Experience an Authentic Village Tour in Kinigi, Rwanda

Summary: 4/5 … Francis was our tour guide and he was great. The overall experience was amazing. The chance to visit the marketplace and see the locals do their everyday tasks and educate ourselves on their way of living was like no other experience. The only thing my girlfriend and I were unaware of was the 2 hour walk to the village because the description wasn’t clear on that so we ended up going to visit a local’s home closer to the marketplace instead of taking a 4-hour round trip hike. I think the description should detail that more clear because if we didn’t ask how long the walk was, we would have been really disappointed but nonetheless, the tour was a success even though we didn’t take the 2hour hike to the designated village.

Summary: Great chance to see the day to day operation of a household. Visiting a place is not complete without seeing day to day life for real folks. Cooking housekeeping shopping and village interaction are up close and personal. Local music demonstrated and taste and eat everything they do.

Summary: This is an excellent tour that takes visitors into the homes of residents in the village that Kinigi's hotels border. I had the opportunity to learn about traditional basket making, listen to authentic Rwandan music, try on Rwandan clothing and visit an elementary school. This tour is a must do and is easy to add on to any gorillas/golden monkeys/hiking trip in the Musanze area. Highly recommend!

Summary: I did the « Authentic Village Tour » on my own while my colleagues went on a gorilla trek. This tour was the absolute highlight of my trip! The villagers were so welcoming! They made me feel as if I was a family member coming for a visit. Everyone seemed genuinely happy I was there and they were proud to show me their homes and their way of life. I was touched by everyone’s warm and genuine smiles. I especially loved the school children. Even though there was no school that day, the children still gathered at the school and danced and sang for me for 30 minutes! I LOVED it! They were all so talented! It was a lot of fun! My tour guide Allen was amazing!!! She was kind and sweet; and everyone in the village was happy to see her. She seemed like family to the villagers. It was pouring rain during the tour and she made sure I was dry and helped me when I needed assistance moving along the slippery paths. She made sure I was well cared for and waited with me for at least 90 minutes after the tour until my group rejoined us. Through all this I gained a new friend. She’s such a kind soul. The tour itself was affordable, well-priced, and worth every cent. BGE gives back part of the proceeds to the village community visited, which is great! I’d support this company and use them again if/when I return to Rwanda. It was well organized and communication with Theodore and Allen was great! Thanks BGE for an amazing experience!

Summary: I found this village tour really special. It was great to really slow down and see the country on a more person to person level. Jeanette was my guide and she was literally brimming with enthusiasm and knowledge. I found the people I met in the village to be so warm and welcoming. I learned a lot and felt this was a side of day to day contemporary life I wouldn't have experienced if I hadn't done this tour.

Summary: Top guide, bringing the simple life of remote villages closer to the visitor, very good birdwatching area too

Summary: Wow! Theodore is such a gem and the tours he leads are amazing in so many ways. We signed up for the village tour and it will forever be one of the most memorable experiences in our life. We met the local people, experienced their craft making, visited their homes and talked about their home life and then participated in their music and dancing. Our son plays the violin so he brought his instrument and Theodore arranged for the musicians to play with him. Unreal. The people are so kind, thoughtful, caring and friendly. This is a must-do activity - take the time to really get to know the country beyond the gorillas. The culture and its people are a big reason we will return. Thank you, Theodore and Beyond the Gorillas Experience team!!! You are amazing.

Summary: We did this in the afternoon on the day we visited the Gorillas, and it was amazing. A must do if you are in the area! This is NOT a sales tour - where you are taken into a village and they try to sell you things. It is an opportunity to see how people live in Rwanda - where you can meet the people - see their homes, farms, families. It was one of our favorite days in Africa - highly recommended.

Summary: We visited a local village to see how a community lives & to view traditional handicrafts etc. It was very varied & interesting. The villagers were very friendly & the dancing was amazing. I would highly recommend the company & the tour. To see people that were so happy despite having so little was very humbling. If you are able to, gifts of soap, notebooks etc (a guide can advise) are very use.

Summary: Our tour guide from Gorilla Trek Africa book this tour for us after our Gorilla trek. Our guide on 18 Aug Fernando was outstanding! It was wonderful to see an authentic village and meet some of the villagers. The best part is part of the tourist dollars goes back to the community.