Special Interest Tours
Our programs for special interest delegations aim at introducing the visitor to one or several distinct themes such as business, law, education, culture, history, health, governance, agriculture etc. This is achieved through a variety of visits to institutions and projects, meetings with individuals and groups from the grassroots level to the top decision-makers, a mix of a few theoretical presentations and many practical experiences on the ground, and time for discussions and reflections.
All of this is combined with intimate experiences with the local culture and people, with the country’s established tourism attractions, and with a relaxing and exclusive travel environment.
The distinct themes such as Arts & crafts, Bird watching, Pre-colonial history, Conservation, Coffee & tea, religion etc
DESTINAATIONS
- Arts & Crafts
- Rwanda’s culture is extremely rich when it comes to arts and crafts.Atour around the country will introduce a range of local and regional skills, some of which continue to be exploited while others are on the verge of being forgotten.
HIGHLIGHTS
- – Imigongo cow dung paintings
- – Batwa clay pottery
- – Architecture – traditional round houses, the royal
- palace, modern developments
- – Weaving of agaseke peace baskets or ikibo tray baskets
- – Banana leaf art and furniture
- – Water hyacinth art and furniture
- – Sculpturing at the National Museum
- – Knitting projects for Western high-end designers
- Rwanda’s culture is extremely rich when it comes to arts and crafts.Atour around the country will introduce a range of local and regional skills, some of which continue to be exploited while others are on the verge of being forgotten.
- Pre-colonial history
- Little researched, Rwanda’s very rich pre-colonial history offers numerous opportunities to explore cultures, traditions and knowledge that, unless urgently documented, might disappear soon.
HIGHLIGHTS
- – Rwanda’s comprehensive cosmo-vision with a threetiered structure of the universe
- – The north-eastern landing pad of the Gods
- – Mt. Kigali – the ancient “heart capital” of Rwanda since the time of King Cyirima I Rugwa in the early 14th century
- – The poetry of King Yuhi III Mazimpaka
- – The death stone of Chief Kamegeri at the time of King Mibambwe II Gisanura in the 17th century
- – Numerous landmarks associated with King Ruganzu Mutabazi Ndoori
- Little researched, Rwanda’s very rich pre-colonial history offers numerous opportunities to explore cultures, traditions and knowledge that, unless urgently documented, might disappear soon.
- Bird watching
- With the highest number of endemic bird species in the whole of East Africa, Rwanda is becoming a prime destination for ornithologists. No less than one third of all African bird species can be found in the country.
- – Almost 700 different bird species
- – The highest concentration of bird species of anywhere in Africa
- – 44 regional endemic species
- – 4 pure endemic species
- – Akagera National Park: 525 species, 4 endemics, including the shoebill
- – Volcanoes National Park: 90 species, 13 endemics
- – Nyungwe National Park: 283 species, 27 endemics
- With the highest number of endemic bird species in the whole of East Africa, Rwanda is becoming a prime destination for ornithologists. No less than one third of all African bird species can be found in the country.
- Religion
- Religion has always played a prominent role in Rwandan society. Today, the comprehensive traditional beliefs have lost most of their importance, and Christian and Muslim faiths have taken over.
HIGHLIGHTS
- – Traditional belief systems with a comprehensive cosmo-vision and a three-tiered structure of the universe
- – The work of the early missionaries in the 19th/20th centuries
- – The role of the faiths during the genocide
- – Modern missionary work and the emergence of popular Protestantism
- – Faith-based institutions and their humanitarian work
- Religion has always played a prominent role in Rwandan society. Today, the comprehensive traditional beliefs have lost most of their importance, and Christian and Muslim faiths have taken over.
- Coffee & tea
- The country’s leading export products, Rwandan coffee and tea have recently gained a lot of fame for their high quality. Coffee from the Kivu region, in particular, is winning awards as the best East African coffee, and global coffee shops like Starbucks feature special Rwandan blends.
HIGHLIGHTS
- – Introduction to coffee and tea production from crop to cup
- – Educational tour of various regions of Rwanda in order to learn about different types of coffee and tea, and their very special tastes
- – Introduction to fair trade mechanisms and their pitfalls
- – Opportunities to participate in coffee and tea picking
- The country’s leading export products, Rwandan coffee and tea have recently gained a lot of fame for their high quality. Coffee from the Kivu region, in particular, is winning awards as the best East African coffee, and global coffee shops like Starbucks feature special Rwandan blends.
- Conservation
- Every prime ecotourism destination needs to focus strongly on conservation issues. This is particularly the case in a country that hosts some of the most sought-after species in the world, like the mountain gorillas.
HIGHLIGHTS
- – Public conservation efforts by the Office of Tourism and National Parks
- – Revenue sharing mechanisms for the national parks
- – Private conservation efforts in Volcanoes National Parks (Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, International Gorilla Conservation Program, Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project etc)
- – Private conservation efforts in Nyungwe National Park (Wildlife Conservation Society etc)
- – Community conservation efforts
- Every prime ecotourism destination needs to focus strongly on conservation issues. This is particularly the case in a country that hosts some of the most sought-after species in the world, like the mountain gorillas.