Huye

Huye, called Butare until 2006, is the intellectual centre of Rwanda: the national university has been here since 1963, and the town has an academic character, quiet and walkable, with tree-lined avenues and a stock of colonial-era buildings. The Ethnographic Museum is on the edge of town, the cathedral is among the largest in the country, and there are bookshops and cafes of a sort not found in many Rwandan towns.

History

The town was founded in the 1920s under the name Astrida, after Queen Astrid of the Belgians, and the name was changed when Rwanda became independent in 1962; it had 62,823 people at the 2022 census (Wikipedia, Butare).

What to look for

• The university - the country's oldest, giving the town its character.
• The cathedral - a large brick church from the colonial period.
• The avenues - tree-lined streets of colonial-era buildings.
• The academic quarter - bookshops, cafes and student life around the campus.

When to go

Year round; the altitude keeps it mild. Term time is when the town is liveliest. The rains from March to May and October to November are heavy but brief.

Things to know

There is limited formal sightseeing beyond the museum and the cathedral. The town empties in university holidays. Most visitors treat it as a stop rather than a stay.

Nearby

The Ethnographic Museum is on the edge of town, and Kibeho is west.

Key facts