Tea tour encounter in Rwanda takes travelers to Pfunda Tea Estate which offers the largest tea estate production company with the highest tea quality volumes. PFUNDA tea estate lies within the Virunga volcano in the western province in Rubavu district. Click here to view mountain gorilla trekking safaris.

PFUNDA tea estate gets its fertile soil from the erupted volcanic soils, which has contributed to the higher tea quality in the region. The PFUNDA tea estate plantation covers over a hundred hectares, where farmers always plant tea, tend the tea, or harvest tea, depending on your time of visit. An enthusiastic visitor may wish to participate in any of the above activities. Click here to see our recommended mountain gorilla trekking tour.

Besides coffee production, Rwanda also concentrates on the production of the world’s best teas. Pfunda tea tour experience is an amazing ecotourism attraction that involves Rwandan local communities. Pfund Tea Estate employs the local community members that ensure the regional feels which benefit them.

Rwanda’s other big tea plantations in the Western Province include the Gisovu tea plantation situated in Karongi district, Gisakura tea plantation located in Nyungwe forest national park, Nyabihu tea plantation on Rubavu road.

Meet your driver very early in the morning; he will drive you to the Northwestern part of Rwanda which takes approximately 3-4hours to drive from Kigali.

It offers you a number of chosen en route stopovers that will you admire the natural beauty of Rwanda’s a thousand hills landscape. Rwanda is one of the best world’s tea producers. Rwanda produces charming tea that can be spotted along the Congo Nile Trail or at Kivu Belt Road.

On arrival at PFUNDA, meet local farmers enjoy your 2-hour Tea tour experience, pfunda tea Cooperative takes you through the whole procedures of tea making, ranging from tea leaves picking, up to having a cup of hot tea! After the tea tour splendid experience, take a 10-15 minutes’ drive to Lake Kivu Serena hotel or to any of your preferred restaurants for lunch. And your tea tour experience ends with a drive back to Kigali with a city tour viewing.

Volcanoes National Park is situated in an ancient emerald forest with mist-swathed mountains that are reverberating and boosting the sound of wonderful bird species singing in the park.

Volcanoes National Park is perched on the northwest border of Rwanda. Volcanoes National Park occupies over 62 square miles of montane rainforest and protects five of the eight chained volcanoes that make up the Virunga Mountains. Volcanoes National Park neighbors Virunga National Park of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park of Uganda.

Mountain gorillas can only be seen in three countries worldwide; Volcanoes National Park offers encounters with the gorillas in their natural environment. Volcanoes National Park was designated a protected area in 1925. The Virunga Mountain chains protect more than half of the world’s gorilla population, which was last estimated to be over 1,000 individuals surviving in the wild. Gorilla trekking is inevitably the park’s most popular tourism activity, alongside visiting primatologist Dian Fossey’s tomb at Karisoke Research Center.

Volcanoes National Park is often recognized as the best place to go for mountain gorilla trekking encounters. This is due to the fact that Rwanda is safer than the DR Congo, Volcanoes National Park offers more habituated mountain gorilla troops than Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, and it is more accessible than Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Uganda.

Visitors to Volcanoes National Park can get more information about the gorillas at primatologist Dian Fossey’s Karisoke Research Center, which was created by Dian Fossey in 1967. Dian Fossey stayed here until she was murdered in 1985, and she wrote her seminal book here called "Gorillas in the Mist." Engage at her center, where her book is displayed to give travelers an insight into her ongoing work at the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.

Volcanoes National Park is mostly covered by montane rainforest, but it also supports evergreens, swamps, heaths, bamboo forests, and opens grassland. Volcanoes National Park has a variety of habitats that make it a sanctuary for many surviving wildlife species, including habituated golden monkey troops. Golden monkey trekking tours happen daily, departing from the headquarters in Kinigi every morning. Along the way for golden monkey trekking, you may spot many other wildlife species, including forest elephants, bush pigs, buffalos, forest hogs, and black-fronted duikers, among others.

Volcanoes National Park is also another birder’s paradise, recording more than 200 bird species. Volcanoes National Park offers Albertine Rift endemics such as the Rwenzori turaco, Grauer’s broadbill, and Shelley’s crimson wing. 

Volcanoes National Park's other tourism activities include hiking, mountain biking, and canoeing. Village experiences abound, including witnessing the traditional Injera warrior dancers perform their best and engaging yourself in the local crafts in the markets. Participate in the local folklore to get a greater insight into Rwanda’s culture. Tour Buhanga Eco-Park on a guided nature walk. Buhanga Eco-Park covers a 31-hectare forest that is remembered because of the past kings of Rwanda, who underwent all their kingship rituals and initiations before becoming king. Visit the Musanze Caves. 

What is the Gorilla Trekking experience in Volcanoes National Park? 

Mountain gorillas are among the world’s largest surviving primates in the wild. Because gorillas have over 98 percent of human DNA, their behavior often feels remarkably human. Volcanoes National Park is home to over 12 mountain gorilla troops for tourists interested in observing gorilla behavior up close. Each gorilla troop has at least one silverback leading the family, or alpha male, and a harem of females and youngsters. Each day, eight tracking permits are issued per family. Which helps keep the gorilla experience as natural as possible. 

Gorilla trekking experiences with the troop vary from an hour to four hours; trekkers are allowed to spend one hour maximum with the gorilla family once they have been located. During this time, travelers can watch how gorillas groom, play, and feed.

The gorilla trekking experience offers an unforgettable memory that may be incredibly spiritual. Because gorilla trekking permits are limited, it is essential for travelers to book their gorilla trekking trips months in advance. Travelers interested in gorilla trekking must be at least 15 years old,` and Rwanda’s mountain gorilla trekking permits cost $1,500 per person, per day.

What are the best Hikes & Trails in Volcanoes National Park?

Hiking is another great adventure tourism activity in Volcanoes National Park. Volcanoes National Park offers different hiking trails, for which every tourist requires a hiking permit and a knowledgeable guide. The following are some of the most common hiking trails.

Lake Ngezi: Hiking to Lake Ngezi is One of the easiest hikes around Volcanoes National Park, the Lake Ngezi Trail takes you to the scenic lake situated at the foot of Mount Bisoke. Hiking to Lake Ngezi may take more than three hours, but it will reward you with views of the Congolese forests across the border.

Mount Bisoke: Hiking to the Mount Bisoke summit may take five hours or a full day, depending on the hiker’s physical fitness or the weather. It's worth the hike, and while it offers stunning views of the volcanoes, it's also the best place to capture the perfect shot of the crater lake.

Mount Karisimbi: Hike Mount Karisimbi. Standing at 14,787 feet above sea level, Mount Karisimbi is the highest volcano among the Virunga chained volcanoes and the highest summit in Rwanda. A Mount Karisimbi round-trip may take two days to be completed, offering a night to be spent under canvas with good chances for viewing gorillas and other primates on your trail back.

Karisoke Research Center: Hiking to Dian Fossey’s Karisoke Research Center takes a 30-minute transfer from Volcanoes National Park headquarters, followed by a 1- to 2-hour hike to the saddle neighboring Mount Karisimbi and Mount Bisoke.

In Rwanda, the harvest season varies greatly from year to year; therefore this could occur at any time between March and August. September is usually when the first coffees arrive.