Bugesera Reconciliation Tour: Genocide Memorials & Village

Walk through a church where 5,000 sought shelter in 1994, then meet the community rebuilding it

A seven-hour tour from Kigali to Bugesera's Millennium Village in Mbyo, guided partly by local inhabitants, that moves through the Nyamata Church genocide memorial, a cooking lesson and lunch in a villager's home, handicraft workshops run by women's associations, and a reconciliation ceremony where survivors and perpetrators of the 1994 genocide share testimony and celebrate together.

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit genocide memorial and village tour

• Drive 40 minutes from Kigali
• Visit Nyamata genocide memorial church
• Visit Ntarama genocide memorial
• Enjoy locally prepared lunch in village home
• Participate in cooking lessons
• Meet women from handicraft associations
• Learn basket weaving and buy products
• Attend traditional ubusabane ceremony
• Hear reconciliation testimonies
• Enjoy traditional dancing and local drinks

The experience

You leave Kigali and drive 40 minutes to Bugesera, where the Millennium Village Project, a UN development initiative, operates across sustainable agriculture, health, education and infrastructure. The tour begins at Nyamata Church, a red-brick building shadowed by acacia trees where almost 5,000 people sought sanctuary during the 1994 genocide. The church remains a memorial. The bones of victims and their scattered belongings (clothes, suitcases, a child's white sock) lie where they fell. This stop grounds the rest of the day in Rwanda's history and the context of the community's recovery.

After Nyamata, you travel 15 minutes to the reconciliation village in Mbyo, where the tour unfolds through a series of hands-on encounters. A local family hosts you for lunch after a cooking lesson in their home, teaching you to prepare traditional dishes and sharing conversation over the meal. You then meet women from three handicraft associations who walk you through the complete basket weaving process and offer to teach the skill if you want to learn. The 246 women in these groups produce about 45 items per week, and you have the chance to buy their work and receive a traditional gift.

The final hours center on an ubusabane, a "get together" ceremony, held in the settlement itself. Of the 120 households there, 30 were built by the government for genocide resettlers: 20 are now home to survivors, 12 to perpetrators, and 3 to returnees. Members of this reconciliation village, comprising both victims and perpetrators, give testimony about how they live and work together in harmony. You join traditional dancing, drink local banana wine, and celebrate with community members who gather to mark the occasion. The tour includes bottled water, entry to Nyamata Church, a guide in English or French, private transportation from Kigali, and a contribution to the community development fund.

What’s included

• Bottled water.
• private transportation from Kigali.
• entry to Nyamata Church.
• a cooking lesson and lunch hosted in a local family's home.
• introduction to the basket weaving process with the women's handicraft associations.
• a traditional gift from the artisans.
• local banana wine at the reconciliation ceremony.
• guiding fees with a live guide in English or French.
• a contribution to the community development fund.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:30

Book up to2h before

AgesAdult (16 to 85 years) · Under 16: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and French

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 11 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effort

Operated by New Dawn Associates

Is this one for you?Pickup from Kigali is included, so you don't need a car or local transport. The tour handles the full route from the city to Bugesera and back. The seven-hour length fits a full afternoon and early evening if you have a free day, or a morning and midday if you start early.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and French.

What exactly is the Nyamata Church memorial, and what happened there?

Nyamata Church is a red-brick building in Bugesera where nearly 5,000 people, mostly women and children, sought refuge during the 1994 genocide. The church was not safe. The victims remain there, their bones and personal belongings (clothes, suitcases, a child's sock) still visible on the floor where they fell. The tour visits the site as part of understanding Rwanda's historical context and the community's path to recovery.

Will I actually cook and eat lunch with a local family?

Yes. After the Nyamata memorial, you return to the reconciliation village in Mbyo, where a local family hosts you in their home. You take part in a cooking lesson, learning to prepare traditional dishes, then sit down to eat lunch together and have conversations with your hosts about village life and traditions.

Who are the women teaching basket weaving, and can I buy their work?

The women belong to three recognized handicraft associations in the village. 246 women between ages 19 and 76 participate, producing about 45 items per week. They teach the complete basket weaving process and welcome visitors who want to learn the skill. You can purchase their baskets and other products directly, and you'll receive a traditional gift from the group.

What is the reconciliation ceremony, and who participates?

The ubusabane, or "get together" ceremony, takes place in the settlement where 30 houses were built by the government for genocide resettlers. Today, 20 are inhabited by survivors, 12 by perpetrators, and 3 by returnees. Members from both groups give testimony about living and working together in harmony, and the ceremony includes traditional dancing, local banana wine, and celebration with community members.

How much time is spent driving, and when do we return to Kigali?

The 40-minute drive from Kigali to Bugesera and the return journey account for about an hour of the seven-hour tour. Another 15 minutes covers travel between Nyamata Church and the reconciliation village in Mbyo. The remaining time is spent at the memorial, in the village home for lunch and cooking, with the handicraft associations, and at the reconciliation ceremony.