J
ust downhill from President Paul
Kagame’s residence in leafy Kiyovu,
an earnest assortment of regulars and
visitors has gathered at Heaven to discuss
the day’s news over passion fruit cocktails,
cold Mützig beers and scoops of what the
proprietors like to call the best guacamole
in Africa. If you’ve ever tasted a Rwandan
avocado — huge, glossy and creamy as
butter — you’ll understand why they make
that claim. And if you’ve spent time in any
African city where volunteers, development
consultants and entrepreneurs converge,
you’ll recognise Heaven. It’s one of those
restaurants-with-rooms that attract movers
and shakers, from visiting doctors, engineers
and renewable energy experts to local
crop scientists. Rumour has it that, come
the Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting 2020 in June, Prince Charles will
be checking in.
With a landmark convention centre
(domed like a traditional Rwandan palace,
but lit like a sci-i space station), Kigali does
a brisk trade in such high-proile events.
During my visit, an international conference
on AIDS and STIs is in full swing, and I catch
snippets of conversations about treatment
strategies and recovery rates as I make my
way through Heaven’s bar to the open-sided
restaurant. Here, local couples on dinner
dates talk sotly, silhouetted against distant
city lights, while tables of tourists chat
excitedly about their recent adventures (in
the Serengeti and the Maasai Mara) and what
the coming days have in store (mountain
gorillas). For most visitors to Rwanda,
gorillas are the star attraction.
“We know everyone wants to see them,”
says Heaven’s founder, Alissa Ruxin, a San
Francisco native who’s passionate about
primates. Her modern, solar-powered,
boutique-style guest rooms are set among
lush greenery and have mosquito nets slung
over bamboo frames, a subtle reference to
the gorillas’ forest home. “But if you’re simply
whisked in and out of Kigali on a wildlife
safari, you miss so much. We encourage you
to go deeper, by making time for a cultural
experience. There are some fantastic
artisans and designers in Kigali, each with
their own story. We’re always hearing how
much guests appreciate meeting them.”
140 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel
KIGALI