Iby’iwacu Cultural Village
Iby’iwacu Cultural Village: Founded in 2005, Iby’iwacu Cultural Village is a non-profit organization situated in Kinigi, Rwanda, near the national park of volcanoes. It is found with the intention of enhancing the quality of life for both communities surrounding Rwanda’s volcano park and reformed poachers by means of conversational incentives, community enterprise development, and livelihood-based projects.
The location offers some of the best features of a typical, centuries-old Rwandan village. Additionally, it provides tourists with the chance to interact with locals in their day-to-day activities. They demonstrate the process of making Urwagwa, the local banana beer, from the raw ingredients to the final product, and you have the chance to sample the beer.
This is a cultural village where you can view a model of the king’s home, learn about all the king’s tales, understand the significance of the various symbols found throughout the palace, and even watch and participate in a recreation of the king’s wedding ceremony.
A one-day visit to the village costs $35 USD per person, which includes all activities within the village as well as a stroll through the village to see the women, children, and seniors as well as other community events. While breakfast, lunch, supper, and all village activities are included in the cost of a $70.00USD per person per night overnight stay in the village. The itineraries will be customized based on the preferences and interests of the guests.
Visitors are entertained by various forms of traditional dances (such as intore dances), traditional songs (such as Hinga amasaka), and traditional musical instruments (such as Umuduri and Ikembe).
To learn more about the various medicinal trees, herbs, and grasses and their applications as well as how they were given to local patients, guests can visit a traditional healer in the area.
In addition to the traditional healer, there is an exhibition booth with handcrafted goods where you can purchase or view various handcrafted items like the wooden mask made by Gorrila and the itopito, a tool used by children to hunt birds.
When you arrive in this lovely and tranquil settlement, you will see more than you anticipated. Here, you will have the best view of the Rwandan volcanoes in a wonderful ambiance. The location provides visitors with an understanding of Rwandan culture through the people’s everyday lives, environmental knowledge, poetry, dance, singing, pottery, crafts, and traditional hunting and gathering techniques. Iby’iwacu is a prime illustration of Rwanda‘s success with community-based tourism.