Kigali, Rwanda
Kigali & the Highlands
A week in the most deliberately built city on the continent, then two days in the mountains north of it.
· 7 days
Rwanda is the closest thing on the continent to a country run as a product. Whatever you make of that, it is extraordinary to see up close, and the people building here think about institutions in a way that is genuinely hard to find elsewhere.
We spend four days in Kigali with founders, policy people and the teams behind the country's digital infrastructure. Then we drive north into the highlands for two days where nobody talks about work at all, which turns out to be when most of the thinking lands.
Our smallest group, at eighteen. It suits this trip.
The experience
A city, then the mountains.
Four days of density, two days of altitude and silence.
- 01
Institutions up close
Sessions with the teams behind Rwanda's digital ID, payments rails and startup policy. Rare access, honestly given.
- 02
The founder community
Kigali's ecosystem is small, tight and unusually collaborative. You'll meet most of it in three days.
- 03
Into the highlands
North to the volcanoes: tea country, cold mornings, and a lodge with no schedule attached to it.
- 04
The quiet half
Two days with nothing planned. It is the part members mention a year later.
The detail
What's included, and what isn't.
Included
- Six nights' accommodation, private room
- All ground transport including the highland transfer
- Breakfast daily and all group dinners
- Every session and hosted visit
- Guided walk in the highlands
- Photography from the week
Not included
- International flights to Kigali
- Gorilla trekking permits (optional, arranged on request)
- Travel insurance (required)
- Lunches on open days and personal spending
Day by day
The itinerary.
A rough shape rather than a schedule. The useful parts of a trip rarely happen on time.
Day 1
Kigali
Arrival in Kigali
Transfers, settling in, and an opening dinner in Nyarutarama.
Day 2
Kigali
How Rwanda was built
A morning on the last thirty years, told properly, including the parts that are hard to hear. Afternoon at the Genocide Memorial. The most important day of the trip.
Day 3
Kigali
Digital infrastructure
Sessions with the teams behind national ID and payments, then the startup community in the afternoon.
Day 4
Kigali
Founders and open afternoon
Working morning with the group, then open time. Evening dinner with Kigali's founder community.
Day 5
Musanze
North to the highlands
Three hours through tea country to the volcanoes. Arrive for lunch, then nothing at all until dinner.
Day 6
Musanze
Altitude
A guided walk in the morning, the afternoon free. The final long table dinner, at the lodge.
Day 7
Return and departures
Back to Kigali mid-morning, transfers to the airport through the afternoon.
Rwanda
Kigali
A week in the most deliberately built city on the continent, then two days in the mountains north of it.
Gallery
From previous trips.
Before you book
Important information.
Visas
Rwanda issues visas on arrival to all nationalities. Bring proof of onward travel and your yellow fever certificate.
Altitude
Musanze sits at around 1,850m and the walk goes higher. It's manageable for most people, but tell us in advance if you have any respiratory or cardiac condition.
The memorial
The Genocide Memorial visit is part of the trip and it is heavy. We build the rest of the day around it and nobody is expected to be fine afterwards.
Payment
A 30% deposit secures your place; the balance is due 45 days before departure.
Questions
About this trip.
Can I add gorilla trekking?
Kigali & the Highlands
A week in the most deliberately built city on the continent, then two days in the mountains north of it.