Murambi sits on a green hill in southern Rwanda, and the buildings on it were meant to be a technical school. In April 1994, tens of thousands of Tutsi from the surrounding area gathered here, told that they would be protected, and instead the school became a place of mass killing. The number who died in a few days is estimated at around fifty thousand, though the exact toll is not known. After the genocide, bodies were exhumed and preserved with lime, and some are displayed in the school's classrooms, as a stark testimony that no visitor forgets. It is one of the most harrowing places in Africa, and it is now a national memorial and, since 2023, a World Heritage site along with Nyamata, Bisesero and the memorial in Kigali.
A visit here is an act of remembrance, and the guides, often survivors, ask for quiet and respect. Many visitors say they needed a long time afterwards just to sit. The hill itself has a gentle beauty, with eucalyptus, tea and banana terraces, and a view over the valley, a contrast that makes the place all the more disturbing.
The nearest towns are Nyamagabe, formerly Gikongoro, close by, and Huye, formerly Butare, home to the national university and the national museum, about thirty kilometres away. Fuel and food are in both. The ride from Kigali to the south, through Muhanga and Huye, takes about three hours on a well-kept, winding road across hills, with views of terraced fields, tea estates and valleys filled with morning mist. Beyond Murambi, the road continues toward Nyungwe Forest, one of the oldest rainforests in Africa, with chimpanzees and colobus monkeys, and a spectacular high road through tea and forest.
Rwanda has a strict helmet law, and police checks are common but courteous. Roads can be wet in the long rains from March to May, and mist and fog are common on the hills in the early morning. The dry seasons are best. Altitude means that mornings can be chilly, so carry a layer.
Do not plan too much for the day of your visit. Leave time to be quiet, and to ride slowly afterwards.