What the trail links
The Royal Trail is a walking route through a cultural landscape — small fields, scattered houses, loosely built-up stretches — that happens to connect the historical spine of the old kingdom. On the route: the Kwigira Museum at Rwesero, the King's Palace Museum, the Mwima Mausoleum, Lake Icyuzi cya Nyamagana, Christ-Roi Church and Mu Gakenyeri kwa Musinga.
Certification and surface
The trail is certified by the Deutsche Wanderinstitut as a premium hiking trail, which is unusual in this part of Africa and means the waymarking, surface mix and route quality have been assessed against a defined international standard. The surface is a mix — roughly half natural path, a third narrow path, the rest lightly gravelled or paved. It is rated easy: no scrambling, no handrails, no exposure.
Note that published distances for this trail vary between about 10km and 11km depending on the source and on whether you count the museum spurs. Budget two to three hours and treat the distance as approximate.
Practicalities
The trailhead is the visitor centre in Nyanza town, opposite the Heritage Hotel — the restored Old King's Court. Hiking equipment is available there and a local guide can be hired on the spot, which is worth doing: without one the trail is a pleasant walk, and with one it is a history lesson that happens to be a walk.
Where it fits
This is the alternative to the Nyanza city tour for anyone who would rather walk between the sites than drive between them. It covers most of the same ground on foot. For views rather than history, take the Big View Trail instead.