Iby’iwacu Community Experience in Rwanda

The Iby’iwacu community lives around the slopes of the Volcanoes National Park, the conservation area is most sought after when it comes to mountain gorillas and golden monkey species, it is located in the northern part of the country near Musanze, it is one of the oldest conservation areas of Rwanda gazette as a way of protecting the critically endangered species of the mountain gorillas. It was made famous by the great works of the American primatologist Dian Fossey and the acting of the movie “Gorillas in the mist”, the community is also known as the guardian’s village they are said to have been poachers of the Gorillas however as time evolved they Learned to appreciate the tourism and passed on their traditional aspects to travellers that mostly visits the Volcanoes National Park.

The community was founded in 2005 and aimed at improving the livelihood of the members that belonged here they are now a set of reformed poachers, and the village offers great experiences of the rural local communities they will show you through their local community and the day-to-day living, show you through the food processing, for example, the local beers, you will see a replica of the traditional way that kings and queens lived to give you the same treatment as a king listens to the stories, meaning so different artefacts of the old Rwandan old days,  they will dance and perform to your traditional songs as they drum and perform to the “Kinyarwanda dance”. And other different dances like those of the intro dancers who danced and sang many gorilla songs. The Iby’iwacu community showcases the traditional lifestyles of the people of Rwanda it will give you a chance of meeting the local communities in their homesteads, and you will be genuinely welcomed by the people of the local community, they are some of the most hospitable people.

You will be told so much of how the locals used the forest for medicinal purposes, collecting and hunting for food, depending on the time you have, one is free to take tour in the community schools and hospitals, taste on the local food and Rwanda’s local beer brewed from bananas, the activity is done in addition to the Gorilla trekking activity in the Volcanoes National Park, the primates live peacefully together with other forest creatures, they are the most sought of when it comes to Rwanda, the conservation hosts 30% of the world’s remaining population of mountain gorillas, they live within the park without being captivated, enjoy the scenic views through the developed trails of forest, the hike to the tombs of the Dian Fossey the American primatologist  who loved and researched about the mountain gorillas, she was murdered in cold blood and buried besides the gorillas she loved the most, golden monkeys live within the bamboo forest of the national park they are cute creatures tucked in black and white, it is one of the best things to do while in the Volcanoes National Park.