Caplaki Craft Village

Caplaki is a purpose-built row of around fifty craft stalls in Kigali, run as a cooperative, selling the country's craft output in one place: agaseke baskets with their conical lids, imigongo panels from the east, wood carving, soapstone, beadwork and kitenge. Because everything is together, it is the easiest place to compare quality and price before buying, and prices are negotiable at every stall.

What you actually see

• The agaseke baskets - the lidded woven baskets Rwanda is best known for.
• The imigongo panels - geometric dung-and-ash relief work from the east.
• The carving and soapstone - wooden and stone work from cooperatives around the country.
• The comparison - fifty stalls together, useful for judging quality and price.

When to go

Year round; stalls open daily through the day. Weekday mornings are quietest. Late afternoon is when sellers are keenest to bargain.

Honest expectations

Sellers are persistent and follow visitors between stalls. Prices start high and hard bargaining is expected. Some stock is imported rather than Rwandan, so asking matters.

Nearby

Central Kigali surrounds it, and Inema Arts Center is northeast.