Visit Nyanza Kings Palace – A Guide To Rwanda’s Royal Past

Nyanza Kings Palace

Nyanza Kings Palace is angelically located in the southwestern part of Rwanda in Nyanza ya Butare district, which was a traditional place of the Rwanda kingdom. It served as the residence of King Mutara III Rudahigwa and later King Kigeli V Ndahindurwa. The kingdom was established in 1931, showcasing the traditional Rwanda architecture characterised by the beehive-shaped structure before the influence of colonial rule. It is a significant place in Rwanda, giving an insight into the cultural history of the Country, an old style and way of life of the people in the old days. Nyanza offers a detailed explanation of the Rwandan Monarchical system until its abolition in the 1950s, when colonial rule took over and modernization. To date, a modern palace was built by the Belgians for the King.

Nyanza kings Palace holds an important seat of power to the Rwandan kings, featuring traditional Rwandan architectural designs placed with royal quarters, meeting halls, courtyards and beautiful gardens, the houses present the best of the Rwandan style of architecture, the country was a highly organised state with its system of governance before the Belgian colonial rule, it was ruled by a king locally known as “Mwami” these held powers and were considered as divine, they were organised into hierarchically structure from Kings, nobles, chiefs and commoners just like most of the African countries.

Nyanza Kings Palace is prominent to the history of Rwanda and its tourism, the land in the region was known as that of traditional political and battle struggles, the main attractions of the palace include the structural designs, historical photo graphs, documents, traditional Rwandan artifacts like masks, drums, jewel, the dress code, Inyambo cattle that are said to be offsprings of the kings herd, its interesting to watch the care givers sing for the cows and they match to their feeding grounds, these cattle share the same linage as the long horned cows of Uganda in the Ankole region.

The Palace is open to travellers and guests daily from morning time at 8:00 am East African time and latest at about 5 pm hours, a fee is charged at the entrance of about 15 USD, the tour to the palace offers visitors a great opportunity to indulge into the culture of the people of Rwanda, there are local artisans on the other side selling traditional crafts. While at the Palace, expect to see the reconstructed royal compound, which is built almost entirely with natural materials like grass, reed, and wood. The place presents a thatched roof, a symbol of royal authority in Rwanda, and royal huts in the compound serving different purposes.

While at the Nyanza Kings palace, a knowledgeable guide will take you through the functions of each hut, the courts, traditional ceremonies, the day-to-day life at the palace, and fascinating stories about the king and their advisors from the past to date.  The visit allows up to 2-3 hours.

Adjacent to the old palace is a new Palace (Rwesero) a more European style structure built for the king in the mid-20th century. This section serves as a museum displaying photographs and information relating to the old Kings and their reigns.  The museum plays an important role in preserving and showcasing the precolonial heritage of Rwanda, its an informative center.

Trips to the Nyanza palace can be combined with those of the Nyungwe Forest National Park, several activities like Chimpanzee tracking which is conducted in the early morning and afternoon hours, black and white colobus monkey tracking, birding in Nyungwe forest National Park and the canopy walk over the long suspended bridge in the Forest,  experience the Congo trail and Lake Kivu, to the North of Rwanda is the Volcanoes National Park home to the Mountain Gorilla species and the Golden Monkeys, Gorilla trekking takes place with in the conservation areas beginning at the park headquarters in the morning.

Nyanza Palace can be visited any time of year but best during the dry season between the months of December, February, June, July, August, September, and early October, despite the dry season the wet season is also ideal to visit Rwanda, from Kigali it takes approximately 4-5 hours drive to the old ancient Kingdom.