Rwanda Coffee Tours
Rwandan Coffee is one of the main cash crops that the country exports and coffee experts all over the world have attested Rwandan Coffee the best with the most high – quality Coffee in the world and hence Rwanda Coffee Tours have increased many tourists who love exploration to fly into the country for these Rwanda Coffee Tours experiences. The Coffee in Rwanda is 95% Arabica Varietal Bourbon that has a silky creamy body, hints of lemon and orange blossom plus caramel in the aftertaste and this is because of the perfectly fertile rich volcanic soils onto which they grow across the country hence most tourists now add these great Rwanda Coffee Tours experiences to their safari adventures.
Coffee in Rwanda goes back all the way to 1904 when missionaries brought the Coffee trees to the country and encouraged Rwandans to take on the growing of Coffee and slowly communities adapted to Coffee growing and production for both domestic consumption and export and since then Rwanda’s Coffee growing and production has progressed to currently 60% of the farming communities of over a patchwork of 450,000 small growers producing Coffee all over the country including the farm communities in the Northwest of Rwanda around the Lake Kivu shores that are growing Coffee that is part of the tourism experiences in the country and hence the Rwandan Coffee Tours mostly take place in these areas.
The Coffee-covered beautiful rolling hillsides and landscapes centered around Gisenyi near the shores of Lake Kivu always shimmering green throughout the year, with the Coffee cherries turning a deep cranberry red when the harvest is ready, usually between February and May, primarily attract tourists who want to explore the Coffee growing and production processes and the Rwandan cooperatives that grow and run these Coffee farms and washing stations offer educative tours through all year.
Most Rwanda Coffee Tours are undertaken in these beautiful plantations and washing stations near the shores of Lake Kivu especially the Ingoboka cooperative based near the village of Kayove on the route between Gisenyi and Karongi which Collective operates several plantations and washing stations in the area, including a marvelously scenic cluster of farms on Nyamirundi Island, which are reachable by a short paddle over from the mainland. Also among the most popular destinations for Rwanda Coffee Tours is Kinunu washing station directly overlooking the shores of Lake Kivu, about 20km south of Gisenyi reachable by boat or bicycle has partnerships with several local cooperatives and farmers’ associations where it buys Coffee cherries from hundreds of farmers who live and grow Coffee near the washing station, with plots typically less than a quarter of a hectare thus offering fabulous Rwanda Coffee Tours.
And for tourists interested in deeper insight about Coffee in Rwanda is the KZ Noir washing station that distributes Coffee from a variety of cooperatives and farms throughout the country has other washing stations in different parts of the country including Cyebumba, Nkora, and Rugamba on the northern lake shore, Shangi, Cyivugiza, and Cyiya South of Karongi plus buliza washing station that is between Kigali and Gicumbi nearer to the capital all offering Rwanda Coffee Tours but you must note that these cooperatives and washing stations don’t plan your Coffee Tours thus you have to go through a tour operator to plan for your amazing and unique Rwanda Coffee adventure tour.
Also you must know that the Best Time for your Rwanda Coffee Tour is during the harvest season when the Coffee beans are deep cranberry red that you will be able to witness and take part in the picking process led by the farmers who are able to differentiate between the ready grown, mid grown and not ready Coffee beans to pick from the Coffee farm which is always a thrilling experience for tourists however when you visit the Coffee farm during the budding season the coffee beans are always still green and they may be little harvesting to engage in so you will probably proceed to other Coffee processing stages such as the washing, sorting, pulping, fermenting, grading and roasting at the washing stations which might not give a fully satisfying experience.
However you will wrap up your Rwanda Coffee Tour by taking some brewed Coffee to taste the unique, exquisite and award winning finest Coffee grown and processed in Rwanda and this will make your safari a wonderful adventure.