15-Day Kibeho Pilgrimage of Hope

• You'll be collected from the airport.
• Accommodation before the tour starts can be arranged for an extra cost.

Arrival in Kigali

Arrival at Kigali airport, where you will be welcomed by a representative of Attractive Safaris and your pilgrimage guide. They will be waiting for you in the arrivals hall with a sign marked “Attractive Safaris.” After greeting you and presenting the program for your pilgrimage, they will take you to your accommodation.
If time permits, daily Mass in the chapel of the Carmelite monastery in Kigali. After dinner, rest after such a long flight.
Main Destination: Kigali

Accommodation: San José Carmelo Spiritual Centre or similar

Meals: Dinner (Breakfast & Lunch not included)
Drinks: Mineral water or soft drinks.

Main Destination:

Kigali

Accommodation:

San José Carmelo Spiritual Centre

• Budget guest house

Meals & Drinks:

• Dinner (Breakfast & lunch not included)
• Drinks not included

Visit to the genocide memorial and the city of Kigali

Morning Mass in the Monastery Chapel.
After a quiet breakfast, depart at 9 a.m. for a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2023, which will bring to life the barbarity of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis, which decimated the country and left around one million people killed. The memorial constructed in 1999 is the biggest in the country with more than 250,000 victims of the genocide laid to rest at the memorial. The Kigali Genocide Memorial was inscribed on the World Heritage List on 20 September 2023. On the other hand, a visit to the City of Kigali will show you how Rwandans overcame those dark days and literally rebuilt the country; you will discover the modern City of Kigali and Mount Rebero for fresh air and a panoramic overview of the City of Kigali.

Main Destination: Kigali

Accommodation: San José Carmelo Spiritual Centre or similar

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & dinner
Drinks: Mineral water or soft drinks.

Main Destination:

Kigali Genocide Memorial (Kigali)

Accommodation:

San José Carmelo Spiritual Centre

• Budget guest house

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Archdiocese of Kigali

Get connect with the Archdiocese of Kigali to learn about the various pastoral missions of the Catholic Church in Rwanda.
After breakfast, pending confirmation, visit to the Episcopal Conference of Rwanda (cepr) to learn about the various pastoral missions of the Catholic Church in Rwanda (Caritas Rwanda, Radio Maria Rwanda, Pacis TV, etc.)

After lunch in town, visit to “Communauté de l’Emmanuel” and cecydar (Cyprien and Daphrose Rugamba Center). It was introduced to in 1990 by Cyprien Rugamba (1935–1994) and Daphrose Rugamba (1944–1994), a married couple who were murdered during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. The cause for their canonization in the Catholic Church was opened in 2015 and is currently in Rome after they were recognized as “Servants of God” by the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kigali in the first stage.

Main Destination: Kigali

Accommodation: San José Carmelo Spiritual Centre or similar

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & dinner
Drinks: Mineral water or soft drinks.

Main Destination:

Kigali

Accommodation:

San José Carmelo Spiritual Centre

• Budget guest house

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

At the Shrine of the Merciful Jesus in Ruhango

From 7:00 am, after an early breakfast, drive to the Sanctuary of the Merciful Jesus of Ruhango (2-hour drive). On the way, visit the Kabgayi Minor Basilica of the Kabgayi Diocese, the country's first mission, founded in 1905 in the days of German East Africa.

Mass at the Merciful Shrine in Ruhango. Visit the site, talk to parishioners...

After lunch, visit to Nyanza King's Palace Museum, seat of the ancient Kingdom of Rwanda before the arrival of Europeans. The royal court was the center of an intense cultural and artistic life: poets, singers and dancers enlivened the royal evenings. During the day, Nyanza attracted merchants, herders and craftsmen. Nyanza's impressive royal palace, a gigantic dome built only with traditional materials, has beeń carefully restored to its 19th-century state, then turned into a museum.

Main Destination: Butare

Accommodation: Centre d'Accueil Mère du Verbe or similar

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & dinner
Drinks: Mineral water or soft drinks.

Main Destination:

Butare (City)

Accommodation:

Centre D'Accueil Mère Du Verbe

• Budget guest house

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Discovering of Butare Diocese

Morning: after breakfast, visit Rwanda's first catholic church, built in Save in 1900, and celebrate the day's mass there, followed by a visit to Butare Diocese Cathedral. Pending confirmation, meet and talk with the Bishop of Butare.
Lunch in Butare.
Afternoon: visit to the Ethnographic Museum, one of the most attractive in Africa.
Then, Rwandan folk dances, drummers and Intore, a very exciting and fascinating show on Rwandan tradition, culture and customs.

Main Destination: Butare

Accommodation: Centre d'Accueil Mère du Verbe or similar

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & dinner
Drinks: Mineral water or soft drinks.

Main Destination:

Butare (City)

Accommodation:

Centre D'Accueil Mère Du Verbe

• Budget guest house

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Butare-Nyakibanda Major Seminary-Kibeho

After breakfast, off to Kibeho. On the way, possibility to visit Nyakibanda Inter-diocesan Major Seminary.

Afterwards, drive on to Kibeho to participate in the Solemn Vigil at the Feast of the Mother of the Word in Kibeho (around 4:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.)
4:30 p.m.: Vigil Mass at the apparition site in Kibeho
6:00 p.m.: Torchlight procession with the statue of Our Lady of Kibeho.
8:00 p.m.: Guest lecture - Sacrament of Reconciliation - Rosary - Marian vigil of prayer

Program for other days than the Marian Feast:
Explore and pray at the site of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Kibeho (apparition square, apparition chapel, Notre Dame des Douleurs church, adoration chapel...).
Main Destination: Kibeho
Accommodation: Blue Veil Villa Hotel Kibeho or similar Boutique Hotel in Kibeho

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & dinner
Drinks: Mineral water or soft drinks.

Main Destination:

Kibeho (Town)

Accommodation:

Blue Veil Villa Hotel Kibeho

• Budget hotel

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Solemn Mass on the Marian Feast in Kibeho

During the Marian festivals, the pilgrimage site of Kibeho receives over than 50,000 believers and visitors.

8:00-9:00 a.m.: Discover the Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows, pray at the apparition site, in the Chapel of Adoration...

Solemnity of the Marian Feast, Mother of the Word in Kibeho:

9:00 a.m.: Sacrament of Reconciliation

10:00 a.m.: Rosary of the Seven Sorrows

11:00 a.m.: Solemn Mass on the esplanade of the Shrine

After breakfast, meeting and discussion with the Rector of the Shrine or, if possible, with the visionary in Kibeho, Nathalie Mukamazimpaka, followed by Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows in Kibeho.

After lunch, visit the Centre des Pères Mariaux de l'Immaculée Conception in Nyarushishi, 2 km from Kibeho, and pray while contemplating the statue of Divine Mercy.

Main Destination: Kibeho

Accommodation: Blue Veil Villa Hotel Kibeho or similar Boutique Hotel in Kibeho

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & dinner

Drinks: Mineral water or soft drinks.

Main Destination:

Kibeho (Town)

Accommodation:

Blue Veil Villa Hotel Kibeho

• Budget hotel

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

From Kibeho to Cyangugu Diocese

After Mass and breakfast, departure from Kibeho to Cyangugu Diocese (estimated travel time: 3.5 hours). Along the way, admire the tea plantations, rich biodiversity, and spectacular beauty of the Nyungwe rainforest, one of the oldest tropical forests in Africa. En route, visit the Gisakura or Shagasha tea plantation at the edge of the forest.
Lunch in Gisakura.
Then we will take you to your accommodation for check-in and relaxation.

Main Destination: Cyangugu Diocese

Accommodation: Carmel Cyangugu Monastery or similar

Meals: Dinner (Breakfast & Lunch not included)
Drinks: Mineral water or soft drinks.

Main Destination:

Cyangugu (Town)

Accommodation:

Carmel Cyangugu Monastery

• Budget guest house

Meals & Drinks:

• Dinner (Breakfast & lunch not included)
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Discovering the Diocese of Cyangugu

In the morning, after breakfast, visit the bishopric and/or Cyagungu Cathedral. This pilgrimage is a wonderful opportunity to learn about the development of Christianity in Rwanda. The Church in Rwanda is celebrating a double jubilee: 2,025 years of redemption of humanity and 125 years of evangelization of the country.

After lunch, visit the Ibanga ry'Amahoro = Secret of Peace Center (40 =15 km), founded in 2010 by the late Abbé Ubald Rugirangoga, an exorcist-healer priest who had the idea of finding a good place where the faithful in particular and all Rwandans in general could gather from time to time to pray, ask for peace, and forgive one another. If possible, pass through the Jubilee Door of Hope to receive blessings and indulgences and celebrate the day Mass.

Main Destination: Cyangugu Diocese

Accommodation: Carmel Cyangugu Monastery or similar

Meals: Dinner (Breakfast & Lunch not included)

Drinks: Mineral water or soft drinks.

Main Destination:

Cyangugu (Town)

Accommodation:

Carmel Cyangugu Monastery

• Budget guest house

Meals & Drinks:

• Dinner (Breakfast & lunch not included)
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Relaxation on the shores of Lake Kivu

After breakfast, drive to Kibuye to admire the clear water of Lake Kivu and discover the beauty of the small bay and neighboring islands by boat: Napoleon Island (the bat colony), Amahoro Island = Peace Island, Monkey Island, etc.
Afternoon: Relax in the charming seaside town of Kibuye or go swimming. Evening Mass at St. John's Church or lecture by your accompanying priest or one of the pilgrims.

Main Destination: Kibuye

Accommodation: Bethany Hotel or similar

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & dinner
Drinks: Mineral water or soft drinks.

Main Destination:

Kibuye (Lake Kivu)

Accommodation:

Bethany Hotel

• Mid-range hotel located in Kibuye (Lake Kivu)

+3 Photos

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

From Kibuye to Nyundo Diocese (Gisenyi)

After an early breakfast, head to the Congo-Nile Parish, visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Banneux in Rwanda (a replica of the chapel of the apparitions of Our Lady of Banneux in Belgium) and celebrate Mass there.
Picnic lunch en route.
Then continue on to the Benedictine convent in Kigufi (Gisenyi). During the colonial era, British architect Jack Mat Wilson Poelaert built the building that now houses the convent's main facilities in 1947.
The building was originally the residence of the bishop of Rwanda and in 1959 became the home of the first African bishop in the Belgian colonies, Aloysius Bigirumwami. The property was donated to the Benedictine order in December 1970.

Main Destination: Gisenyi (Nyundo Diocese)

Accommodation:Maison St Benoit Kigufi or similar

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & dinner
Drinks: Mineral water or soft drinks.

Main Destination:

Gisenyi (Lake Kivu)

Accommodation:

Maison Saint Benoit Guesthouse

• Budget guest house located less than 1hr drive from Gisenyi (Lake Kivu)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

At the Shrine of Fatima (Ruhengeri Diocese) to Kigali

After breakfast, travel to Nyundo Cathedral to celebrate Mass there.
Nyundo was the third mission established in Rwanda in 1901, after Save and Zaza in 1900. The Diocese of Nyundo was established on February 14, 1952, as the Apostolic Vicariate of Nyundo.

After lunch, visit Ruhengeri Cathedral and pray at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima on the way, admire the panoramic view of the volcanoes, a chain of eight volcanoes, five of which are in Rwanda and three in the DRC. In Fatima, the Virgin Mary appeared as a Mother. This is why the parish of Ruhengeri, since its foundation in 1954, has been dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima. When the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima (Ruhengeri) was inaugurated in 2001, the entire diocese was consecrated to the same Mother.
Then, back to Kigali.

Main Destination: Kigali

Accommodation: San José Carmelo of the Carmelite Sisters in Kigali or similar Religious accommodation in Kigali

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & dinner
Drinks: Mineral water or soft drinks.

Main Destination:

Kigali

Accommodation:

San José Carmelo of the Carmelite Sisters

• Budget guest house

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Kigali-Zaza Parish-Akagera

After breakfast, continue on to visit the Parish of Zaza, the second mission in Rwanda. Founded in 1900, it immediately experienced Christian fervor and converted the country's first Christians, who were characterized by their remarkable devotion. This parish saw the first Christian baptized in Rwanda on November 15, 1902; the first Rwandan priest, Gafuku Baltazar; Bishop Aloys Bigirumwami, the first indigenous bishop of Belgian colonial Africa (Congo-Rwanda-Urundi) in 1952; Bishop Philippe Rukamba, former bishop of the Diocese of Butare; Mumureke Alphonsine, the first of three visionaries of the Mother of the Word in Kibeho; several religious congregations, etc.
After lunch in Zaza, continue on to Akagera National Park. Check in at the hotel, and then relax by the hotel pool.

Main Destination: Kibungo Diocese

Accommodation: Akagera Game Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & dinner
Drinks: Mineral water or soft drinks.

Main Destination:

Akagera National Park

Best Time To Visit June to September and mid-December to mid-February (It is drier and wildlife is easier to spot)

High Season June to September (The park is busiest at weekends)

Best Weather June to October (Sunny, but not too hot)

Wildlife in Akagera NP

GiraffeCommon

BuffaloAbundant

ZebraAbundant

HippoAbundant

White RhinoOccasional

LionOccasional

Show more

ElephantOccasional

Black RhinoRare

LeopardRare

HyenaRare

CheetahNone

WildebeestNone

Wild DogNone

Accommodation:

Mantis Akagera Game Lodge

• Luxury lodge located inside Akagera NP

+32 Photos

+31 Photos

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Full Day Akagera Safari

After an early breakfast at 6:30 a.m visit the southern part of the park heading north for wildlife viewing. This park is a famous savanna reserve in Rwanda. The safari from south to north (approximately 7 hours) will allow you to see many species of animals, including the Big 5 (lions, rhinos, elephants, buffaloes, and, with luck, leopards), giraffes, zebras, antelopes, impalas, oribis, and the elusive bushbuck.

The park is also home to nearly 500 species of birds, including the spectacular shoebill with its incredibly massive beak and the red-faced barbet, which is almost endemic. You can also admire the park's magnificent panoramic landscapes of hills and marshes.

After lunch, continue the safari in Akagera in the northern zone.

Then return to Kigali.

Main Destination: Akagera National Park

Accommodation: San José Carmelo of the Carmelite Sisters in Kigali or similar

Religious accommodation in Kigali

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & dinner

Drinks: Mineral water or soft drinks.

Main Destination:

Akagera National Park

Accommodation:

San José Carmelo of the Carmelite Sisters

• Budget guest house located near Akagera NP

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Free time to explore the city and transfer to the airport

Before breakfast, celebrate

Thanksgiving Mass in the chapel and pack your bags to vacate your rooms.
Then free time to visit the city, buy souvenirs, swim.
Enjoy the farewell meal in a restaurant of the town.
At 5:00 p.m., transfer to the airport for the return flight.

Main Destination: Kigali

Accommodation: No accommodation (end of the pilgrimage)

Meals: Breakfast & lunch (Dinner not included)
Drinks: Mineral water or soft drinks

End of the Pilgrimage.

Main Destination:

Kigali

Accommodation:

No accommodation (End of tour)

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast & lunch (Dinner not included)
• Non-alcoholic drinks

• Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.
• You'll be dropped off at the airport.