shoot at the Kigali Genocide Memorial. All members of the media must also have Press Accreditation from the Rwanda Media High Council.
While we will do our best to accommodate you, the Memorial cannot guarantee tour provision to groups that arrive more than 30 minutes after their scheduled reservation time.
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