Recently Viewed
Rwandan Coffee Experience: Step Back in Time for Hands-On Coffee Making
5.0
9 Ratings
Gitarama
Step back into history to experience the process of selecting, cleaning, roasting and grinding coffee by yourself.
Step back into history to experience the process of selecting, cleaning, roasting and grinding coffee by yourself.
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
-
Azizi Life Experiences - The day begins with a briefing followed by a scenic drive to the village. Upon arrival, you’ll be warmly welcomed and dressed in traditional attire. Next, you’ll head to the fields and coffee plants.
You’ll learn about the plants, how to select the right cherries, and the harvesting process. Afterward, you can either fetch…
- Azizi Life Experiences - The day begins with a briefing followed by a scenic drive to the village. Upon arrival, you’ll be warmly welcomed and dressed in traditional attire. Next, you’ll head to the fields and coffee plants.
You’ll learn about the plants, how to select the right cherries, and the harvesting process. Afterward, you can either fetch water or assist in the kitchen with food preparation. Once the water is collected, you’ll wash and pulp the coffee cherries, then set them out to dry.
Lunch will feature local Rwandan cuisine, similar to what the family typically eats. This is an excellent opportunity to ask your hosts about their community life.
After lunch, you’ll hand roast and grind the dried coffee beans using traditional tools. The ground coffee is then sieved to obtain fine grounds for your cup of coffee. Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for: you’ll make the perfect cup of traditional Rwandan coffee to enjoy with your new friends.
What's Included
- Local guide
- Bottled water
- Lunch included
- Round-trip transport from Muhanga (Gitarama)
- Gratuities not included
- Tea and coffee provided
- Expert tour host
- Local guide
- Bottled water
- Lunch included
- Round-trip transport from Muhanga (Gitarama)
- Gratuities not included
- Tea and coffee provided
- Expert tour host
What's Not Included
- Transportation from Kigali (but this can be aranged on request for an additional charge)
- Items at the gift shop
- Transportation from Kigali (but this can be aranged on request for an additional charge)
- Items at the gift shop
Additional Information
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- Uneven surfaces
- Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- Uneven surfaces
- Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
Location
RN1
Coming from Kigali as you enter Muhanga/Gitarama you will the prison on your left. After 30 metres there is a road forking off to your right; ignore this. Keep going on the main road about 100 metres further on the left hand-side of the road you will see the Azizi Life sign.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(9 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
X7315gzdaveb
Nov 22, 2024
A joyful, fun, informative day with the ladies' coffee cooperative - What a fantastic day with the ladies' cooperative - we saw and took part in all the stages of growing, harvesting and roasting coffee! Everyting from planting the small seedlings, nurturing the plants, picking the beans, drying and roasting, through to drinking coffee together that we roasted on the day. We also had a lovely lunch of casava, Irish potatoes and beans. Our guide and translator Bona was brilliant - he had a lovely raporre with the ladies and we had lots of laughs as we asked questions of each other. The weather was a bit rainy in the morning so Bona and the ladies rearranged the day so that we covered everything and didn't get wet. A lasting memory is sitting with the ladies in Angelique's home, eating lunch, drinking coffee, sharing stories, anwering questions and dancing around the room at the end of our time. So much more than seeing how coffee is cultivated!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
G8773pugrahams
Sep 17, 2024
Rwandan Coffee Experience - Bringing much joy, life, & caffeine - Our team had the pleasure of visiting Azizi Life Experiences for the Rwandan Coffee Experience, and it was incredible! From the start, our guides Patrick and Bona were amazing. They even rescheduled our itinerary to save us time by starting with shopping before heading to the plantation, which made everything flow smoothly.
The ladies we spent the day with were so welcoming, engaging, and incredibly proud (rightly so) of their co-op and the work they do at the coffee plantation. It was a privilege to be part of the entire process—walking, picking, peeling, roasting, crushing, and of course, enjoying the coffee! Patrick and Bona were fantastic translators and made the day even more enjoyable with lots of laughter, dancing, and meaningful conversation between the Rwandan community and us as visitors.
We’re truly grateful for the experience and the wonderful guides who made it so memorable!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dmitrii_n
Jun 11, 2024
It is a must in Rwanda - The organization was excellent. We were picked up from our apartment and brought to Azizi, where we could grab a coffee with some pastry and buy items from the local artisans.
We had some introduction and then departed to the village, to the small farmers' cooperative where we were warmly welcomed by our hosts, who showed us around, provided an insight into their life, and asked us even more about ours, so be ready to tell about yourself and the place you live!
Together we were picking berries, peeling, grinding and roasting, having a lot of fun, dancing and singing, it was a very joyous day!
What i wanted from this experience is to understand the whole process of how the coffee I drink almost every day is being harvested and transformed into roasted beans. And it's completely done.
What I wasn't expecting is such a fun of talking to these women. I'm really grateful to have an insight about how their life looks like and appreciate it.
Special thanks to the guide and the driver, who answered our questions and helped to find a beverage we were looking for in a local shop! I really appreciate it.
Review provided by Viator
Bayareario
Nov 21, 2022
Great experience! - I had a great time doing a half-day coffee experience. I learned a lot about coffee picking and processing, but most interesting was gaining insight into the lifestyle of people in rural villages, which I usually saw in flashes while driving. These women are busy sunup to sundown and I was grateful for the time they took to show me how to harvest and make coffee!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Safari613225
Oct 23, 2022
Hihjlight of our trip - We chose the traditional coffee experience to learn more about the life and challenges of the Rwandan women farmers. The welcoming was outstanding, Théoneste our interpreter, helped us get the most of the experience by participating in the daily activities. We experienced first hand the numerous steps of preparing an excellent cup of Rwandan coffee. We will never take coffee for granted and hope the rain comes to the farms.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nilslz
Jul 3, 2022
Best local coffee experience in Rwanda! - I booked the Coffee Experience quite spontaneously the day before and I was very surprised that Jeannine was able to take care of my request so quickly since this would have been unthinkable back home in Europe!
I took the local bus from Kigali and was picked up by my tour guide for the experience, Theoneste, who was just awesome!
Together, we had a great time at the coffee plantation where I had one of my best days during my entire trip in Rwanda meeting wonderful and hard-working women who not just "had me over" for a visit but really welcomed me in their home and let me be a part of their family for the time of my visit!
I learned a lot about the journey of a coffee bean from the tree until it ends up in my cup.
I would totally recommend this experience to anyone who is a coffee lover and interested in rural Rwandan culture!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sato11-2
May 13, 2022
Great and fun experience with coffee producers! - Our guide Juliette was really kind and attentive, and take us around throughout the experience. Coffee producing ladies are very happy, welcoming, curious, and we had good time exchanging our stories. Farm work was easy and flexible, coffee processing is interesting, educative and exciting. The best part of the trip was sharing lunch with ladies in the village. We chatted, joked and laughed a lot. We recommend people about this experience, and next time we would go for another program. Thanks!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Hasane166
May 23, 2019
Amazing, warm and a must!! - We had coffee experience. Our guide/ translator Mrs. Juliet made a great difference. She made the whole trip extraordinary..The ladies of the village were very warm and hospitable. The coffee we baked was the most deliciuos one in my entire life. Great opportunitu to get together with wonderful people of Rwanda and its culture. My wife also attended their courses in Kigali Totally perfect initiative.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
