Business Tour in Rwanda

Landlocked Rwanda borders the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, and Burundi.  Tourism, minerals, coffee, and tea are the main sources of foreign exchange. English and French are two of its three official languages.

Arrive in the capital of Kigali and settle into your downtown lodging. You may wish to consider having a sundowner and dinner at one of the city’s bars and restaurants with hilltop views.  Afterward, you will return to your hotel.

Get to know Kigali today on a full day city tour. Take a trip to the top of Mt. Kigali, visit a neighborhood market, have a typical Rwandan lunch and end the afternoon by visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial, which commemorates the genocide against the Tutsi people in 1994.  The memorial site is very thought-provoking, and attempts to explain the causes and events of the atrocities which tore Rwanda apart. 

Tonight, have dinner at the famed Hotel des Milles Collines, known as the “Hotel Rwanda” in the movie of the same name.  Perched on one of the hills overlooking Kigali, the hotel is a great place to enjoy dinner at its panoramic restaurant with great city views.

Start your morning at Kimironko Market, a fruit and vegetable emporium that also offers a wide range of crafts. See the vendors in action and speak with them as you shop to learn about their business.

Next, head over to the Inema Arts Center. The resident artists display their paintings and crafts, giving you another opportunity to talk with locals about their work and business, this time from an artist’s point of view.  

Have lunch downtown, then go to the beehive-shaped Kigali Convention Center to meet with local representatives about the state of business in Kigali, and Rwanda in general. Get a better perspective on what businesses are key for the city and country, and what the future may hold in store. The convention center seeks to build on tourism sector growth by providing an increasingly popular hub for conferences, meetings and exhibitions.

Have dinner back in downtown Kigali before returning to your hotel.

Today you will gain insights into the role of women entrepreneurs in Kigali, and their involvement in the private sector. The Nyamirambo Women’s Center offers insights into the daily life of the community. Tour guides are all community residents. 

You’ll take a walking tour of Nyamirambo. Guides give an introduction to the center and its work, then take visitors through the community, with stops at the market and to visit and talk with local women conducting their daily business. The tour concludes with a traditional lunch.  

This afternoon, help out the community you just explored by teaching English at a local school in Nyamirambo. The eager children will really appreciate your efforts to help them learn!

For dinner tonight, seek out a restaurant offering brochette, skewers of grilled meat or fish, before returning to your hotel.

Get a close look at one of Rwanda’s most important crops and largest exports by visiting a tea plantation in the north of the country in the province of Gisenyi.  

Take a flight this morning to Kamembe, then drive to the Gisovu Tea Estate. The visit shows visitors to discover how tea is harvested and produced, with a tasting as part of the tour. The estate is located at the far northern edge of Nyungwe Forest National Park.

Drive from here to your forest lodge at Nyungwe, where you will talk with staff about available activities for tomorrow, have dinner and settle into your park lodging for the night.

Nyungwe Forest National Park offers chimpanzee trekking and a unique forest canopy high up in the trees.  

Chimpanzee trekking starts in the morning.  The chimps at Nyungwe are used to human beings, so this is a great opportunity to study primate life in the wild!  The canopy walk is 50 meters above the ground, from where you will also see monkeys in the treetops and birds that fly near eye level, with beautiful forest views below.  

After lunch at the lodge, drive back to Kamembe for your return flight to Kigali.  This evening, enjoy one last Rwandan dinner in Kigali before turning in for the night at your hotel.

Begin your day at Iceland’s famous Diamond Beach where you’ll have the chance to get up close and personal with large ice boulders. After your early morning you will continue onward towards Höfn, which translates to harbor. Spend the afternoon exploring the city known for its once diverse fishing industry.

Add an adventure:

• Jökulsárlón: Glacial lagoon boat tour to view massive floating icebergs
• Höfn: – Gamlabúð Folk Museum
• Krafla Power Plant for geothermal production