Nyamata Church
Nyamata Church
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pshurd
Everywhere USA969 contributions
Dec 2022
Visited with our group on an OAT adventure. Our local guide was excellent & provided a moving & factual description of the emotionally charge massacre in 1994. The group was in tears as we imagined the horror of that day & the days to follow. A must see to not only remember what hate can cause, but to see how the ability to forgive can heal a country & it's people.
Written January 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ksufan88
Wichita, KS6,589 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
Our visit began outside the church with an explanation about the massacre that happened at this location in 1994. From there, we entered the battle scarred church that had broken windows, bullet holes and a smashed front gate. No pictures are allowed, but the clothes of the victims are piled on the church benches, coffins of recently discovered bodies lined one end of the church and a crypt has been built to hold many bones of the victims. Multiple mass graves can be viewed behind the church as well.
Written September 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peter H
31 contributions
Aug 2018 • Friends
We had already visited the main genocide memorial in the capital of Rwanda, and found that experience extremely moving. But a few days later, we made a trip to Bugesera Province, and stopped at the Nyamata Church, and found the experience almost overwhelming, but at the same time, you could do nothing but feel to your core that it is our duty to bear witness to the horrible events that happened there. The main genocide memorial in the capital of Rwanda is a well-curated exhibit, with lots to see, and also the burial site for hundreds of thousands of the genocide victims. At Nyamata Church, you feel less that you are at a "memorial," and more that you are stepping into a crime scene--- because you are. The clothing remains of the numerous victims are stacked in the pews of the church, the bullet holes and the damage to the entrance of the church from grenades and crow bars to pry open the metal gates are still visible, and less you have any doubts about what happened there, you can, and should, descend to the lower vault where the skeletal remains of hundreds if not thousands of victims are visible.
Rwanda is a young, vibrant country with a lot of promise and potential, and we were really glad we spend a significant portion of our first trip to Africa there. The genocide that happened in 1994 is part of is a tragic part of the country's history, but we were impressed, the more we read, about the extensive efforts since then that the country has undertaken for forgiveness and reconciliation. There is still a lot of trauma rippling through the country, and we only saw small glimpses of it as visitors. But the world's tourists should be coming to visit Rwanda, a beautiful country, and yes, be sure to bear witness to the worst that can happen if you stoke hatred, ethnic division, and combine it with the general indifference of the rest of the world.
Rwanda is a young, vibrant country with a lot of promise and potential, and we were really glad we spend a significant portion of our first trip to Africa there. The genocide that happened in 1994 is part of is a tragic part of the country's history, but we were impressed, the more we read, about the extensive efforts since then that the country has undertaken for forgiveness and reconciliation. There is still a lot of trauma rippling through the country, and we only saw small glimpses of it as visitors. But the world's tourists should be coming to visit Rwanda, a beautiful country, and yes, be sure to bear witness to the worst that can happen if you stoke hatred, ethnic division, and combine it with the general indifference of the rest of the world.
Written September 23, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JoeRugby
East Hampton, CT115 contributions
Dec 2014 • Friends
I have been going to Rwanda since 2009 and every time that I come to this outstandingly beautiful country. I go and most of the time bring my guests to this Genocide Memorial. With great reverence to what happened there over 20 years ago, this memorial is second only to Mirambi as a Genocide education site. The Rwandan government has brilliantly maintained this site to show what really happened - your heart will ache, you eyes will tear and you will never forget what you have seen. Go, it is worth the trip.
Written January 9, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
torontorita55
Toronto49 contributions
Jul 2014 • Business
First I have to start with a disclaimer: Tripadvisor requires that a review is rated using the five circle method. This is a fine way of rating a regular museum or a restaurant or a hotel, but it is absolutely not a good way to rate a genocide memorial.
What happened here was dreadful in the extreme. The memorial is a church, its pews heaped high with the belongings of Tutsis who were murdered there.
Outside the church in huge underground crypts, are the physical remains, skulls, long bones, etc, of over 10,000 murdered people. How can that be rated?
If you want to try to understand what happened here in 1994 then a sobering trip to the church at Nyamata can possibly help. Gather your courage and go down into the mass memorial graves and have a look at the bones. All of these murders happened while the world looked on and did nothing.
Look at those bones, and tell yourself that the next time you hear about this happening anywhere in the world, you will yell your head off to your government to do something, anything, to stop it.
What happened here was dreadful in the extreme. The memorial is a church, its pews heaped high with the belongings of Tutsis who were murdered there.
Outside the church in huge underground crypts, are the physical remains, skulls, long bones, etc, of over 10,000 murdered people. How can that be rated?
If you want to try to understand what happened here in 1994 then a sobering trip to the church at Nyamata can possibly help. Gather your courage and go down into the mass memorial graves and have a look at the bones. All of these murders happened while the world looked on and did nothing.
Look at those bones, and tell yourself that the next time you hear about this happening anywhere in the world, you will yell your head off to your government to do something, anything, to stop it.
Written July 21, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rachels08
Chicago, IL44 contributions
Visiting Nyamata is an incredibly intense experience, and a wrenching one, and definitely one that all visitors to Rwanda should have. I was surprised by how little of the effects of the genocide one sees in daily life in Rwanda now, but if you visit a place like the Nyamata memorial its effects become all too clear. The church is filled with the clothing of the people who died there, and the roof is still full of holes from the bullets and grenades that killed them. The tour guide even points out the specific corner where children were thrown against a wall to be killed - my god. And the knowledge of the genocide is even more inescapable at the end of the tour, when the guide takes you down into the crypt behind the church that holds 41,000 people. It's unreal, and all too real.
If you visit one site outside of Kigali, make it this one. This needs to be remembered. There's a good paved road running out to Nyamata, and the memorial is clearly marked. (And do make a donation - my guide informed me that they don't get any support from the government to preserve the site.)
If you visit one site outside of Kigali, make it this one. This needs to be remembered. There's a good paved road running out to Nyamata, and the memorial is clearly marked. (And do make a donation - my guide informed me that they don't get any support from the government to preserve the site.)
Written October 21, 2008
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wally Walters
Kigali, Rwanda16 contributions
Oct 2019
I was not prepared to see what l saw but it was necessary to pass through the Nyamata church as it is part of the history of Rwanda.What l saw and felt is explainable,it pierced through my heart like a hot knife. I felt the atmosphere of April 94 beign activated in my soul as l entered the church,as this only calls for the brave hearted tourists,to see what l saw, many thanks to the pre-tour brief and psychological strength for the experienced Tour Guide of New Dawn Associates, Florence.You just need to be there in order to understand Rwanda in depth.Thanks New Dawn team for a great insightful tour via Nyamata Church.
Written November 4, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Seth85
Naples, Italy124 contributions
For those on a budget! Go to Kigali bus station and ask to go to nyatama town. Should cost around 600 francs When you get dropped off there after 45min you can either walk to the church. Walk out bus station and turn right onto main road and walk for about 1,5km looking for a old white and black sign on the right hand side of the road. Or rather negotiate with bikers. Don't forget you have amazing bargaining power at this point with 20 bikers wanting your cash so work it. I would suggest getting them to take you to nyamata church then ntarama(which is about 8km in opposite direction) and back to bus station. Anything around 2500 francs for this would be a good price. Good skills could get you away for 2000 for everything. Reason for my ratings: I just feel they could do so much more, such as tour guides and glass cabinets etc. this said it's an amazing place and should definitely be visited.
Written March 1, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Martin C
Caracas, Venezuela13 contributions
Dec 2019 • Couples
It’s to be expected that a visit to a massacre sit is not going to be pleasant an experience - but don’t go if you are not prepared for gruesome detail and evidence of humanity at its worst.... the guide was effective and knowledgeable. The graves and remnants of clothing disturbing.
Written December 11, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
prot
Kalmar, Sweden65 contributions
Feb 2017 • Couples
The history of Rwanda is a remarkable one and the people amazes me with how they show such strength in moving on toward what looks like a brighter future. Hopefully the elections this summer (2017) will not stir more commotion.
The Nyamata Church is where thousands of people went for help to hide from the massacre but were even so killed and slaughtered while still being in and outside the church. You can reach Nyamata church by bus. We went from Kyabugongo bus station and changed bus about half way. For the first bus you'll need a bus card which costs 250 rwandan francs then load it with another 500 for a return journey. However, when coming halfway you change bus to a smaller version which you have to pay cash (about 200 rwandan francs) to get the rest of the way to Nyamata. Then, when at the bus station in Nyamata you can take a moto-taxi for about 300 francs to take you to the church which is about 2 kilometers east from the station. You can walk but there weren't any signs so my suggestion is, like we did, take a moto there and walk back to the station if you want to save a couple of hundred francs. All in all with transportation it'll cost about 1400-1500 rwandan francs and it takes about 1 hour and 30 mins to get there.
According to the Brandt Rwanda travel guide it would take about 30 mins by bus but we either went from the wrong bus station or they got it totally wrong. That book had a lot of errors in it though. Very disappointing.
At the church you get a guide to show you around. It is free but it is advised to give donations to help them with their work. They are still finding bodies which is taken back to the church and laid to rest amongst the others.
Inside the church they had put out clothes and belongings to the victims on tables and seats. Everything from jeans from adults to small tiny shirts from children. The tomb, which is under ground, inside and outside the church, was the most horrific experience i've ever had. The outside tomb you get to go down by yourself and walk right next to exposed bones and skulls of the victims. Chests on shelves with flowers and crosses from relatives, that visits to honour their memory, made it very personal and it felt intrusive for me to be there. It was also very quiet whilst being in the tomb. Very eerie and nothing for the faint of heart. I thought myself to be pretty tough but down there made me feel like I was somewhere i shouldn't be.
We didn't take any pictures inside the church or the tomb out of respect even though the guide says it is ok to do so. I took a picture of the church from the outside though and a picture of the new church right across from it.
It was on a sunday we visited so right after our visit to Nyamata church we walked over to the new church just in time for the sunday ceremony to finish. A lot of people came out of the church in nice clothes and the choir sung as they walked out. Children came to shake our hands. It was a nice contrast to the experience we just had moment earlier. It was a perfect symbol of what has and what still is going on in Rwanda. A country that is still rising up from the ashes with a welcoming smile on its face.
If you have visited Kigali Memorial Centre then this would be a good complement. I'd recommend this if you feel you want a more nearby experience to what happened in Rwanda 1994. Just be ready to be affected just as strongly as you probably were at the Memorial Centre in Kigali.
The Nyamata Church is where thousands of people went for help to hide from the massacre but were even so killed and slaughtered while still being in and outside the church. You can reach Nyamata church by bus. We went from Kyabugongo bus station and changed bus about half way. For the first bus you'll need a bus card which costs 250 rwandan francs then load it with another 500 for a return journey. However, when coming halfway you change bus to a smaller version which you have to pay cash (about 200 rwandan francs) to get the rest of the way to Nyamata. Then, when at the bus station in Nyamata you can take a moto-taxi for about 300 francs to take you to the church which is about 2 kilometers east from the station. You can walk but there weren't any signs so my suggestion is, like we did, take a moto there and walk back to the station if you want to save a couple of hundred francs. All in all with transportation it'll cost about 1400-1500 rwandan francs and it takes about 1 hour and 30 mins to get there.
According to the Brandt Rwanda travel guide it would take about 30 mins by bus but we either went from the wrong bus station or they got it totally wrong. That book had a lot of errors in it though. Very disappointing.
At the church you get a guide to show you around. It is free but it is advised to give donations to help them with their work. They are still finding bodies which is taken back to the church and laid to rest amongst the others.
Inside the church they had put out clothes and belongings to the victims on tables and seats. Everything from jeans from adults to small tiny shirts from children. The tomb, which is under ground, inside and outside the church, was the most horrific experience i've ever had. The outside tomb you get to go down by yourself and walk right next to exposed bones and skulls of the victims. Chests on shelves with flowers and crosses from relatives, that visits to honour their memory, made it very personal and it felt intrusive for me to be there. It was also very quiet whilst being in the tomb. Very eerie and nothing for the faint of heart. I thought myself to be pretty tough but down there made me feel like I was somewhere i shouldn't be.
We didn't take any pictures inside the church or the tomb out of respect even though the guide says it is ok to do so. I took a picture of the church from the outside though and a picture of the new church right across from it.
It was on a sunday we visited so right after our visit to Nyamata church we walked over to the new church just in time for the sunday ceremony to finish. A lot of people came out of the church in nice clothes and the choir sung as they walked out. Children came to shake our hands. It was a nice contrast to the experience we just had moment earlier. It was a perfect symbol of what has and what still is going on in Rwanda. A country that is still rising up from the ashes with a welcoming smile on its face.
If you have visited Kigali Memorial Centre then this would be a good complement. I'd recommend this if you feel you want a more nearby experience to what happened in Rwanda 1994. Just be ready to be affected just as strongly as you probably were at the Memorial Centre in Kigali.
Written February 25, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
How far is this place from the Kigali city centre ?I am in Kigali for 2 days and that too on a budget. Can I do it easily and what's the entry fees or guide fees if applicable. Lastly what's the best way of getting there?cheers and thanks in advance.
Written February 11, 2020
You should count +- 1hour drive from Kigali to Nyamata church. . I was in Kigali in October last year and there were road works towards Nyamata but traffic was flowing.And I think, ride to and from was approximately 30$. At the memorial there's no entry fee, it's donations based. No photos allowed inside the church. My guide was one lovely lady ready to answer all my questions. Very intense experience but well worth it. And take your time while there
Written February 12, 2020
Hi - does this memorial need to be booked in advance or can you just pitch up? Thanks
Written September 6, 2019
We decided to hire an driver and went in one day. We were a small group of five. When we arrived we had to wait about 15 minutes while the guide completed a tour with another small group of 5. I think you can do the same if you are not pressed for time. It was a great drive out of Kigali and allowed us the chance to see other nearby villages, small market places and commercial areas. A great deal of development is underway--the journey is worth it.
Written September 7, 2019
We've visiting Kigali in July & would like to know the easiest / quickest route to Nyamata Church. Not sure if we should hire a taxi or try using public transport. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
Written May 5, 2017
We hired a taxi. Inexpensive and more direct.
Written May 7, 2017
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