Enjoy complimentary breakfast at the hotel. At 9:00am, we meet our driver and host for the day, Desiree "Des" Izzere. Des shows us her favorite parts of Kigali. Highlights include:

-- Exploring the city's outdoor murals 

-- Visiting a local milk bar

-- Tasting some of the world's best coffee

-- Enjoying traditional neighborhood markets

-- Delicious Rwanda local lunch

We also visit The Kigali Genocide Memorial. This incredibly moving Memorial is the final resting place for more than 250,000 victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994. It honors the memory of the one million+ Rwandans killed through education and peace-building. Understanding Rwanda's genocide past is important to understanding its present and future. Audio guides are available to rent if you choose.

We end the day on Mount Kigali, enjoying a sundowner overlooking our new favorite African city.

We return to the hotel. It's a full day, so dinner is on your own this evening. Need ideas? Here are Let's Venture Restaurant Recommendations. 

Enjoy complimentary breakfast at the hotel. We depart at 8:30am for a day of exploring inspiring entrepreneurship in Kigali. David Mubita will join us—invited as both an ALU alum and young creative.

Our first visit is with acclaimed potter Winnie Kalisa at her stunning Laini Studio. Her unique and striking pieces blend traditional Rwandan pottery techniques with contemporary design aesthetics. We walk the grounds as Winnie shares her story. It's a great place for unique gifts.

We head to Kigali Innovation City, the home of African Leadership University (ALU). By 2050, African will be home to over 1 billion working-age people constituting 25% of the global workforce. Yet the continent faces a leadership gap fueling systemic challenges across politics, business, healthcare, education and the environment.

Founded by Fred Swaniker, the African Leadership Group seeks to capture this massive talent pool with the potential to become a source of untold global innovation and entrepreneurship for Africa and the world. 

Part of that ecosystem is African Leadership University (ALU), which identifies, develops and connects Africa's young leaders. ALU students declare "missions, not majors." Read the 2024 ALU Impact Report.

We are hosted by Audresse Girarike and Mitchell Barure who lead us on a campus tour. We get a sense for how students are prepared for the professional world from Mushrafat "Mush" Abdul-Rahman who manages ALU's Center for Entrepreneurship and Hellen Konyango who leads ALU's Student Professional Development program. We end our visit with a private lunch with students from across Africa.

After returning to our hotel for a short afternoon break, we head to Inema Arts. Founded by Innocent Nkurunziza and his brothers, Inema is the lynchpin to the buildout of Rwanda's artistic community. Innocent shares his story and art with us.

Afterward, we enjoy dinner with live jazz music at local favorite Repub Lounge.

Enjoy complimentary breakfast at the hotel. Today is about tech entrepreneurship. It's a strategic national focus—Rwanda's Vision 2050 is President Paul Kagame's roadmap for transforming Rwanda's economy and modernizing the lives of all Rwandans. 

We depart at 8:00am for Norrsken House Kigali, Africa's largest hub for entrepreneurship. It's a global ecosystem connecting founders with capital, knowledge and networks. Kigali is their East Africa hub. Elie Habimana is our host.

Among Norrsken members is Africa impact investing leader Renew Capital. Renew started in Ethiopia 10+ years ago and now invests in 13 African countries. Renew's Raisa Chowdhury, Emily Mahoney and Innocent Kananga host us, educating us on the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Rwanda and East Africa.

We visit a variety of companies that bring Rwanda's vision alive. At Norrsken, we meet Eder Munyampenda of Sawa Energy, which builds solar systems for East African businesses. With Pophia Muhoza, we visit Kabisa EV House, the new hub of Rwanda's electronic vehicle community. Over lunch at Zaria Court, we meet Awesomity Lab CEO Yannick Kabayiza and learn how their software is used in mobile applications.

We explore the new heart of Kigali—Zaria Court—which catalyses Africa's sports, entertainment, and cultural ecosystems. With a buzz-worthy opening in July (Giants of Africa), Kigali is the flagship location for a proud African brand with a vision for Africa. Zaria Court Brand & Campus Manager Che Rupari gives us a behind-the-scenes tour. We browse the retail shops for "Made In Rwanda" brands.

We return to the hotel and enjoy an afternoon break. With a lot to take in and talk about, we reconvene for a quiet dinner at 7:00pm at Treasures of Ikoro.

Today we grab a packed breakfast for a 6:30am departure and spend the day as guests of a local community. Dress comfortably and casually.

Every month, Rwandan citizens come together with a common purpose. Umuganda is Rwanda's nationwide mandatory community work day, created to promote peace, unity, and prosperity across the country. On The Last Saturday of every month from 8-11:00 am, businesses close and traffic halts as citizens across the country take to their neighborhoods. Listen to Desiree Izzere talk about the importance of Umuganda.

You will be the rare visitor to participate in this monthly Rwandan tradition.

We travel (about 1.5 hours) East to the Kayonza District and are hosted by friend Doreen Kalimba. Doreen is the mother of Jodi's former SHE-CAN mentee Maureen who attended Tufts (B.A.) and Harvard (M.A.). The community decides the plan for the day, so we learn more that week. Afterward we enjoy a casual buffet lunch at the Women's Opportunity Center before returning to Kigali.

Enjoy the afternoon on your own. Take a nap or do some final shopping (Des can provide recommendations). You can arrange private/Volkswagen MOVE/YEGO transport from the hotel.

We spend our last hours in Kigali over dinner at newly-opened Ruä. Tomorrow, there's still more Rwanda to explore!

Enjoy complimentary breakfast at the hotel and check-out. At 8:00am, we transport for 2+ hours via private vehicle to Musanze—recently named by Time as one of the world's greatest places. 

Mountain gorillas remain critically endangered—there are over 1000 left in the world. Rwanda is one of only three countries where you can visit them. 

We visit the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund nestled in the foothills of Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. Taking inspiration from Dian Fossey’s original tent camp in Rwanda 50+ years ago, the campus showcases environmentally conscious design, invests in local livelihoods and scientific capacity building, and supports Rwanda’s ecotourism sector (video).

Next, we go behind the scenes on one of Musanze's newest openings. Virunga Mountain Spirits (VMS) is a female-operated distillery whose flagship "Made in Rwanda" Kari Vodka is made from local potatoes.

CEO Karen Sherman and husband/co-founder Bill Wasserman tour us through the distillery, lead us in a tasting, and share their story over lunch from Kinigi Table. To keep apprised, follow Bill's Greetings from Musanze blog and Substack.

We check-in at Sambora Kinigi. Enjoy the afternoon taking in the mountain views or enjoy a massage. We reconvene for a private dinner at the lodge before a restful night in the mountains.

Enjoy an early complimentary breakfast at Sambora Kinigi.

We depart at 8:00 and transport to the Sunzu Yacu Community Center. On a hilltop overlooking Burera Lake, the compound includes a library, classrooms and womens' sewing cooperative. Our host Alphonse Tuyambaze explains why Sunzu is so important to the community. Enjoy interacting with the children who happily welcome you. 

After taking some jaw-dropping photos, we enjoy a roughly 90-minute hike with the most inspiring views from the strip of land separating Lakes Burera and Ruhondo. Not up for hiking? You can take transport in the vehicle and meet at the end.

We head back to Sambora Kinigi for a very special last lunch. It's a fitting end to our Venture. We take time to share all that we've experienced during the week. 

From here, some stay for gorilla trekking adventures with Go Further; others return via private safari vehicle to Kigali.

Book separately. Rwanda’s famous Mountain Gorillas are located 2.5 hours outside of Kigali. It's estimated there are less than 900 Mountain Gorillas left in the world. Rwanda is one of only three countries where you can visit these critically endangered animals.

Each hike to reach a gorilla family is different; some hikes are as short as 45 minutes others as long as several hours. The terrain varies, and altitudes may reach up to 4,000m (13,000 feet) with a starting altitude of 2,500m (8,200 feet). Guides arrange with the park service to assign you to a group based on your fitness level and preference. Groups are limited to only 8 visitors per gorilla family to minimize disturbance to the gorillas. Each group can be visited for one hour. Permits must be purchased from the park service well in advance. Permits are non-refundable.

Go Further ([email protected]) offers gorilla trekking. Indicate your interest as part of trip registration. Cost per person declines with larger group size.

If you have interest in multiple days, combining with a safari or other excursions in Rwanda or East Africa, the Go Further team can work with you to customize your perfect pre- or post-trip experience. 

Sample Itinerary: Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Day Trip 

Book Separately. Less than a 3-hour drive from Kigali along the border with Tanzania, Akagera National Park is home to the "Big Five." Animals to be seen include giraffe, zebra, elephant, lion, leopard, hippo, rhino, antelopes, buffalo and hundreds of bird species, including rare birds like the Shoebill.

Go Further ([email protected]) offers safaris in Akagera. Indicate your when registering. Cost per person declines with larger group size. 

If you have interest in multiple days, combining with gorilla trekking or other excursions in Rwanda or East Africa, the Go Further team can work with you to customize your perfect pre- or post-trip experience. 

Sample Itinerary: Akagera Big Five Safari