Coffee Tours in Rwanda
Coffee Tours in Rwanda
Coffee Tours in Rwanda : Coffee tours in Rwanda are ideal for visitors travelling into the nation to include in their Rwanda safari itinerary since the crop to cup experience provides them with a beautiful sensation and unique memories to take back home.
Since missionaries introduced coffee plants to Rwanda in 1904, coffee has grown to become one of the country’s most important economic crops. Approximately 95% of the beans are high grade Arabica varietal Bourbon, with a smooth creamy body and notes of lemon and orange blossom, as well as caramel in the aftertaste.
A patchwork of 450,000 small producers produces coffee across Rwanda, although most visitors focus on Gisenyi, near the shores of Lake Kivu. Throughout the year, several growers’ cooperatives and washing stations provide tours that explain the coffee process.
Arabica Varietal Bourbon with a silky creamy body, hints of lemon and orange blossom, and caramel in the aftertaste, and this is due to the country’s strategic location beneath the equator situated at high altitudes and mountainous with rich volcanic soils that receive consistent temperatures daily – they provide perfect fertile solid to grow the best quality coffee beans, and this has attracted many tourists to undertake Coffee tours in Rwanda in order for them to discover some of the world’s best coffee.
The coffee-covered slopes are green all year, with the coffee cherries becoming a rich crimson red when ready for harvest, which is generally between February and May.
After being gathered, the beans are transported to washing stations where they are hand-sorted, pulped, fermented, and graded. They are then sun-dried on elevated screens before being taken for grinding.
Because the majority of the milling takes place in Kigali, the most evocative excursions are at the plantations and washing stations:
Kinunu Laundry Station
Kinunu, located approximately 20 kilometers south of Gisenyi and directly facing the beaches of Lake Kivu, is one of the most popular coffee tour locations due to its stunning views.
Kinunu purchases coffee cherries from hundreds of farmers who live and produce coffee near the washing station, on holdings that are generally less than a quarter of a hectare in size. It also has collaborations with a number of local cooperatives and farmer groups.
Kinunu, which can be reached by boat or bicycle, is a fantastic day excursion from Gisenyi and may be easily coupled with a walk or cycling on the Congo Nile Trail.
Ingoboka
The Ingoboka Collective, based near the village of Kayove on the route between Gisenyi and Karongi, operates several plantations and washing stations in the area, including a magnificently scenic cluster of farms on Nyamirundi Island, reachable by a short paddle over from the mainland and producing an Arabica renowned by connoisseurs the world over.
For a more in-depth look, KZ Noir distributes coffee from a range of cooperatives and farms around the country. Visitors with a specific interest can organise visits to any of their washing stations with a little advance arrangement. Kinunu’s landscape is difficult to beat for casual tourists.
On the northern lakeshore, KZ Noir has three more stations: Cyebumba, Nkora, and Rugamba. Shangi, Cyivugiza, and Cyiya are located south of Karongi. The Buliza Washing Station is located between Kigali and Gicumbi, close to the city.
Please note that if you wish to visit any of the above coffee plantations, you will have to book a coffee tour in Rwanda through a trusted tour operator company like Explore Rwanda Tours. This will help you organise a well-planned and incredible coffee tour in Rwanda which includes wonderful activities to your tour activities which will make your whole adventure in the country a memorable one with unforgettable moments.
