Who We Are
Rwanda Eco Company and Safaris
Our Story
Founded in Kigali.
Built on firsthand knowledge.
Rwanda Eco Company and Safaris was founded by Réginal Hakizimana, a native Rwandan who spent nearly two decades learning East Africa's parks from the inside. He didn't start from a brochure. He started from home.
At Rwanda Eco Company and Safaris, every guide is hand-picked by Réginal, every lodge relationship is direct, and every itinerary is designed by people who have physically walked the routes they're selling. Nothing is subcontracted. Everything is operated in-house by a Rwandan team that lives in the destinations you are visiting.
We are based in Kigali, Rwanda and Arusha, Tanzania. We operate across Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, we are licensed by the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), and we hold active memberships in RTTA, ATTA, and USTOA, the industry's leading professional organizations.
Our Vision
To be East Africa's leading safari company, delivering high-quality, personalized, tailor-made experiences that travelers remember for a lifetime.
Our Mission
To design unforgettable safari experiences while actively protecting East Africa's environments and uplifting the communities that live alongside its wildlife. We believe sustainable tourism, done right, is one of the most powerful tools for conservation.
- Integrity
- Trustworthiness
- Reliability
- Respect for all
What Drives Us
How We Operate
Locally Owned & Operated
Rwanda Eco Company and Safaris is not a foreign booking platform with local contractors. Every element of your trip, including guides, lodges, permits, and logistics, is managed in-house from our Kigali office by Rwandans who know this landscape intimately.
Conservation-First
We operate under the strictest low-impact protocols on every trek. A portion of each booking supports community conservation programs in the buffer zones around Volcanoes National Park, protecting habitat that gorillas and local families share.
Community-Conscious
We deliberately source from local lodges, hire locally, and structure our itineraries so tourism revenue stays within the communities that share land with East Africa's wildlife. When travel is designed this way, conservation becomes self-sustaining.
Real Travelers
Recent Guests on Safari
Watch the Highlight Reel
Everything You Should See in Rwanda, in One Minute
From the gorillas of Volcanoes National Park to the wildlife of Akagera, the rainforests of Nyungwe, and the shores of Lake Kivu, here is a glimpse of the journey we design around you.
The Office Team
Who Plans Your Safari
Based in Kigali, our core team handles everything from your first inquiry to your final transfer home.
Reginal Hakizimana
Managing Director & Founder
A Travel & Tourism graduate and native Rwandan, Réginal founded Rwanda Eco Company and Safaris with one conviction: that a well-designed gorilla trek changes how people relate to the natural world. He oversees planning, marketing, and operations, and is directly reachable before, during, and after your trip.
Jules Mutangana
Senior Tour Consultant
Jules designs and manages East Africa itineraries with deep local expertise. He knows every park, lodge, and border crossing, and his itineraries reflect years of first-hand experience across Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
Lazaro Hakizimana
Tour Consultant & Ticketing
A Hospitality and Tourism graduate, Lazaro handles bookings, international flight coordination, and permit logistics. His attention to detail ensures every moving piece of your itinerary is confirmed and ready before you land.
Joseline Umuhire
Finance Manager
An Accounting graduate, Joseline manages our financial operations and client invoicing. She ensures that every payment, refund, and financial commitment to our travelers is handled with accuracy and transparency.
Christabel Miiro
Marketing & Tour Consultant
Christabel shapes both our journey design and how we communicate the Rwanda Eco Company and Safaris story to the world. She works across itinerary planning and marketing, bringing a traveler's perspective to everything from trip proposals to online presence.
In the Field
Your Guides in the Parks
Every guide is hand-picked by Reginal. They are certified, experienced, and, most importantly, passionate about the wildlife and landscapes they introduce you to.
Tony
Gorilla & Primate Trekking
An English-speaking specialist in Rwanda and Uganda, Tony has led hundreds of gorilla treks in Volcanoes and Bwindi national parks. His calm demeanor and deep knowledge of gorilla behavior make every encounter more meaningful.
Parks covered
Theo
Wildlife & Cultural Safaris
Multilingual and widely traveled, Theo brings strong destination knowledge across the full East Africa region. He excels at wildlife interpretation and connecting travelers with local culture around every park.
Parks covered
Jado
Safari Routes & Logistics
Jado specializes in multi-country safari routes and overland logistics. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of border crossings, park entry timings, and the best spots for wildlife viewing at every hour of the day.
Parks covered
Kevin
Rwanda & Conservation
With extensive Rwanda experience, Kevin is particularly passionate about gorilla conservation and the Dian Fossey legacy. He gives trekkers a richer understanding of the conservation story behind every gorilla encounter.
Parks covered
Conservation & Community
A tourism model where gorillas and people both win
Rwanda's approach to gorilla tourism is widely considered one of the most successful conservation models in Africa. The mountain gorilla population in the Virunga Massif has grown from roughly 250 individuals in the 1980s to more than 1,000 today, in large part because the country built a tourism system that turns gorilla protection into a direct economic benefit for the people who live alongside them.
A central piece of that system is the 10% revenue-sharing program administered by the Rwanda Development Board. Every official gorilla permit issued for Volcanoes National Park, including each $1,500 permit booked through Rwanda Eco Company and Safaris, contributes 10% of its revenue to community development projects in the villages bordering the park. Schools, health clinics, water systems, and small business cooperatives have all been built through this program.
We book exclusively official, RDB-issued permits, which means every safari we design contributes to this fund. We don't claim it as our own contribution, because the program is administered by the government. We just make sure every dollar of permit revenue we generate flows into it.
How we operate locally
Beyond the permit revenue, Rwanda Eco Company and Safaris is a locally owned and operated business. The team is Rwandan. Our guides live in the communities they guide through. Our office is in Kigali. The lodges, restaurants, and transport partners we book with are chosen first for quality and second for their reinvestment in the places where we operate.
When you book a safari with us, you are not transacting with a faceless platform. You are choosing a model where tourism revenue stays in the country, where the people guiding you have a personal stake in the wildlife they show you, and where the cost of your permit funds the next school in a village you'll never visit but whose neighbors made your trip possible.
Accreditations
Industry Memberships
Rwanda Eco Company and Safaris is a licensed tour operator with the Rwanda Development Board and holds active membership in three of the travel industry's most respected professional organizations, each with codes of conduct that protect travelers.
Rwanda Development Board
Rwanda's official tourism regulator. We are a licensed and registered tour operator.
Rwanda Tourism & Travel Association
The official body governing licensed tour operators in Rwanda.
African Travel and Tourism Association
The leading trade association promoting travel and tourism to Africa worldwide.
United States Tour Operators Association
Represents major tour operators serving the North American market.
Get in Touch
Let's Plan Your Safari Together
Talk to our team. Tell us your dream. We'll design the itinerary, handle the permits, and guide you every step of the way.