Gorilla Guardians Village Facts, Entrance Fee, History, Photos
Gorilla Guardians Village Facts, Entrance Fee, History, Photos. Village of the gorilla guardians, also called Iby’Iwacu, which means “treasure of our home” in the local Iby’Iwacu language. This house reveals the hidden gem that makes Rwanda a tourist destination and the Rwanda gorilla trekking experience so spectacular. Kinigi, in the Rwandan region of Musanze, is where you’ll find it. Located in Parc National des Volcans, more often known as Volcanoes National Park, the Iby’Iwacu cultural village provides an exciting opportunity to stay in a traditional Rwandan hamlet that has coexisted with mountain gorillas for years.
As a tourist attraction in Rwanda, the Gorilla Guardians Village teaches visitors about Rwandan culture and history apart from the genocide. Wonderful Rwandan dances, crafts, and cultural activities are showcased in this man-made hamlet. We had a wonderful day there, and it would be a wonderful cultural excursion to do from your lodge if you are planning on hiking to visit the gorillas in the area.
The Gorilla Guardians Village in Rwanda
If you visit the Gorilla Guardians Village, you have the opportunity to meet natives and get a feel for their culture through conversations about food, rituals, and daily life. You can stay with a local and experience Rwandan culture firsthand, or you can visit the Gorilla Guardians Village. Learning about a country and its culture is best accomplished through conversation with natives.
A wide range of activities are available at the Gorilla Guardians Village, including community walks, traditional music and dance, visits to traditional healers, local banana brewing demonstrations, hunting tactics, crafts manufactured by men, women, and children, and many more.
Gorilla Guardians Village/Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village History
As a swift reaction to the upsurge in gorilla poaching by certain community members, Edwin Sabuhoro established the Iby’Iwacu cultural village.
Mr. Edwin Sabuhoro was sick of human-animal conflicts surrounding and within Volcanoes National Park after seeing poaching operations against wildlife, helping to rescue an injured baby gorilla, and working in the park.
He chose to attend the University of Kent in Canterbury, UK, to study tourism and conservation after witnessing firsthand the tensions between humans and wildlife, particularly between the mountain gorillas and the inhabitants of Kinigi village. His goal is to help stop the rising tide of poaching in Volcanoes National Park.
Gorilla guardian village / things to do in Musanze /volcanoes national park
In his master’s thesis titled “ecotourism as a potential conservation incentive for local communities around Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park,” the author discovered that the local communities in the area did not directly benefit from tourism, and that the costs they faced outweighed the benefits they received. Additionally, the locals were unwilling to put an end to poaching and believed that killing wildlife was a way to make up for their losses.
Mr. Edwin pledged his life savings to provide the people with a means of subsistence other than hunting before completing his research, thus testing his hypothesis. He gave US$2000 to seven groups of poachers in the park, each with forty families. After nine months, five of the groups had stopped poaching, had an abundance of food, seeds to plant for the following season, and as a token of their gratitude, they gave him 200 kg of potatoes.
Based on his findings, he believes the hamlet has great potential to alleviate poverty through increased food production; all they require is some initial assistance, direction, and supervision.
Here he went and did another little survey to find out what most tourists want before, during, and after gorilla trekking. The results showed that people would love to meet locals, learn about Rwandan culture, stroll through the neighborhood, and share stories and experiences while experiencing a little bit of the local culture.
It was just necessary to broaden the scope of the current social gathering and turn it into an experience for visitors to the community, since communities already have this platform for social gathering and idea exchange among the locals. He decided to put his theory to the test once more, and he put over $500,000 of his hard-earned life savings into the project he now believed in, hoping it would improve the village as a whole, make poaching less common, and help the poor in the area around Volcanoes National Park. The renowned Gorilla Guardians settlement, also called Iby’Iwacu Cultural settlement, is the fruit of his labors, and his goal has finally come true.
Things to Do in Gorilla Guardians Village/Iby’Iwacu cultural village
Among Rwanda’s most popular tourist destinations is the Gorilla Guardians Village. As a result, tourists to Rwanda have an unprecedented opportunity to interact with native Rwandans in their natural habitat. The Gorilla guardian’s village combines many cultural landmarks with opportunities for tourists to participate in a variety of cultural activities. A glimpse into the daily lives of Rwandan villagers in the past is provided by the village. Upon entering the main gate, guests are greeted by the resounding beat of drums, accompanied by traditional singing and dancing. Here you will find information about a range of cultural activities in the area;
- Visit the king’s palace replica; The legends of the old Rwandan kings, the significance of many symbols within the palace, and the process of monarch enthronement are all on display here for visitors to enjoy. The village elder can temporarily install you on the throne and grant you royal powers if you’re up for it.
- Participate/watch in the traditional dances and music; A variety of traditional dances are available in the area. Everyone in the hamlet, from adults to kids, had to get in on the musical action since everyone loves music. The well-known Intore dance is just one of several traditional Rwandan dances; others include the Agakenke, Inanga, Amakondera, Iningiri, and Ikembe dances.
