Tea tours in Rwanda

Tea tours in Rwanda involve Visiting tea plantations, estate, and factories in Rwanda. Rwanda has become the leading export of tea as the major cash crop thus the best destination for travelers to visit during tea tours due to the existence of different tea farms that are situated in Rwanda.  Most of the travelers on a Rwanda tour usually add a tea tour to the list of their travel buckets while on a safari to Rwanda in order to experience different stages in tea production.

The nature of the soils is one of the major factors that boost the production of tea and actually coffee better than any other place in Africa and the entire world. A tea plantation tour in Rwanda enables travelers to have a close view of the tea plantation farms arranged in the ridges with some beautiful sceneries in the background and then proceed to the factory to watch the entire process involved in tea production and finally consume a cup of freshly prepared tea.

Which is the best place to visit for Tea tours in Rwanda?

The best place to Visiting tea plantations in Rwanda is in Nyungwe national park which harbors more tea plantations, estates, and factories than any other parts of Rwanda. These tea plantation farms are surrounded by Nyungwe national park in the north, south, east and west of which some of the plantations are privately owned while others are owned by the government.

Imagine standing in a tea farm surrounded by very beautiful hills, forest, and ridges is it awesome?

Well, add a visit to any of the tea plantation farms in Rwanda where you will spend some ample time close to the tea plantations, encounter with the farmers who will explain to you different stages in tea production and even allow you to take part in the similar activity.

In fact, taking a visit to Nyungwe national park offers a greater opportunity of visiting any coffee plantations of your choice after winding up with other park activities.

Are you planning a visit to tea plantations in Rwanda?, no worries here are some of the most visited tea plantations, estates, and factories in Rwanda that will take you into details of the entire tea production processes right from planting to the final consumer cup of tea. 

These include Gisakura Tea Estate and factory and Gisovu tea plantation Estates the most visited plantations by several travelers on a tea tour in Rwanda.

Visiting Gisakura Tea Estate and Factory during Tea Tours in Rwanda 

Gisakura tea estate and factory: This is one of the best tea plantations that nature lovers on a safari to Rwanda ought to add on their travel bucket for an awesome experience in the land of a thousand hills. Gisakura tea estate is situated in the western part of Nyungwe national park. Learn all the processes involved in tea production right from planting, but the most interesting part of the tea tour in Gisakura tea estate is a harvesting period where farmers line up in a row picking tea leaves. After experiencing the picking proceeds, proceed to the factory to learn more about drying, grinding, packing and take a fresh cup of drink. 

Gisovu Tea plantation estate 

Gisovu Tea plantation estate: Gisovu Tea plantation estate in Karongi – Kibuye is another heaven on earth when it comes to tea plantation tours in Rwanda. Gisovu tea plantation estate is 100% privately owned tea plantation and factory by a family in Karongi district producing both green tea, black tea and orthodox tea with the best aroma that one should not miss a taste while on a tea tour to Rwanda. Gisovu Tea Plantation is situated on the extreme northern corner of Nyungwe forest national park surrounded by Nyungwe forest in the background that offers a scenic view of the green vegetation. Taking a hike on foot or by opting for a bike ride around the tea plantations is yet an awesome experience to achieve at least once in a lifetime.

When is the best day to visit Nyungwe for a tea tour in Rwanda?

The best days of the week to visit tea plantations, tea estate and tea factories in Rwanda is between Mondays to Saturdays when farmers are actively in their farms. Visiting tea plantations on Sunday only enables you to view the farms but do not expect to find farmers on the farm as a Sunday is always set aside for rest and relaxation.

Other activities that are done in Nyungwe other than tea tours

Apart from tea plantation tours, Nyungwe has gotten a whole lot of other activities to engage in all year round and these include, chimpanzee trekking which the top activity is carried out by several travelers on a primate tour in Rwanda. Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe national park is done in Cyamudongo forest at a cost of $90 per person, nature walks, canopy walks and other hiking trails, among others.

In case of a wildlife safari, travelers can opt for a tour to Akagera national park for a breath taking game drive that takes you deep into the magnificent national park that harbors lots of wildlife species including a mammal, birds, different species of butterflies’ among others. Do a boat cruise to encounter water birds and aquatic mammals and have a community tour.

Also, travelers have a golden chance to visit volcanoes national park to trek the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat at a cost of $1500 per person, golden monkey trekking at $100, hike Dian Fossey tombs at $100 per person, Hike different volcanic mountains within Virunga massif, visit caves at $55 per person, and have a coffee tour at $50 per person within the volcanoes national park. 

Tea tours in Rwanda
Tea tours in Rwanda

Conclusion: Being close to Nyungwe forest, travelers on a tea tour in Rwanda to Gisakura tea plantation and Gisovu tea plantation are in a position to encounter some primate species that exist in Nyungwe forest and the commonly seen primate being Colobus monkeys and chimpanzees. There are also other different mammals seen along the way to the tea plantations such as forest elephants, warthogs. However, travelers on a tea plantation tour may opt for a combined tour including three national park that is Nyungwe forest national park, Akagera national park, and volcanoes national park to have an ample stay in Rwanda. Gisakura Tea Estate and factory and Gisovu tea plantation still remain the two best places in Nyungwe national park for a tea tour in Rwanda.