Stuff you need backpacking around Rwanda

Kinyarwanda is the chief spoken language in Rwanda. It is also spoken in the east of D.R. Congo and in the south of Uganda (Bufumbira-area). Kinyarwanda is a tonal language of the Bantu language family (Guthrie D61). Kinyarwanda is closely related to Kirundi spoken in the neighboring country, Burundi and to Giha of western Tanzania. English and French are also official languages, and many residents (particularly in urban areas) will speak one or the other in addition to Kinyarwanda. Due to the mass movement of people over the past fifty years, a result of the country's war torn history, you will likely encounter several people who speak a handful of other languages spoken in the East African region (Kiswahili, Lingala, Luganda...). Most traders in Rwanda will speak enough Kiswahili to make a sale!

The local "Brochettes" (goat kebabs) are delicious and are available in most bars and restaurants. Many restaurants also serve grilled fish and chicken, and frites and frites-banane (fried plantain) are ubiquitous. In urban areas a local buffet known as "Melange" is sold at lunchtime. This consists of a buffet of mostly carbohydrates such as potatoes, bananas, beans, rice, cassava accompanied with some vegatable s and a small ammount of meat or fish with sauce. Note that Rwandan buffets are not all you can eat! You may fill your plate only once, and with practise you'll be able to stack your plate high like the locals do. Prices range from just over a USD$1 to USD$5 or even USD$10 depending on the grade of the eatery and the variety of food available. Most of the upper segment buffets ($3 and above) offer a salad buffet too. Note that many of the cheaper Melange places are unmarked. Kigali has a much better range of restaurants than the rest of the country. Here you can find several Indian and Chinese restaurants, as well as Italian, Greek, French and multi cuisine establishments charging around $10 for dinner.

Bralirwa in the north of the Rwanda produces most of the beer and soft drinks available in Rwanda. In most bars the choice is limited to their offering of about 5 different sodas and 3 different beers, Primus, Mützig and Amstel. Primus and Mützig are available in small and large sizes, wheras Amstel is available only in 330ml bottles. Note that Rwandan's are known for their fondness for large beers and when you order Amstel, it is common for a server to bring out 2 bottles at a time. There are also local banana beer preparations called Urgwagwa, normally brewed at home and available only in unappetising plastic containers but now also sold in bottles at some shops and bars.