Traditional Rwanda : A Cultural Experience OVER VIEW
This 8 Day Traditional Rwanda - A Cultural Experience is a tribute to Rwanda's rich cultural heritage, designed to offer an authentic and sustainable travel experience. Immerse yourself in Rwanda's traditions and historical sites while engaging with local communities and supporting sustainable initiatives.
Traditional Rwanda : A Cultural Experience HIGHLIGHTS
Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be greeted by your guide and transferred to your hotel in Kigali, where you'll check in for an overnight stay at the start of your 8-Day Traditional Rwanda : A Cultural Experience.
Meal Plan: Dinner depending on time of arrival.
Accommodation: Lemigo Hotel
Comfort Level: Mid-range
After breakfast, enjoy a 2-hour drive to Musanze, the gateway to Volcanoes National Park. This lively town blends modern amenities with traditional Rwandan charm. Visit the Red Rocks Initiative, promoting sustainable development in the Virunga Mountains. Participate in a food preparation session using fresh, local produce, followed by a delicious lunch.
Tour the farmland, try starting a traditional fire with firewood, and enjoy your meal outdoors while engaging with the local community and learning about Rwanda's culture. In the afternoon, experience banana beer production. Help extract juice from bananas, then taste both the juice and the local brew made with sorghum flour.
Alternatively, join pottery or basket weaving sessions, crafting your own pieces with guidance from the community. Visit the craft shop, where all proceeds support local development. In the evening, gather around the campfire to hear stories about Rwanda's history and culture.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Red Rock Local Home Stay
Comfort Level: Mid-range
After breakfast, visit the Bamboo Conservation Project, a Red Rocks Initiative aimed at promoting bamboo cultivation for environmental protection and income generation for local communities and primates.
After lunch, depart for the twin lakes of Bulera & Ruhondo, nestled at the base of Mount Muhabura and near the Ugandan border. Surrounded by steep hills, tall waterfalls, and the stunning Virunga Volcanoes, these lakes offer breathtaking views. Return to the lodge for a relaxing evening to conclude the day on your 8-Day Rwanda Cultural Tour.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Comfort Level: Mid-range
Today, visit the Gorilla Guardian Village (formerly Iby’Iwacu) for cultural performances, including the iconic Intore dance, and explore the king’s palace. Experience a unique ceremony where you can briefly take on the king’s role, guided by local elders. You’ll also have the chance to learn Rwandan drumming, visit a traditional healer, or interact with the Batwa community.
After lunch, embark on the Nyange Community Walk, guided by a socola guide, to learn about Rwandan village life. Discover traditional activities like ironworking, banana beer brewing, mat weaving, and carpentry. Explore local food traditions, sample a traditional dish, and encounter tree nurseries, a health clinic, a socola village, and Twa villages, where you’ll be welcomed with songs and dances.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Comfort Level: Mid-range
After breakfast and with your packed lunch we depart for a village walk. This is a walk through one of the villages in Musanze. The walks go through the villages residing the volcanoes and you will have views of the volcanoes – enjoy the mountainous vegetation in its natural state.
You will visit the local community of beekeepers, and learn more about the bee hives in swamps or forest areas rich in certain types of plants like banana trees or certain flowers.
Honey has medicinal properties and is added to local medicines by traditional doctors. The remaining honey is sold to local people and the benefits are shared with the other association. Take a tour to a local village market pharmacy and learn of the healing abilities of traditional medicine which has been used for ages by the Rwandan people.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Comfort Level: Mid-range
This morning will be spent relaxed and at leisure. Transfer to Lake Kivu by 11:00 am arriving in time for lunch. After lunch, take a boat ride to one of the islands in Lake Kivu OR explore the town, enjoying the hustle and bustle of the local market, or wander through the old colonial buildings.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Kivu Lodge
Comfort Level: Mid-range
This morning, spend some time at the private peninsular of Kivu Lodge, you may explore the private coffee plantation that surrounds the lodge and taste some coffee. Alternatively, you may visit the tea estates close to the lodge. Thereafter head back to Kigali arriving in time for relaxation and lunch.
Visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial Memorial which includes three permanent exhibitions, the largest of which documents the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. There is also a children’s memorial and an exhibition on the history of genocidal violence around the world.
The Education Centre, Gardens, and Genocide Archive of Rwanda form part of a meaningful tribute to those who perished and provide a powerful educational tool for visitors.
Alternatively visit the Kimironko Market Africa, the largest farmer's market in Kigali covering an area of about 5 kilometers. Kimironko market is a hub for local fresh food and fruits such as mangoes, passion fruits, pawpaw, jackfruits, and pineapples, among others.
The stalls at the market’s extreme are occupied majorly by meat sellers, chicken, and fresh fish.
There’s also a wide stock of fabric for those interested in African and Western ultra-modern clothing. This market stocks local Kinyarwanda drums, beads, craft handbags, craft earrings, traditional fabric, pots, mats, baskets, and hats, among many other traditional arts and crafts.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Lemigo Lodge
Comfort Level: Mid-range
On the final day of your 8 Day Traditional Rwanda : A Cultural Experience, you will make your way to Kigali International Airport, where you will depart for your onward journey home.
Meal Plan: Breakfast
• Comfortable hiking boots and lightweight clothing.
• Rain jacket and a warm sweater for cooler evenings.
• Insect repellent and sunscreen.
• Reusable water bottle.
• Binoculars and a good camera.
• Personal medications and a small first-aid kit.
• Nature blending clothes
Uganda, deservedly dubbed the Pearl of Africa, is in the Great Lakes Region in central Africa and boasts an ecological diversity that rivals that of many larger countries. Here, the Eastern Savannah meets the West African jungle. Uganda offers visitors incredible diversity through its multitude of varying ecosystems. Bordered by the Rwenzori Mountains (often called the Mountains of the Moon, the third highest in Africa), the Virunga Mountains, and Africa's largest lake, Lake Victoria, it's a beautiful country bursting with birds and wildlife.
In no other African destination can one see a comparable variety of primates with so little effort - not just the great apes but also more than ten monkey species. And, if Uganda had primate enthusiasts grinning with satisfaction, it would have birdwatchers doing cartwheels. Uganda is, by far, the smallest of the four African countries in which more than 1,000 bird species have been recorded, and it is particularly rich in western rainforest specialists - undoubtedly the finest birdwatching in Africa.
For most, the highlight is found amongst the forests in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, where facing endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat is one of the most profound wildlife encounters you will ever experience. Discover tree-climbing lions around Ishasha in Queen Elizabeth National Park, trek chimps in Kibale Forest or Kyambura Gorge, or snatch massive Nile perch up north at Murchison Falls, where the mighty Nile cascades through a gap just seven meters wide. Adrenaline junkies will find Jinja simply exhilarating with its white-water rafting, kayaking, and bungee jumping activities. Jinja is rapidly emerging as East Africa's answer to the more southerly "adrenalin capital" Victoria Falls.
We invite you to explore Uganda, a diverse landscape with abundant wildlife, plenty to discover, and unique experiences. When recounting your time in this jewel of a country, you'll struggle to find the words that do justice to it.
Your passport must have a minimum of at least two full clear pages for visas and stamps and be valid for more than 6 months from the date of entry into Uganda.
Please check visa requirements prior to travel with your booking agent or Bush Wander, as requirements are regularly changed with little notice.
Most passports require a single-entry visa (US$55). Visas cannot be obtained on arrival. You must apply and pay for them online at https://visas.immigration.go.ug at least two weeks before your arrival.
You must upload clear copies of your current passport, a yellow fever certificate, and a passport photo.
Only Visa and Mastercard cards are accepted for visa payments. Once payment is made, the system will process your application and send you a barcoded email. Print out this email and bring it with you to Uganda. Upon arrival, you should present the barcoded email to the immigration officer, who will scan the barcode, take your fingerprints and photo, and place a visa in your passport.
Alternatively, the Ugandan High Commissions may issue visas where such commissions are located.
The following nationalities do not require a visa to enter Uganda: all nationalities from East African countries (Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi), all nationalities from COMESA countries (Angola, Eritrea, Malawi, Madagascar, Seychelles, Swaziland, Zambia, Comoros, Kenya, Mauritius, Zimbabwe), and passport holders from OTHERS (Antigua, Barbados, Fiji, Grenada, Lesotho, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, The Grenadines, Vanuatu, Cyprus, Bahamas, Belize, Gambia, Jamaica, Malta, Singapore, St. Vincent-Tonga and Ireland).
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If you are planning an East Africa trip to Uganda, Rwanda, and/or Kenya, it may be better to apply for a multiple-entry visa, which is valid for 90 days for tourists only. The cost is USD100 per visa. For more information go to: https://visas.immigration.go.ug/#/apply if you are entering Uganda first, or alternatively, the Government visa site for the East Africa country you will be first entering.
US Dollars cash is widely accepted and, in most cases, preferred as the currency that travellers should use to EXCHANGE into UGX on arrival for spending money on the road e.g. for drinks, curios, tips. Please note that USD bills older than 2009 are not accepted. Ensure your USD bills are 2009 or younger. Small USD bills are difficult to change – use Uganda shillings for small tips.
Credit cards can be used at some lodges and hotels, but a transaction fee of up to 5% may be charged. Ask first.
Travel, Transport, and Getting Around Flights:
Note that baggage allowance on all domestic flights is max 15 kgs in soft bags
Travellers require a Yellow Fever inoculation more than 10 days prior to your departure. The certificate will be checked on arrival in Uganda. If you have a history of liver disorders (hepatitis etc.), consult your physician first.
Tetanus and Cholera inoculations are recommended but not compulsory. Hepatitis inoculation is at the discretion of the traveler.
Malaria prophylactics are a must and can be purchased from your local pharmacy. Please consult your pharmacist/doctor.
Diarrhoea / Giardia - Bottled water is readily available throughout Uganda, however, it’s advisable to bring medicine just in case.
This is a guide only. Please check with your doctor or travel clinic for the latest information