Category: Tourism

Simply Rwandaful- Oreste at Hermosa Life Tours & Travel said

Rwanda has been ranked among top greenest destinations

Rwanda has been ranked among top 20 world greenest places for 2015, according to World Travel Guide, an international travel guide for adventurous travellers.The global tourist guide released a list of 20 destinations in the world that are on the path to environmental enlightenment from self-sufficient villages to pioneering national parks.

According to the web portal, Rwanda has been ranked 3rd globally.

Costa Rica scooped top position on the list, followed by Ecuador, Rwanda, Uruguay, Brazil, Italy, Switzerland, Finland, Pitcairn Islands, the Isle of Eigg of Scotland, Bhutan, Sweden, Australia, Copenhagen, Chumbe Island in Tanzania, Britain, Iceland, Canada Azores Islands in Portugal and Portland, Oregon in that order. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Yamina Karitanyi, head of Tourism and Conservation at Rwanda Development Board, said that the ranking provides confidence to travellers coming to Rwanda especially tourists.

Want to travel to the Thousand Hills/ Rwanda, Beauty of Africa?

You can plan your trip with Hermosa Life a full service tourism agency that provides business and leisure travelers with expert advice. We offer a variety of travel services in Rwanda, and arrangements to the rest of East Africa. We are fully registered and licensed by Rwanda Development Board (RDB) as a privately owned Rwandan Tour Operator with our head office in Kigali, Rwanda. We specialize in getting the inside track on new locations or experiences and like to help our clients discover travel secrets away from the tourist crowds.

Our mission is to share the excitement of travel with our guests, providing a supreme experience by operating at the highest standards. We provide travel services that are creative with integrity, and professionalism. Hermosa means “beautiful” in Spanish. We strive to offer an appealing experience to our guests in the stunning Rwandan and East African landscapes.

We offer the following services:

– Safari Planning and Execution
– Ticketing (International and regional flights)
– Family and Group Adventures
– Historical, cultural and adventure journeys
– Hotel and Lodge reservations
– Car hire services
– Gorilla and Chimpanzee trekking and bird watching
– MICE Services
– Romantic Getaways

We are confident in our ability to offer high quality tours and travel services locally and regionally (East Africa). At Hermosa Life – Tours and Travel, we pride ourselves on the service and standard of excellence that we give to our clients. We prioritize educational, experiential and inspiring visits. We strive to assist visitors in understanding the country, learning about its history, people and culture. We provide cultural and educational tour programs for individuals and organizations, academic institutions, corporations, international networks, incentive travel clients and individuals. Our itineraries are tailor-made to accommodate the specific needs and desires of each client.

For more information, contact us:

Office: Niza Plaza Building, Kigali, Rwanda
Tel: +250 788 255 906
Email: hermosalifetoursandtravel@gmail.com or info@rwandagorillars.rw www.rwandagorillas.rw

A United States dentist who has become the target of worldwide outrage for hunting and killing a protected lion in Zimbabwe has written to his patients to apologise for the disruption to services at his Minnesota clinic.

Walter James Palmer remained out of the public eye on Wednesday in the face of protests at his suburban Minneapolis clinic and intense condemnation online.

He has not appeared in public since being identified Tuesday as being involved in the lion’s death.

In Zimbabwe, a hunting guide and a farm owner appeared in court on Wednesday on allegations they helped Palmer kill the lion named Cecil.

The men were accused of aiding Palmer, who reportedly paid $50,000 to track and kill a lion.

Local hunter Theo Bronkhorst appeared in a court in Hwange, 800km west of Harare, and was charged with “failing to supervise, control and take reasonable steps to prevent an unlawful hunt”.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was set free after posting $1,000 bail and depositing his passport with the court. He will return to court on August 5 for trial.

Game park owner Honest Ndlovu, who is also accused of assisting Palmer, was not charged on Wednesday and parks officials said he would first give evidence for the state and be charged later.

Apologising for the disruption to services at his clinic, Palmer, 55, referenced his Zimbabwe hunt in a note to his patients.

“I understand and respect that not everyone shares the same views on hunting,” he wrote in the letter, which was obtained by the local Fox television affiliate, KMSP.

“I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt.

“I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt. I have not been contacted by authorities in Zimbabwe or in the US about this situation, but will assist them in any inquiries they may have.

“Again, I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion. That was never my intention.”

Palmer, whose clinic offers general and cosmetic dentistry, is an active big-game hunter, with many kills to his name.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service said it was “deeply concerned about the recent killing of Cecil the lion”.

“We are currently gathering facts about the issue and working with officials in Zimbabwe, as requested,” it said in a statement on Wednesday.

“It is up to all of us – not just the people of Africa – to ensure that healthy, wild populations of animals continue to roam the savanna for generations to come.”

Source: Aljazeera

After 26 days locked up in a specially constructed 1,000-sqm perimeter in Rwanda’s Akagera National Park, lions have been safely released into the wilderness of the park.

At the beginning of this month, Rwanda imported seven lions from South Africa in a bid to boost the tourism industry which is the country’s biggest foreign exchange earner.

African Parks together with the Rwanda Development Board relocated lions from South Africa and re-introduced the species into Akagera National Park in Eastern Rwanda.

African parks is a non-profit organisation that takes total responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks in partnership with governments and local communities in Africa.

On arrival at the park in Rwanda, the lions were placed in a specially constructed boma in the north of the park. Split into two separate enclosures, the perimeter features a three-metre high, chain-linked electrified fence.

A water reserve was constructed within the boma and the lions were fed game meat while in the enclosure.

The park authorities on Sunday let the big cats free in order to allow them adapt life to the wildness where they can now hunt prey for themselves.

“We have closely monitored them for close to a month while in enclosures but now we have released them to hone their hunting skills and boost ecosystem in the park,” Jes Gruner, the Akagera National Park Manager told reporters on Sunday.

He noted that they are now used to Rwanda climate hence they should be free from controlled enclosures and hunt for their own food in one of Africa’s most diverse savanna parks.

Gruner stated that tourists will be able to see the lions in the park in Rwanda for the first time in 21 years; however, it would solely depend on where the animal will be located at the time of visit.

Available information indicates that the park once had about 230 lions but, after the 1994 Genocide, returnees encroached on the park pushing the lions out and killing others.

The park was reduced from 2,500 to 1,200 square kilometers until when government intervened to reclaim some parts.

Akagera National Park is the country’s famous Savanna animal sanctuary with a wide- range of game that include buffalos, elephants, zebras, giraffes, hippos, and antelopes, among others.

Last year Rwanda’s tourism industry registered revenue receipts worth 304.9 million U.S. dollars (about Rwf218 billion). The post genocide nation hosted a total number of about 1.22 million visitors in 2014.

Leisure has been a major driver of Rwanda’s tourism industry. Currently, the country is focusing on Meetings Incentives Conference and Exhibitions/Events (MICE) tourism, capitalizing on safety, developed infrastructure, accessibility and new entrants in the hotel industry such as the Marriott, Radisson Blu, Radisson by Park Inn, Sheraton, Golden Tulip, Kempisnki and Zinc, amongst others.

Source: Xinhua

Rwanda is blessed with abundance of natural beauty and breath taking scenery. The land of 1000 hills has tremendous topographical breath taking scenery, including the Rift Valley with its Volcano Mountains, lakes and ancient granitic hills.

The landscapes in this ‘green country’ are truly breathtaking. Rwanda’s mountainous topography is a product of her position on the eastern rim of the Albertine Rift Valley, part of the Great Rift Valley which cuts through Africa from the Red Sea to Mozambique, forming a mountain range that traverses the country from north to south.

It is one of the most scenic tourist destinations that qualify to be a photographer’s paradise because it boasts wonderful people, awe-inspiring lakes, astonishing scenery, just right climate, rare species of apes particularly the mountain gorillas and an amazing irregular landscape whose valleys and peaks combine with the sky to produce captivating moods. The West coast of the country overlooks the beautiful shores of Lake Kivu.

Rwanda among top greenest destinations

RWANDA has been ranked among top 20 world greenest places for 2015, according to World Travel Guide, an international travel guide for adventurous travellers.

The global tourist guide released a list of 20 destinations in the world that are on the path to environmental enlightenment from self-sufficient villages to pioneering national parks.

According to the web portal, Rwanda has been ranked 3rd globally.

Costa Rica scooped top position on the list, followed by Ecuador, Rwanda, Uruguay, Brazil, Italy, Switzerland, Finland, Pitcairn Islands, the Isle of Eigg of Scotland, Bhutan, Sweden, Australia, Copenhagen, Chumbe Island in Tanzania, Britain, Iceland, Canada Azores Islands in Portugal and Portland, Oregon in that order.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Yamina Karitanyi, head of Tourism and Conservation at Rwanda Development Board, said that the ranking provides confidence to travellers coming to Rwanda especially tourists.

The experience of living starts when you find the pleasure of enjoying, those little things around us creating unforgettable moments which last a lifetime. Each details counts to satisfy our clients who travel to Rwanda.

Hermosa Life Tours and Travel is a full service agency that provides business and leisure travelers with expert travel advice. We offer a variety of travel services in Rwanda, and arrangements to the rest of East Africa and the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo; we’ll assist you with all your requirements to and from the destinations of your choice. We are fully registered and licensed by Rwanda Development Board (RDB.)

We are a privately owned Rwandan Tour Operator with our head office in Kigali Rwanda. We like to get the inside track on places, to discover travel secrets away from the tourist crowds. We’ve found specialists who know places confidentially to run the tours and help you to ‘travel like a local’. They want to keep their homes special & unspoolt by tourism, which we like.

At Hermosa Life Tours and Travel Rwanda we pride ourselves on the service and standard of excellence that we give to you, our clients. This service extends to every stage of your journey with Hermosa Life Tours and Travel, from the very start of your enquiry to the phone call or e mails you receive from us when you get back from your holiday. With our staff’s personally knowledge and expertise they will create your perfect holiday experience. The combination of expertise and luxury creates truly inspirational travel experiences – something we like to call the Hermosa Life Tours and Travel dissimilarity

Oreste Managing Director at Hermosa life tours has organized different safaris for the people who want to travel to Rwanda but no idea of where to travel. Plan your trip today

www.rwandagorillas.rw
hermosalifetoursandtravel@gmail.com, info@rwandagorillas.rw
+250 788 25 59 06
Niza Plaza Building

Rwanda will generate Rwf54.7 billion ($76 million) from conferences scheduled for next year, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) says.

The country earned $303 million from tourism revenues from 1.2 million visitors last year, contributing 3% to the country’s GDP.

Out of this, meetings, conferences and events (MICE) fetched over $50 million, Amb. Yamina Karitanyi, head of Tourism Department at RDB told KT Press.

Amb. Karitanyi told journalists that Rwanda will host the upcoming Africa Hotel Investment Forum scheduled for Kigali city in September next year; “Hosting AHIF will position Rwanda as a leading conference destination in the region.”

The forum is expected to bring together 600 delegates from across the world, with a focus on exploiting Rwanda’s growing tourism sector.

“We see AHIF as an excellent platform to meet many of the most important decision makers and investors who have the power to influence the hospitality industry in Africa,” Amb. Karitanyi told KT Press.

Meanwhile, Frank Murangwa who heads MICE, says that other big events to bring up next year’s revenue targets will include; the World Economic Forum on Africa, Interpol Conference as well as African Union Summit.

Murangwa told KT Press that infrastructure has been prioritised for successive upcoming events, including world class hotels coming to Rwanda.

The focus on MICE tourism is motivated by safety, developed infrastructure and the new entrants in the hotel industry.

Some of the upcoming global hotel chains in the country include Marriot Hotel which is set to open soon. Others are Radisson Blue, Radisson by Park Inn, Sheraton Hotel; Golden Tulip Hotels, Suites and Resorts which operates a global structure, Kempinski and Zinc, among others.

Tours and Travel agents who spoke to KT Press said the events will rejuvenate their shaken business as a result of recent global threats.

“Our business was severely shaken in terms of bookings due to recent threats including Ebola outbreak in West Africa as well Al-shabab’s attacks in Kenya. We hope these events will bring us back on board,” Joseph Birori, head of Rwanda Tour and Travel Agencies association told KT Press.

The Kigali Genocide Memorial and the Ntarama Church located in Bugesera District, Rwanda have been named by TripAdvisor as two of the “Top 25 Landmarks – Africa”. The memorials share the history of the Genocide against the Tutsi, in which more than one million Rwandans were killed.

As two of the most eye-opening destinations on the TripAdvisor list, the sites serve as a reminder of Rwanda’s past, as well as how far the country has come in the last 21 years. In addition to visiting the two memorials, travelers to Rwanda can experience a wide array of offerings, including the country’s famed gorilla treks, cave tours, birding, game safaris, art exhibits, and cultural experiences.

“It is an honor for two of our historic sites to be included on TripAdvisor’s list of landmarks,” says Ambassador Yamina Karitanyi, the Chief Tourism Officer at the Rwanda Development Board. “We encourage visitors to experience all Rwanda has to offer, including art, history, and dining as well as our rich nature and wildlife viewing.”

Number ten on TripAdvisor’s list is the Kigali Genocide Memorial, an education center which opened in April 2004 on the 10th anniversary of the Genocide against the Tutsi.

A $15 audio guide tour takes visitors through the museum where they hear survivor accounts of the events of the Genocide. Entrance without an audio guide is free. In addition to the history of the Genocide, the exhibit educates patrons on the global history of mass atrocity. Visitors are encouraged to make a donation in exchange for a rose, which can be left in honor of the victims of the Genocide.

Ntarama Church, number twelve on TripAdvisor’s list, is the site of a massacre that took place during the Genocide. A tour guide takes visitors through the church and Sunday school building, explaining the horror that took place there. There is no fee to visit the museum or take part in the tour, but a donation is encouraged.

Trip Advisor’s recognition names just two of the many must-see experiences in Rwanda. Travelers are able to visit historical sites, become immersed in the country’s exciting culture, and experience a landscape full of biodiversity and wildlife. Rwanda is a top destination for world travelers.

Source: Travel World News

Another day! Another milestone! Setting new bench marks in cultural heritage promotion in schools kept ringing into my ears as the outreach team set off to Karongi district, western province. Schools visited included; College St. Mary, IPRC western, and Ecole secondaire Bwishura.

Now,

Over the last few years, many schools have eliminated or cut back on museum trips partly because of tight budgets that make it hard to pay for a bus and admission fees and partly because of the growing emphasis on “seat time” to cover all the materials on state tests. However, new museology emerged: a practical theory in museums linked to community archeology that intended to move away seeing a museum as a building to something built for and pro-people.

At present, the age of silent museum is gone and the focus by going an extra mile to cover a wider public arena. To make up for this decline in school visits, Rwanda museums are taking their lessons to classrooms through “Museums in schools” to fully engage with students. This re-thinking of museum study has integrated students and local communities to become more curious in picking interest and desire to visit or be visited by museums.

Education being a basic necessity for development, if devoid of people’s culture, there would be less or no progress at all in that given society. It would simply be more or less empty and incomplete. What is more detrimental is having no idea of one’s own identity and heritage. But knowing who you are and where you come from is very critical and an important element to our young generations. It always indicates a future. Then, why take risks now. The educational processes in museums today enriches and exposes children to see, touch, and feel culture and history in a positive trend. Rwanda Museum’s outreach programs are designed to promote high early learning cultural impact and experiences for children to fully understand and appreciate the history, culture and take pride in the achievements of their colorful distant past.

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museums_in_schools-karongi.docx

Seven Lions will return to Rwanda for the first time in more than two decades, wildlife officials have said, after the endangered animal was wiped out following the the 1994 genocide Against Tutsi.

Seven lions — two males and five females — are being transported from South Africa and will arrive by air in Rwanda on Monday after a 36 hour journey, where they will be taken and released after at least two weeks quarantine into the eastern Akagera National Park.

Park officials in Akagera, a 112,000 hectare (27,6800 acre) park bordering Tanzania, said the reintroduction was “a ground-breaking conservation effort for both the park and the country of Rwanda.”

Lions are coming from parks in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, from “relatively small, confined reserves where it is necessary to occasionally remove surplus lions,” a statement from Akagera added.

The seven were chosen “based on future reproductive potential and their ability to contribute to social cohesion”, with animals including a mix of ages and genetic makeup.

– ‘Conservation milestone’ –

The lion remains listed as vulnerable at a global level, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature said Thursday in an update to its “Red List” of threatened species.

Rapid decline has been recorded in eastern Africa, which historically has been a stronghold for lions, IUCN said, warning that trade in bones and other body parts for traditional medicine in Africa and in Asia was a new and emerging threat to the species.

The western African lion subpopulation is listed as “critically endangered” due to over-hunting and dwindling prey.

“The return of lions to Akagera is a conservation milestone for the park and the country,” said Peter Fearnhead, head of African Parks, which helps run Akagera.

The park is fenced, but the cats will be equipped with “satellite collars” to reduce the risk of them entering inhabited areas.

“The collars have a two-year life, by which time the park team will have evaluated the pride dynamics and only the dominant individuals in each pride will be re-collared,” the park added.

Akagera offers plenty of food for the top predator, and is home to multiple antelope species, buffaloes, giraffes and zebras, as well as leopards and elephants.

Some two hours by vehicle from the capital Kigali, it is an important tourist destination, with some 28,000 visitors in 2014.

AFP