About Rwanda Safari
Rwanda Safari - Inspired by Rwanda
Rwanda Safari is a subsidiary of New Dawn Associates, established in 2014 to bring together two decades of creating Rwanda's tourism infrastructure.
Unlike safaris in Kenya or Tanzania, a Rwanda safari isn't just about wildlife. It's about resilience, reconciliation, and revival. We built the framework for how that story is told—then we built the experiences that tell it.
How It Started: Community-Based Tourism (2006)
New Dawn Associates began in 2006 as Rwanda's first community-based tourism social enterprise.
The mission: Help communities around national parks access tourism benefits while giving visitors authentic connections to Rwanda and its people.
What we created:
- Nyamirambo Walking Tour - Nyamirambo Women's Center (now sold by 100+ operators)
- Reconciliation Village, Bugesera (our exclusive access remains)
- Spiritual tourism framework in Rwanda
- Community experiences that became Rwanda's most sought-after tours
We weren't tour operators. We were community development specialists who saw tourism as economic empowerment.
The Shift: Training Interpretive Guides (2006-2008)
Richard Rwabutogo joined New Dawn Associates as a Kenyan-born Rwandan tourism consultant who grew up in Kenya's national parks—literally seeing wildlife from his bedroom window.
His vision: Train young men and women in communities surrounding parks in heritage interpretation, then wildlife and nature interpretation, so they could gain employment in Rwanda's national parks.
Instead of teaching guides to recite facts, we taught them thematic interpretation—how to craft a message and deliver it powerfully.
The first guides we trained got their first national park jobs. Families who hosted community tours sent kids to university on tourism income. Young people who had no prospects became sought-after professionals.
Some gained employment in national parks. Others needed opportunities to work. So we opened our first safari division.
Akagera Safari: Rwanda's First Interpretive Safari Company (2008)
Akagera Safari was born in 2008, specializing exclusively in Akagera National Park. We were reluctant to expand until we perfected one park.
Client satisfaction exceeded expectations. Jobs were created. And we were the only operator providing guides trained in thematic interpretation—guides who delivered Akagera's transformation story, not just animal sightings.
Today: Still operating as our specialized Akagera division at Akagera Safari (https://akagerasafari.com)
Volcanoes Safari: Making Gorilla Trekking Accessible (2010)
In 2010, we were ready. Volcanoes Safari launched, teaching guides around Volcanoes National Park to interpret both nature and heritage.
The gorillas didn't need much help—they're inherently powerful. Our focus became accessibility.
The $1,500 permit hike priced out many travelers. We understood the conservation strategy, but we wanted to solve the access problem. So we pioneered the low-season discount framework: stay 2+ nights in Akagera or Nyungwe, qualify for $1,050 gorilla permits (November-May), save $450. And became the first and only insured safari company that offers refunds for cancelled gorilla permits.
Today: Volcanoes Safari operates at Volcanoes Safari (https://volcanoessafari.com)
Nyungwe Safari: Delayed by Pandemic, Perfected by Planning (2019-2021)
By 2019, we were ready to launch Nyungwe Safari.
Then the pandemic hit.
But our background in creating tourism products meant this was our time to truly work without the business side keeping us busy.
The Nyanza Project:
Nyanza was just a stopover. We transformed it into a destination.
What we created:
- Community-based tourism projects
- Hiking trails and cultural experiences
- Activities that made visitors spend 1-2 nights before proceeding to Nyungwe
Why this mattered:
Nyanza solved Nyungwe's distance problem (6 hours from Kigali). Now travelers could:
- Spend a night in Nyanza (Rwanda's ancient capital)
- Experience all of Rwanda's cultural heritage on display
- Travel just 1 hour to Nyungwe Forest the next day
Win-win: Nyanza becomes a tourism destination. Nyungwe becomes more accessible. Communities benefit.
Nyungwe Safari launched in 2021 with guides trained in primate interpretation and forest ecology.
Today: Operating at Nyungwe Safari (https://nyungwesafari.com)
What We Created That Rwanda Tourism Now Sells
COMMUNITY EXPERIENCES:
Nyamirambo Women's Center (sold by 20+ operators) • Reconciliation Village, Bugesera (exclusive to NDA) • Millennium Village Tour • Lake Kivu Congo Nile Trail • Village of Hope, Nyanza (exclusive to NDA)
SPIRITUAL & CULTURAL:
Rwanda's spiritual tourism framework • King's Palace interpretation (Nyanza) • Kigali Genocide Memorial thematic interpretation planninhg & guide training • Traditional pottery and coffee tour frameworks
GUIDE TRAINING:
First thematic interpretation training in Rwanda (2006) • National park guide programs (Akagera, Volcanoes, Nyungwe) • Heritage interpretation standards still used today in Rwanda's Museums
INFRASTRUCTURE:
Rwanda's official tourism maps (created by Richard as Tourism Destination Manager) • Destination management plans • Tourism product development frameworks
Most tourism products sold in Rwanda today were created by New Dawn Associates. We're the source.
Defining What a Rwanda Safari Means
Rwanda safari isn't like Kenya or Tanzania safaris. It's fundamentally different.
Every experience—community tours, spiritual journeys, wildlife encounters—delivers one unified message: resilience, reconciliation, revival.
Whether you witness Akagera's returning wildlife, Volcanoes' gorillas, Nyungwe's pristine forest, reconciliation villages, or the Genocide Memorial—you're experiencing Rwanda's transformation through the lens we created.
Our Impact: 3,000,000+ Visitors, Countless Transformations
Since 2006, we've facilitated visits for nearly 80,000 travelers directly, with over 3,000,000 visits to tourism products we have created.
Guides we trained in 2006 now run their own tourism businesses. Communities that hosted 50 visitors in 2008 now host 5,000 annually. Families who lived on $2/day now send children to university on tourism income.
What we share with every visitor:
Our resilience (how Rwanda rebuilt from zero) • Our reconciliation (how enemies became neighbors) • Our revival (how a nation transformed itself)
Your Rwanda safari changes how you see the world. And if we do it right, you carry that change home.
Rwanda Safari Today: Three Specialized Divisions
AKAGERA SAFARI (since 2008)
- Specializes exclusively in Akagera National Park
- Big Five safaris with transformation narratives
- Daily group departures (Rwanda's only)
- Trained guides in wildlife interpretation
- Website: Akagera Safari (https://akagerasafari.com)
VOLCANOES SAFARI (since 2010)
- Luxury and accessible gorilla trekking
- Pioneered 30% low-season permit discount strategy
- Golden monkey trekking, volcano hiking
- Trained guides in primate and heritage interpretation
- Website: Volcanoes Safari (https://volcanoessafari.com)
NYUNGWE SAFARI (since 2021)
- Chimpanzee tracking, canopy walks
- Authentic primate encounters
- Honest positioning (who should skip)
- Trained guides in forest ecology interpretation
- Website: Nyungwe Safari (https://nyungwesafari.com)
RWANDA SAFARI (rwandasafari.com)
- Comprehensive multi-park safaris
- Combines all three parks + community experiences
- Custom itineraries using our created products
- 6-14 day complete Rwanda experiences
Source, Not Reseller
Most local and international tour operators sell experiences we created, hire guides we trained, and use frameworks we developed.
When you book with Rwanda Safari, you're booking with the people who built Rwanda's tourism infrastructure.
Direct access - No middleman markup
Insider knowledge - We created these experiences
Exclusive access - Reconciliation villages and Villages of Hope (only through NDA)
Social impact - 70% profit sharing with communities
Our Approach: Radical Honesty
We tell you the truth—including who should skip our experiences.
Bad-fit clients create bad reviews. We'd rather lose a booking than gain a disappointed customer.
AKAGERA:
- Skip if: You need guaranteed Big Five animal counts
- Visit for: Transformation story + wildlife encounters
VOLCANOES:
- Skip if: The gorilla permits exceed your budget (we can't change this)
- Visit for: Bucket-list gorilla encounters worth every dollar
NYUNGWE:
- Skip if: Recovering from injuries (chimp tracking is strenuous)
- Visit for: Authentic primate experiences in pristine forest
This honesty builds trust.
We qualify you properly. You have realistic expectations. Everyone wins.
Our Heritage: New Dawn Associates
Rwanda Safari, with its subdivisions, is owned by New Dawn Associates, the social enterprise that pioneered community-based tourism in Rwanda.
Founded: 2006
Mission: Tourism that benefits communities, not just operators
Model: 70% profit sharing with host communities
Impact: 50,000+ community beneficiaries
Key figures:
- Richard Rwabutogo - Former Rwanda Tourism Destination Manager, creator of Rwanda's official tourism maps, tourism product developer
- Annonciata Batamuriza - Former head of Rwanda Chamber of Tourism & Current Rwanda Tourism Skill Council Chairperson
What this means:
We didn't just operate within Rwanda's tourism industry.
We built Rwanda's tourism industry.
The destination management plans? We wrote them.
The tourism maps? We created them.
The guide training standards? We developed them.
The community experiences? We pioneered them.
Rwanda Safari brings 20 years of tourism infrastructure creation to your safari.
The Next 20 Years
We've spent 20 years building Rwanda's tourism framework—creating products, training guides, and establishing standards.
The next 20 are about expanding what's possible when tourism truly transforms lives.
More communities earning from tourism. More guides building careers. More travelers leaving Rwanda changed by what they've witnessed.
Rwanda Safari - Inspired by Rwanda
Where resilience, reconciliation, and revival aren't just themes—they're the foundation of everything we do.
Contact Rwanda Safari
Planning your Rwanda safari?
Email: info@rwandasafari.com
Phone: +250 792 607 991
Website: rwandasafari.com
Kigali Office:
KG 7 Ave, Kigali, Rwanda
Movenpick Hotel, Ground Floor
We're here to help you design the Rwanda safari that changes how you see the world.
Rwanda Safari - Inspired by Rwanda
Where tourism builds understanding, supports communities, and tells the story of a nation's revival.
