Visit Gorilla Guardian Village
Visit Gorilla Guardian Village, a popular non-profit Organization at the borders of Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. This Organization was mainly established to improve the lives of reformed poachers as well as the general local communities living around the Protected Area. Therefore visiting the Village will not only introduce you to their projects that are geared towards conservation, community enterprise, and livelihood development but also get immersed into typical Rwandan cultures and traditions by engaging in their activities. Book Now
Formerly referred to as the “Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village. Visitors get to experience real and undiluted Rwandan rural life with different activities that range from the preparation of local dishes, grinding grains with big smooth stones, using bows and arrows, visit to the Royal Palace replica and the traditional Intore dance among others.
When you visit the Gorilla Guardian Village, be prepared to learn about the traditional rural Rwandan Village life that has been in existence for Centuries. Also, this is a perfect time for meeting and interacting with the local people and their natural environment, having a taste of their culture and traditions, and many other adventures that will blow your mind. There are a number of activities provided at the Gorilla Guardian Village that include;
Guided village/community walks with a local guide where travelers get the chance to explore several amazing sites in the community. From these guided walks, you also have a deeper insight into the day-to-day lives of the people.
Tours of the King’s Palace Replica are also provided at Gorilla Guardian Village and also led by a local guide who tells the King’s stories, and meanings of the outstanding cultural objects and symbols at the Palace. The climax of this activity is becoming a King or Queen for minutes, sitting on the Throne, and exercising King’s powers over your subjects.
Participating in any of the 8 Rwanda traditional dances is also remarkable and provided at Gorilla Guardian Village. Visitors can join in the dances that are performed by children, men, women, and youth, with different traditional musical instruments. Some of the instruments include traditional drums, traditional xylophones, spears, guitars, “Inanga” (an Oval-shaped harp), “Umuduri” (lamellaphones), and “iningiri” instruments, and many others.
Visiting the local traditional healer is also unmissable during tours of the Gorilla Guardian Village to learn about the different shrubs, leaves, trees, barks, roots, and grass of important medicinal value and how they are administered. Similarly, you can visit the traditional pharmacy/clinic and even interact with some of the patients.
During your visit to the Gorilla Guardian Village, you can also enjoy a guided tour of the nearby local schools. You will be amazed by how learning is done without laptops, electricity, and other technologies that you are used to. You can share knowledge and experiences, or even donate some scholastic materials.
You can’t leave the Gorilla Guardian Village without preparing and enjoying a meal with the local people. Here, you will follow the local women to the gardens to harvest fresh food (plantain, fresh greens and vegetables, sweet potatoes, and fresh beans), and participate in preparing and even partaking of it.
Banana beer brewing is another activity that you can’t afford to miss during your visit to Gorilla Guardian Village. You will learn about the process of banana ripening (although you will use already ripe fruits since ripening takes days), brewing, and finally tasting the local beer.
You will also learn about ex-poachers’ hunting skills and also learn about their experiences and how their lives have been transformed.
Another exciting activity during your visit to Gorilla Guardian Village is the Batwa Pottery-making experience where you will see the process of making pots from Clay. Similarly, you will interact with the artisans and craft-making members of the local community, especially women and men.
The climax of your visit to Gorilla Guardian Village is the local match between visitors and the local community. However, a number of guidelines should be followed during your tours and these include using bins and carrying non-degradable little, not giving children snacks, money, and empty water bottles since it encourages the “spirit of begging”. Instead, donations can be made at the center. Also, respect the culture of the people and dress decently during your tour. A cultural safari is a chance to embrace local life, best done after your gorilla trek in Rwanda to observe mountain gorillas in their natural habitat and immerse yourself in the world’s premier safari experience.
