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All 17 Kigali Attractions »

Nyamata Church

Kigali, Rwanda
Ranked #3 of 8 attractions in Kigali
5.0 of 5 stars 21 Reviews
Type: Religious Sites
Traveler Description: The genocide memorial at Nyamata Church gives a deeply saddening and moving look into the reality of the Rwandan genocide.  Over 5000 people were... more »
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21 reviews from our community

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Date Rating
nanuet
Senior Contributor
42 reviews 42 reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 21, 2012 NEW

My recommendation is to visit the KIgali Memorial Centre first, and on a different day, so that the atrocities you will encounter first hand at Nyamata are in context. As at Ntarama, you will face the inner sanctum of evil in the human spirit here. The familiar church setting at Nyamata will prove particularly shattering to the religiously faithful church... More

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See 2 more reviews by boundforglory for Kigali
Appleton WI
Contributor
14 reviews 14 reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
35 helpful votes 35 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed April 23, 2012

This church, once believed to be a sancturary of safety for the oppressed, was the site of 10,000 murders during the genocide. Approximately 45,000 people are buried on the site. The clothes of the bodies recovered are respectfully laid on the pews of the once Roman Catholic church. The altar cloth and tabernacle remain "as is" from 1994. A visit... More

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Dublin
Senior Contributor
26 reviews 26 reviews
Reviews in 13 cities Reviews in 13 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed April 22, 2012

If you are visiting Rwanda this is one place which you ought to visit to get some sense of the horrors which occured here. The church feels haunted but yet the birds chirp outside and the guides are friendly and sensitive. It is a truly amazing place. More

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See 4 more reviews by Cathmce for Kigali
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed March 20, 2012

We visited Nyamata Church via local transport which was 800Rfw which was fine. It took abot 20 mins. You could get a taxi if you wanted to go by private car. This will be about $30 USD or more. The Memorial place itself is very sad and confronting but it is essential for all travellers to visit if you want... More

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Top Contributor
62 reviews 62 reviews
Reviews in 21 cities Reviews in 21 cities
23 helpful votes 23 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed March 2, 2012

A fitting tribute to victims of a terrible act. About 30 minutes from Kigali and near Ntarama memorial. To understand the enormity of the genocide you need to visit both More

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See 3 more reviews by Marcuskillick for Kigali
Sydney
Top Contributor
111 reviews 111 reviews
Reviews in 53 cities Reviews in 53 cities
47 helpful votes 47 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed February 1, 2012

This church contains the clothes of people massacred here, lined up on the pews. You can still see the bullet holes in the church. There is not much information on what happened but you can talk to the attendants about it. Definitely worth the short trip from Kigali to get a better sense of the kind of place the genocide... More

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See 3 more reviews by samurai_dave for Kigali
Kigali, Kigali, Rwanda
Senior Contributor
22 reviews 22 reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed January 18, 2012

My husband, 20 yr old daughter and I had a profoundly moving experience at this site. It is mind-boggling to comprehend the scale of human tragedy that occurred on these premises. While it's difficult to absorb, it is also important to bear witness to history. The clothing scattered over church benches, hundreds of skulls and bones, and bullet-ridden walls and... More

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See 11 more reviews by Brenlang_11 for Kigali
Pretoria
2 reviews
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed December 6, 2011

The Ntamara Genocide memorial has left me speechless. It was terrible to see how cruel people can be, but it was an experience that I will never fotget. The guide was very friendly and helpful. Absolutely wonderful drive there from Kigali, well worth the $70 it costs to get there with a taxi. More

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Kigali
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed October 21, 2011

It is impossible to describe the feeling a human feeling experiences when entering this church; humility, despair, awe - go and see it. More

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See 5 more reviews by Marius Q for Kigali
Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Reviewer
5 reviews 5 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed August 28, 2011

A very sad place, but necessary to visit if you want understand what happened in Rwanda in 1994. More

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See 3 more reviews by Thomas8309 for Kigali

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