The Iby iwachu cultural village is stunning cultural village situated within the virunga massif at Kanigi Musanze district, the locals of the Iby iwachu cultural village used to survive on poaching on the volcano ranges. The people in Iby’iwachu cultural have got very rich cultural values.
The Iby’iwachu cultural village locals we’re introduced to other ways of living instead of poaching they used to depend on, this people were evacuated to the nearby areas of the volcanoes and now depend on mostly farming and tourism. The term Iby Iwachu means “treasure of our home”.
Iby’iwachu cultural village provides tourists with lots of activities to be done a part from the famous gorilla trekking in the Virunga ranges. Cultural experience is one of the main reason some tourists come to African countries, Africa in whole in very rich in culture that has not yet been very affected by the western cultures visiting the people will let you encounter the real African traditional society and knowing about their ways of lives, how they survived on poaching in the ancient days and you can be told interesting legend stories connected to the virunga massif this can be a lot more interesting.
One of the places to visit are those of a traditional healer and see how they make medicine out of tree leaves, shrubs and stems this medicines are effectual for healing diseases such as headache, skin rashes and many more.
Tourists can get entertained with traditional dances from the locals this involves the use of drums and hand made instruments that you cannot see else where a part from Africa the dances are very interesting to behold as you relax in the evening hearing the famous gorilla songs and sometimes you can get provoked to join in the dance and experience African true culture.
Visiting the Batwa people will offer you a memorable experience, at the Batwa villages tourists can acquire hand made crafts to take back home for remembrance and also learn how to shoot an arrow and bow. The Batwa people use to live in the virunga forests from ancient times until the government evacuated them when the y conserved the virunga massif.
Tourists who would love to get immersed and experience how it feels to sleep in an African traditional hut made of mud on walls and grass thatched roof top designed in a way of a king’s hut, the beds are comfortable and there is a bathroom and toilet available warm can be provided if required. Meals are provided from the freshly harvested local food and also local beer made out of banana is available.
In In Iwachu cultural village, tourists can become king’s for some hours if they wish by visiting the King’s house where you the guides and village elders can be enthroned through a traditional ceremony, it’s fun kind of a dream come true as you can be given an acting Queen and princes and princesses. You might never a chance of being made a king or queen else where in the world apart from Rwanda at the Iby iwachu cultural village. This is done at the Nyanza province at the king’s palace.
Tourists visiting Iby Iwachu cultural village should never miss to trek the world’s endangered mountain gorillas and also trek the famous golden monkeys this can also be found within the Virunga ranges and no where else in the world.
For those not interested in sleeping in the traditional village huts, there are various accommodation units that they can sleep in some of which are; Labambou gorilla village, villa hotel, Garrhotel, mountain gorillas, Sabyinyo silver back lodge, Gorillas volcanoes hotel, Virunga lodge, five volcanoes boutique hotel and la Palme hotel among the rest.
The Iby’iwachu cultural village can be reached from Kigali to Musanze it’s about 20 minutes drive from Musanze town.
