RWANDA TOURS
Rwanda Exploring/ Exhibits Its Community Tourism Potential
Lately Rwanda is showing signs of potential community tourism growth and this is exhibited through the government’s effort and decision to setup infrastructures to be able to attract and host a huge number of tourists. They have also established various projects led and managed by local community members in an effort to better the locals’ standards of living and also assist to ensure the environmental protection.
Within some of these projects, they are offering accommodation to those that need it, training them about traditional catering styles, they are emphasizing eco-tourism and cultural tourism activities. Such projects give tourists a genuine and very rich experience ever which is why they have to pay a certain amount of money to receive the exclusive products and services. Through this project, tourists are also able to better understand Rwanda’s traditions and probably participate in Rwandans’ cultural activities if they wish too.
There are very many travelers who would wish to explore more of Rwanda, so this is their chance to have a real life experience of the Rwandan lifestyle. Through these community projects, you get the chance to get first-hand information and experience of the rural life in Rwanda. Lately there are some volunteers working with these projects and most of them live within the communities either at the home-stays pr in the traditional Iby’Iwacu village. So if you wish to have a wonderful Africa adventure safari in Rwanda, you should include community tour on your itinerary.
You get to visit those small and remote villages like the ones found within Reconciliation village of Bugesera, you can also check out the coffee and tea of Rubavu or go for the ethno botany tours in Musanze. There is also the village walks done in Ruhengeri which tend to be very educative and interesting because of the fact that the people are so friendly and welcome every one into their communities.
Besides the community tourism, Rwanda has got plenty to offer to travelers like the wonderful wildlife, there is the beautiful scenery, a lot of historic sites and also the sense of security as well as guarantee from your handler that all arrangements have been made and that you will have expert guide provided for you. During your stay, you can have the chance to taste the vegetarian dish, do some sight sightseeing during the Kigali city tour.
While the old work had to survive because their children leave them in the villages and head to the urban centers seeking for better sources of income, the future has become brighter for the old too since they realized they could use their local knowledge, the different skills and the few resources for tourism purposes. They have become optimistic and you can tell by the way of their charming warm welcome they give to their visitors. They can be your hosts, be the cooks and also your tour guides. Despite the fact that they know very little English, they do their absolute best to make sure that every visitor enjoys and benefits from their time with them in their communities.
Go taste their local vegetarian dishes just the way your hosts will provide it, this is food that is fresh from their gardens, its food that they cultivate themselves and you can always help out preparing your dinner so that you get the experience. This will be a simple food that the locals themselves feed on but you will enjoy it.
There are various activities you can combine together and make your Rwanda safari and wonderful one and these may include;
- Visit the coffee plantation and production plant in Rubavu so you can learn the process from the time when they are in the nursery beds, then to planting, coffee picking, there is washing, coffee selection, drying and then fermenting before you get to sip it.
- Visit Musanze and enjoy an ethno botany tour.
- Do some community visits to explore Rwanda’s unique cultures, watch them do their folklores, sing, do poetry, visit the pottery, the dancers and also learn about the academic hunt and gathering skills very common in Kinigi Cultural Village tour.
- Get involved in some traditional Games and interact, visit bee keepers and participate in wood carving, among so many other activities. There are so many others you can engage in so the choice is yours.
There are so many local communities that now understand the importance of tourism, how it helps to conservation their environment and how they benefit from it. Tourism in some way is also helping communities preserve their cultural heritage and therefore helping them uphold their sense of belonging for all generations to come. Rwanda is one of the countries with the richest cultures and this means a cultural safari to Rwanda will be worthwhile.
