There are African cities, noisy, bustling and glorious in their own right, and then there’s Kigali. Having not only survived its turbulent political past, the capital has positively blossomed into one of Africa’s most cosmopolitan hotspots. Safe and clean (the last Saturday of every month is reserved for hedge-clipping, rubbish-collecting and other novel community activities), it’s also remarkably picturesque, surrounded by emerald-green hills and sweeping valleys. Our advice? Don’t just stop for a night on the way to or from a gorilla trek but spend a couple of days exploring the jacaranda-ed boulevards, aromatic food markets and cafes and the eye-opening (and appealingly sensitive) genocide memorials.