Rwanda’s Kwita Izina (Mountain Gorilla Naming) Ceremony for July 01, 2014

Rwanda will celebrate the birth of 18 baby gorillas at the 10th anniversary of Kwita Izina, the annual gorilla naming ceremony. The event will take place in Kinigi, Musanze on 1 July 2014. This year’s theme is ‘A Decade: Conserving-Empowering-Growing’.

“On this occasion, we will not only celebrate the birth of one of the world’s most endangered species but also the efforts of individuals, organisations and nations involved in the preservation of these rare animals,”

Rwanda’s community led conservation efforts have led to a 26.3% growth in the population of gorillas since 2003 and Kwita Izina has been key to this success. This is also thanks to the Government of Rwanda which has ensured tourism flourishes in a secure and enabling environment.”

Early this year, Kwita Izina won second prize in the UNWTO Ulysses Award for Innovation in Public Policy and Governance. The Rwanda Development Board recognises enhanced national conservation practices and community ownership of projects around the Volcanoes National Park that have seen beneficiaries empowered and their lives improved.

Rwanda’s tourism sector has also been growing remarkably. In 2013, Rwanda hosted 1,137,000 visitors who generated $294m, up from $62m in 2000. This increase is attributed to Rwanda’s attractiveness as a travel destination, new airline routes, especially in West Africa, spearheaded by our national carrier RwandAir, an increase in unique experiences for tourists and the county’s stability and welcoming visa policies.

Kwita Izina will be marked by a series of activities starting with the launch of Basumba Primary School in Bigogwe, Nyabihu District on 26 June 2014. The school of six classrooms has been built with funds from the Shared Revenue Scheme which gives 5% of tourism profits from National Parks back to the communities surrounding the gorilla habitat. This launch will be followed by a mix of conservation, business, cultural and entertainment activities.

Kwita Izina is inspired by the ancient Rwandan tradition of naming babies soon after they are born. In the nine years since the event was established, 161 mountain gorillas have been named in a celebration of nature and the communities who protect the magnificent animals.

Kwita Izina Activities:

26 June: Official launch of Basumba Primary School in Bigogwe, Nyabihu District. The school of six classrooms has been built with funding from the Shared Revenue Scheme. It will enable over 380 children to easily access education facilities.

28 June: Global Umuganda. Participants will have an opportunity to participate in the Global Umuganda. The community work reflects on the culture and commitment of Rwandans to clean and conserve the environment.

28 June: B2B meetings, Serena Hotel, Kigali: This platform will provide an opportunity for local tourism operators to showcase Rwanda tourism experiences to domestic, regional and international markets.

29-30 June: Gorilla Conservation and Community Exhibition at Musanze Stadium. The aim of the exhibition is to showcase what has been achieved in conservation and community empowerment through the 5% revenue sharing scheme.

30 June: Igitaramo (Community Party) in Kinigi is a night of cultural immersion with performances from local dance troupes and musicians.

1 July: Kwita Izina Gorilla Naming Ceremony at Volcanoes National Park

Key Tourism and Hospitality Facts and Figures:

Rwanda has three National Parks: Akagera National Park, Nyungwe National Park and Volcano National Park.
Rwanda has many unique tourist attractions including the mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, eco-tourism, heritage & leisure experiences.
Rwanda is becoming increasingly attractive for Conference Tourism (MICE); recently hosting the African Development Bank meetings and will host the World Export Development Forum in September, among other events.
In 2010, Rwanda hosted 666,000 visitors who generated US$ 200M - a 14% increase from 2009. In 2013, Rwanda hosted 1,137,000 visitors who generated $294m, up from $62m in 2000.
Tourism receipts are expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 25% until 2017 (EDPRS 2 targets).

Rwanda has over 380 accommodation establishments and approx. 6,500 accommodation rooms. Upper range occupancy rate is 70%, with foreigners accounting for 97% of beds availed.
The rapid growth of RwandAir in addition to other airlines serving Kigali such as KLM, SN Brussels, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines allow for easy access to the country from all over the world.

For gorilla permits availability for other months, most certainly the dates are available but please contact us to confirm before you go ahead with your flights bookings.

In case you want gorilla tracking in Uganda, kindly drop us an email (info@gorillasandwildlifesafaris.com and gorillasandwildlifesafari@gmail.com) and we will let you know of the possibilities.

Rwanda and Uganda Gorilla Treks: Tracking Gorillas and Chimps across Uganda and Rwanda in Volcanoes National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable, Kibale National Park

• 3 days Uganda Gorilla tour
• 3 day Gorilla tracking Rwanda
• 4 Days Gorilla Trek ( 2 treks)
• 4 days Rwanda Gorillas with Golden Monkeys trek
• 4 Days Rwanda Nyungwe Chimps + Gorilla Trek Tour
• 4 days Rwanda Gorillas + Cultural Village Tours
• Rwanda 4 Days gorilla trek with Hike to Visoke Volcano
• Rwanda 4 Days gorilla trek with Relaxing at Lake Kivu
• 5 Days Rwanda Gorillas Nyungwe Chimps Tracking
• 5 Days Rwanda Gorillas, Visoke Hike, Golden Monkeys
• 6 Days Rwanda Gorillas Trek (2 treks), and Nyungwe Chimps Tour
• 6 Days Rwanda Gorillas, Chimps +other primates
• 7 Days Rwanda Primates Tour

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4 days Uganda+ Rwanda Gorilla
This is a 4 day safari which starts and ends in Kigali- Rwanda with 2 gorilla permits (for Parc Nationale des Volcanoes and Bwindi in Uganda) included in the. Having a chance to see some of the last remaining 840 mountain gorillas in the world is a wonderful experience. It offers you an opportunity to track gorillas two times.

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5 Days of Rwanda Uganda gorillas, primates with Golden Monkeys Tracking trekking Rwanda
This is a 4 day safari which starts and ends in Kigali- Rwanda. One gorilla permit for Parc Nationale des Volcanoes is included in the cost but the other gorilla trackings require other permits to be paid at time of booking. Having a chance to see some of the last remaining 700 mountain gorillas in the world is a wonderful experience. It offers you an opportunity to track gorillas two times. Parc Nationale des Volcanoes in Rwanda has five habituated gorilla families and tracking most groups in the afro-montane forest usually takes a few hours. You can also climb a volcano, visit the remains of Dian Fossey's grave or visit the endangered golden monkey.

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5 days Uganda+ Rwanda Gorillas
with gorilla treks in Volcanoes National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The tour starts  and ends in Uganda. You can choose to track golden monkeys instead of doing a second gorilla trek in Rwanda.

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5 days Rwanda+ Uganda Gorilla tracking tour
This is a 5 day safari which starts and ends in Kigali- Rwanda with 2 gorilla permits (for Parc Nationale des Volcanoes and Bwindi in Uganda) included in the. Having a chance to see some of the last remaining 700 mountain gorillas in the world is a wonderful experience. It offers you an opportunity to track gorillas two times and thus have a totally different experience with two different gorilla families each in a very unique habitat.

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5 days Gorillas trek Rwanda and Safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park Uganda
This is a 5 day safari which starts and ends in Kigali- Rwanda. One gorilla permit for Parc Nationale des Volcanoes is included in the cost but the other gorilla trackings require other permits to be paid at time of booking. Having a chance to see some of the last remaining 700 mountain gorillas in the world is a wonderful experience. It offers you an opportunity to track gorillas two times. Parc Nationale des Volcanoes in Rwanda has five habituated gorilla families and tracking most groups in the afro-montane forest usually takes a few hours. You can also climb a volcano, visit the remains of Dian Fossey's grave or visit the endangered golden monkey.
Queen Elizabeth National Park to see wildlife like lions, leopard, elephants, hippos, buffalo plus over 500 bird species.

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5-day Uganda Rwanda gorillas tracking safari + Lake Bunyonyi Canoe Trek
with gorilla treks in Volcanoes National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The tour starts  and ends in Uganda or Rwanda. You can choose to track golden monkeys instead of doing a second gorilla trek in Rwanda.

Rwanda’s Mountain Gorilla Naming Ceremony (Kwita Izina) set for Awards

Rwanda’s annual Kwita Izina, which invlolves the Rwandan tradition of having the community and invited guests name the baby Mountain Gorillas, will join two other projects for the United Nations World Tourism Organisation Ulysses Award.

The finals are set for Madrid, Spain on January 22nd. This was announced by the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) after a list of the finalists were published at the end of last year.

“We are so grateful for this chance to participate in the finals of innovative projects by UNWTO,” Valentine Rugwabiza, the RDB Chief Executive Officer said.

He said this was a global recognition of the efforts by Rwanda in innovative, community focused and sustainable tourism.

Kwita Izina was launched in 2005 and has so far seen 173 baby gorillas named by different people who include the Rwandan President Paul Kagame, the First Lady Jeanette Kagame, various Hollywood stars, renowned journalists, tourism personalities, conservationists among others.

Such an event is in line with creating and raising awareness for the conservation of the endangered mountain gorillas. At the same time Rwandan tourist attractions and destinations are promoted, particularly for the community surrounding the Volcanoes National Park where the gorillas live.
“Rwanda is on the right track of developing tourism and RDB will continue forming a basis for continued positioning of the country as a high end destination that puts first sustainable tourism development which integrates both biodiversity and the community development,” the Head of Tourism and Conservation at RDB, Rica Rwigaba, said.
She said this was a great opportunity to market Rwanda even more widely in the tourism industry.

During the forthcoming 10^th edition of Kwita Izina later this year, it is anticipated that the event will get increased publicity due to UN-WTO recognition.

To date, the event has raised Rwf586,838,751, (about $978,065) for community development as part of the RDB’s tourism revenue sharing scheme.
it has evolved from a one day celebration to weeks and this mainly benefits the surrounding community.

Since 2003 UNWTO awards for excellence and Innovation in Tourism have honored tourism initiatives that contribute to advanced tourism through knowledge and innovation in line with principles of the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism and United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

This event has again increased on revenue got from tourism and therefore this is why it is crucial to be developed even more.

Meanwhile according to UNWTO, compared to the same period in 2012, international tourist arrivals grew 5 percent in the first nine months of 2013, UNWTO’s latest ‘UNWTO World Tourism Barometer’ shows that destinations around the world welcomed a record 845 million overnight visitors in the first nine months of this year. That’s 41 million more overnight visitors than the first nine months of 2012.

Growth was especially strong in Europe and Asia Pacific, where international tourists numbers rose 6 percent.

Climbing Mount Karisimbi (Rwanda)

by Ivan Wassaaka 

Mount Karisimbi is the highest of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains. It is a huge dome, now dormant, that dominates the range, more in girth than in height. Its name in Kinyaruanda means white shell, which refers to its often white-capped summit. Interestingly, this cap results not from snow but from hail and sleet which accumulate in the higher elevations from its frequent storms. It is located within the Parc National Des Volcans, and many of the volcanoes are connected by good trails.

The going is quite steep and good navigation is required not only through the lower slopes, but also on the mountain itself. It consists of secondary jungle and in the most gives an aerie appearance. It is close the the jungle HQ of Dianne Fossey the renowned gorrila expert.

The ascent of Karisimbi (at 4,507m the sixth-highest mountain in Africa, after Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya, Ruwenzori, Mount Meru (Tanzania) and Ras Dashen in Ethiopia’s Simien Mountains) is a two-day excursion; ORTPN will provide guides but trekkers should have suitable clothing and equipment. This activity needs to be arranged at least 2 days in advance. Cost is $400 and includes the guide but you may need to pay an extra $10 for tent hire.

The drive from the park office to the trailhead is 16 km and takes about 30 minutes to the car park where the road ends. Here you shall meet your porters (who you hire at Rfr5,000 per day and this’ not included in the cost). The climbing starts from about 2,600m ASL.

At about 2,067m ASL, you reach close to the Dian Fossey tomb and gorilla graveyards (but visiting would require you pay an extra fee). Your will then traverse different vegetation zones: bamboo and wild celery on the lower slopes, ideal food for gorillas. Then hagenia forest, with old man’s beard moss on the branches. Then above 3,000m, the marvelous giand groundsel and giant lobelia. Your first camp is at 3,700, a similar altitude to Bisoke, clearly visible behind the camp.

The next day you wake as early as 5:30AM for your breakfast and early departure. The trail gets steeper, much as the fog closes in and ground gets muddy. The terrain gets more tougher here. At about 4,000m, you are above the tree line, the slopes become more exposed and here you need to wear your gloves and hat. After about 2 hours ascent, you start on you last hundreds meters of climbing, walking on volcanic scree (more like grey gravel but not loose). The wind starts getting harder and visibility drops to 25m. Suddenly, you realize you cannot climb the anymore – you are at the summit! The Congolese border is just within a few feet from here. The descent back to the car park takes about 6 hours (including breaks at the camp and the others).

 

Other Vital Facts:

Best months for climbing :    Jan, Feb, Mar, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
Volcanic status:   Dormant
Year first climbed: 1903
Latitude: -1.5
Longitude: 29.45
Difficulty: Scramble
Elevation (feet): 14787 
Elevation (meters): 4507

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Karisimbi Gorilla Family (Susa-B gorilla group) of Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

Karisimbi Gorilla Family (Susa-B gorilla group) of Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

This is the family that split from the Original Susa (Susa-A) family and now it’s called Susa-B or Karisimbi Group. It contains 15 individuals and it always stays in the slopes of Karisimbi Volcano (4507M). which the highest pick of Rwanda. The Karisimbi Group is better suited to visits for more serious hikers. It appears that they have established their home range high up on the slopes of the Karisimbi caldera. Thus, a visit to this group may well end up as a full-days trek. The group sometimes migrates to higher altitude and hence makes tracking difficult. However, RDB tourism and conservation guides know where to find the group a day before. Tracking this gorilla family may sometimes be prohibited because of its distant location.

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Rwanda’s RDB to Grade more hotels

tours/uganda-chimp-wildlife-gorilla-trek-7-days/sing the East African Community’s guidelines for grading and classification of hotels and other hospitality businesses, RDB is reportedly committed to play their part in ensuring that standards and quality of tourism establishments in Rwanda are uplifted to match if not exceed those of their neighbours in the East African community.

 

The Rwanda Development Board’s Tourism and Conservation Department is set to grade at least 30 more hotels this year, following the start of the exercise last year. tours/uganda-chimp-wildlife-gorilla-trek-7-days/sing the East African Community’s guidelines for grading and classification of hotels and other hospitality businesses, RDB is reportedly committed to play their part in ensuring that standards and quality of tourism establishments in Rwanda are uplifted to match if not exceed those of their neighbours in the East African community. Presently only the Kigali Serena Hotel and the Nyungwe Forest Lodge by DubaiWorld hold the coveted 5 star ranking, while a number of other Kigali hotels were graded as four star properties, as was the Lake Kivu Serena. A number of other establishments have requested to be put on the list for upcoming inspections to ensure they too can publicly announce and display their star rating once the exercise is complete. Those already graded will however also undergo a fresh audit to ensure that standards established at first inspection will have been maintained to ensure continued high ranking, also giving others the opportunity to attain a further star, should improvement made over the past two years warrant such a decision.

‘When you were here last time we discussed the very issue of standards. Rwanda is a niche destination, still largely focused on gorilla tracking. The new products launched over the past two or three years however have attracted a lot of attention. Hiking is now a regular activity, in Nyungwe Forest, Gishwati Forest and along the Congo-Nile Trail. Birding has become an important additional niche. It is now important to raise our standards so when visitors come to Rwanda as an extension of their Kenya or Tanzania holiday they get the best possible quality, in guides, in infrastructure and of course in hospitality. There is always room to improve but we have made it our mission to accomplish certain goals sooner rather than later. When the new Marriott will open, it will compete at level terms with the Serena and that is good for the country as it offers another 5 star choice. Our MICE business is growing strongly too and that segment of the market in particular is really very much interested in quality facilities. Rwanda is going places’ said a source in Kigali working at a hotel but, for not being the official company spokesperson had to opt for an off the record comment.

Rwanda to Host the Pan-African Dance Festival

Rwanda will host the 8th edition of the Pan-African Dance Festival (FESPAD) event which is expected to attract at least 40 countries from around the world.

The festival is being organized by the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and the Ministry of Sports and Culture (MIJESPOC); under the theme "The spirit of expression." The one week and half-long event will begin on February 23 through March 2nd 2013.

The RDB Head of Tourism and Conversation Rica Rwigamba confirmed the developments and told the press, this Wednesday that the festival will create a platform to position Kigali as international events destination while promoting the great aspect of Africa unity through dance.

Pan African Dance Festival (FESPAD) is an unrivalled African Dance festival held as a means to promote peace and unity on the African continent.

Dance as an important part of African culture dates as far back as the earliest documentation of African history. The role played by dances in traditional African community went beyond entertainment fostering peace and unity, bringing peoples and communities closer together.

FESPAD was created out of the realization that dance still holds the same importance in the social, political and economic fabric of the continent and continues to promote integration, peace and unity. The theme for the 8^th FESPAD 2013 “The spirit of expression” is apt as it fits into the overall objective of the festival which is to bring together Africa through dance. In Africa, dances teach social patterns and values and help people work, mature and praise members of the community hence FESPAD 2013 will provide a platform for African to express their dance styles, moves while celebrating the spirit of oneness!  

She then added that the festival is expected to promote tourism as well as investment, and promote the good image of the country in general as part of the country's strategy of development. RDB will provide more information to the general public in coming days about the performances of traditional dances and especially the planned dance workshops that will include Salsa, Hip hop and Kinyarwanda dances as it was the case of the 7th edition of the festival which was held in 2010.

She also explained that the 8th Edition of FESPAD was shifted to a February date instead of the common July dates, because the organizers felt the traditional low season experienced in Rwanda could be utilized by artists to showcase their talents and not clash with other high profile festivals.

Rwanda will also host an East African Community (EAC) festival dubbed 'Jam Fest' which will take place between February 11th to 16th, starting in two weeks time already. Both events have been marked as major events in Rwanda and in fact Eastern Africa to promote and create awareness on the many opportunities in Rwanda today, for tourism and other sectors of the economy, in the Land of a Thousand Hills.

Indifference among States Puts Single East Africa Community Tourist visa Plans in Balance

PLANS to have an East African Community (EAC) single tourist visa remain in balance as some partner states show signs of indifference with regard to adopting common policies necessary to spearhead the project.

Although it was initially envisaged as a fundamental initiative that would help attract more foreign earnings through increased tourists, some member countries seem to be dragging their feet in implementation.

Rica Rwigamba, in charge of Tourism and Conservation at the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), could not tell exactly when the regional visa will start operating.
She said that delays by other member countries have derailed progress.
“Everybody would want to have it but there are some pre-requisite factors, especially harmonising immigration policies and ICT to help ease the process. We are pushing it but we realised it requires a lot of consultations because we need to be at the same level,” she said.

Rwigamba explained that while Rwanda had made significant strides in use of ICT, there was need for the rest of the EAC partner states to move at the same pace if the trading bloc is to become a single tourist destination.

Initially, the single tourist visa had been planned to be operational by July 2012.

For instance, coming to Rwanda, one can apply for a visa online and get it, a facility that can hardly be found in other member states.

It is expected that the projected single visa would save potential tourists time and the rigorous process of having to jump from one embassy to the other to apply for different visas to travel across the East African region.

“Today travelers want to have a much wider menu. And it is easier to market the block as a single destination as opposed to one country. It means having features like the Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda, Maasai Mara in Kenya, Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, among others, all on one menu,” she said.

The long procedures in acquiring visa by tourists, especially those from Europe, the Americas sometimes discourages them, forcing them to divert to other destinations.

The EAC Sectoral Council on Tourism and Wildlife Management has called on partner states to fast-track the introduction of the single EAC tourist visa, saying the process was taking unnecessarily too long.
The move to have the single EAC visa followed an appeal by tourism boards of the five partner states requesting for a common visa to accelerate promotion of the region as a single tourist destination.

Rwigamba, however, says that they expect to have hold negotiations at the ministerial level starting next year during which they will assess the recommendations and determine a way forward.

Tourism in east Africa is among the highest earners in terms of investments, with enormous employment opportunities.
In Rwanda, from January to September 2012 tourism is estimated to have generated US$210.5 million, compared to US$184.4 million it generated during the same period in 2011 – that represents an increase of 14 per cent.
The number of tourists from EAC member states and Democratic Republic of Congo also increased from 498,617 to 639,536.

The majority of the international tourists came from the United States of America, United Kingdom, Belgium and Germany, according to official figures.