Rwanda's coffee is a good reason to spend an afternoon in Kigali's hills. Gisozi, the district on the northern ridge of the city, is better known for its memorial, but the neighbourhood is also a good base for exploring the city's café culture, since the climate and altitude that make Rwanda a fine place to grow coffee also make it a pleasure to drink it. Arabica bushes, mostly of the bourbon variety, grow on small farms in the volcanic and high-altitude soils of the country, picked by hand and washed at nearby stations, and the beans are known for a bright acidity and notes of fruit and flowers.
Kigali is the capital, set among a series of steep hills and valleys with a population approaching three-quarters of a million. Most of the central roads run along ridge lines, with sudden drops into green valleys on either side, and many of the valleys are wetlands used for small farming. Houses climb the slopes in tight terraces. The result is a city of viewpoints, where at almost any junction you can look out across red-roofed neighbourhoods and eucalyptus groves to the next hill.
For the rider, the pleasure is in the geography. The tarmac is good and well marked, and a short ride out of town leads to roads through tea and banana plantations, with sweeping views, long gradients and few potholes. Speed limits are low and enforced with cameras, so ride within them. Dusk comes at around six all year round, and after dark, unlit pedestrians and bicycles laden with goods make nighttime riding dangerous. Early morning is the best time for a ride, with mist lying in the valleys and the air fresh.
Fuel is found at stations across the city, and the main roads have workshops and tyre shops. Cafés and small restaurants are numerous, with buffets of rice, beans, plantain, cassava leaves and fish from Lake Victoria, and a brochette stand on almost every corner. Some roasteries offer tastings, and buying a bag of beans is a fine way to remember the visit.
Come in the dry months, June to September, when the hills are bright and the roads are clear.