Kigali genocide memorial

Kigali genocide memorial is a historical centre built on top of mass graves in the Gisozi hill near the Kigali city centre, the memorial was built for the remembrance of the genocide against the Tutsi and is also a peace-building centre.

The Kigali Genocide Memorial is the result of collaboration between Rwandan authorities and the Aegis Trust for Genocide Prevention, born from the National Holocaust Centre in the UK.

Opened in 2004, the Memorial became the starting point for peace and values education now built into Rwanda’s national school curriculum. Strengthening community resilience against division.

What to expect during your visit to the genocide memorial?

The Kigali Genocide Memorial is the final resting place for 250,000 victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi. It is also a driver in Rwanda’s extraordinary journey towards healing and reconciliation.

Explore the site’s cemetery, children’s memorial, and educational exhibitions for a deeper understanding of the tragedy. Guided tours, often delivered by survivors, provide first-hand insight into the scale of violence, while audio tours offer colonial causes of the divide as context for the genocide.

• Be aware that while there is no specific age limit at the memorial, the exhibitions include weapons, uncensored images, and human remains and pre-tour briefings for minors may be required before visiting and our tour leaders will do that before visiting.
• Keep in mind that the memorial is a place of mourning for many Rwandans and during your visit you may witness some emotional scenes and that’s the fact.
• Access to the memorial is free, though the informative tours are worth the extra cost and travellers are highly recommended to hire the audio machine to get the best understanding of the genocide this audio machine comes in different languages.
• The site is not yet adapted for wheelchair users.

Opening and closing hours

The Kigali Genocide Memorial is open 9:00 am – 5:00 pm (last entrance 4:00 pm), 7 days a week, with the following exceptions:

On the last Saturday of each month, the Memorial is open from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm 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).