Tea Plantation Tours in Rwanda - The Scribs and Nibs

Going on tea plantation tours in Rwanda is an absolute must. The lush green leaves blanketing rolling hills across the countryside make for some of the most beautiful scenery in East Africa.

Because tea is one of the country’s top exports, there are several tea plantations around the country. Most of the top tea plantations in Rwanda are located in the western part of the country, so if you are driving towards Lake Kivu or Nyungwe National Park, you can easily visit one without going too far out of your way.

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How to Book Tea Plantation Tours in Rwanda

It can be tricky to figure out how to book tea plantation tours in Rwanda online. In my experience, you can usually just show up to a factory location, and someone on-site will be able to give you a tour! Expect to pay around 15,000 to 25,000 RWF ($15 USD) per person, and the staff are always incredibly welcoming.

Some tea factories sit right on main paved highways, while others require driving down a dirt road to reach the estate.

Whether you’re looking for a quick factory walkthrough or a hands-on picking experience in the fields, adding a tea tour to your itinerary is a fantastic way to complement your Rwanda vacation.

Here is everything you need to know about visiting the best tea plantations and factories in Rwanda, somewhat organized from closest to Kigali….

Tips for Visiting Tea Estates in Rwanda

Payment: Always carry local cash (RWF) or have MTN Mobile Money (MoMo) ready. Most rural tea estates cannot process international credit cards.
Footwear: Wear sturdy walking shoes or sneakers and even short walks through the fields can be muddy or uneven. You’re required to have closed shoes to enter the factory
Clothing: If you’re going to walk through the tea fields, I suggest you wear long pants because there no clear pathways in the tea fields. Rather, you just push your way through the bushes and you could scratch yourself.

Tea Plantations Tours in Rwanda

Sorwathe Tea Factory & Guesthouse

Distance from Kigali: ~1.5 to 2 hours
Location: Towards Musanze (Northern Province)
Highlights: Closest tea estate to Kigali, picturesque grounds, and overnight stays

Sorwathe is the closest major tea plantation to Kigali, making it the best option if you are short on time or doing a day trip. In addition to factory tours and estate walks, Sorwathe features an on-site guesthouse and restaurant overlooking the valley, meaning you can stay overnight right in the middle of the tea fields.

I haven’t visited yet but it’s on my list.

Rugabano Tea Factory

Distance from Kigali: ~2.5 hours
Location: Along the main route between Kigali and Kibuye
Highlights: Modern factory walkthrough & rolling tea plantation photos
Cost: 15,000 RWF per person
Book: You can reach out directly to the manager beforehand at +250 796 824 296 or just show up

Rugabano is one of the newer tea factories in Rwanda, having opened in 2019. This makes for a great activity if you’re planning a trip between Kigali and Kibuye. I visited here on my drive back to Kigali.

Getting There Tip: I almost didn’t make it because I took a few wrong turns! Take the NR15 highway and use the Google Maps pin for “Ros turn off”. Half of your drive will be on a smooth paved road, followed by a dirt road (about 10 minutes) once you leave the main highway. When we arrived, the guard was a bit confused since they weren’t expecting us, but we asked to speak with a manager, and he kindly arranged for a factory guide to show us around.

No pictures are allowed inside the factory itself, but you get to see the entire production process from raw leaves arriving at the facility, to cutting, fermentation, drying, and final packaging for international export.

After the factory floor, you can wander through the surrounding fields to take photos among the tea bushes.

The entire tour takes about an hour and ends with a tea tasting (with and without milk to taste the difference) and a cup of tea!

Pfunda Tea Factory

Distance from Kigali: ~3.5 hours
Location: On the main road between Musanze and Gisenyi (15 mins from Gisenyi / 1.5 hours from Musanze)
Highlights: Oldest tea factory in Rwanda & indoor photography allowed
Cost: $15 USD or 25,000 RWF (Cash or MoMo only)
Opening Hours: Tuesday–Sunday (Closed Mondays)
Contact: Book directly with Fabian (the official factory guide) at +250 788 507 022.

Opened in 1970, Pfunda is the oldest tea factory in Rwanda. This was my very first tea factory visit, and I really enjoyed it!

The biggest perk of visiting Pfunda is accessibility: it sits right on the main highway (NR2), so there are no dirt roads required. Additionally, unlike most places, you are actually allowed to take pictures inside the factory!

The trade-off is that the actual growing fields are located further away from this facility, so you won’t get those dramatic, sprawling green hill photos directly behind you here.

There is also a small shop along the NR2 as you come from Kigali where you can buy tea to take home.

You can read more about the factory in guide below.

A Quick Guide to the Pfunda Tea Tour

Distance from Kigali: ~4 hours
Location: ~1.5 hours inland from Kibuye (Karongi)
Highlights: Remote, dramatic mountain scenery & high-grade tea production

Gisovu sits high on the ridges border-adjacent to Nyungwe Forest. While I haven’t visited this estate personally yet, I’ve heard the access road is being improved and paved. Because of its remote setting, Gisovu is best visited if you are using Kibuye as your base camp.

Kitabi Tea Plantation

Distance from Kigali: ~4.5 hours
Location: Between Kigali and Nyungwe Forest
Highlights: Eco-lodge stays with sweeping plantation views

Located right on the eastern edge of Nyungwe Forest, Kitabi is famous for its vibrant green hills. If you stay nearby at the Kitabi Eco-Center (I stayed here after the chimapzee trek to get closer to drive back to Kigali the next day) you’ll get stunning panoramic views overlooking the vast rows of tea. There is a processing factory located nearby in the valley, if you want to explore the surrounding area.

Incredible views from Kitabi Eco-Center with my mom and sister

Gisakura Tea Plantation

Distance from Kigali: ~5.5 hours | Distance from Gisenyi: ~4 hours
Location: Right on the edge of Nyungwe National Park
Highlights: Traditional tea picking, hand-pounding, and cultural interaction
Cost: ~15,000 – 20,000 RWF per person (Just show up!)

When I arrived at the Gisakura Tea Plantation, the security guard called a local guide who arrived on a moto to lead us over to the nearby Gisakura Catholic Church. Inside, there was a small tea setup where we learned about traditional Rwandan tea-making methods and the daily lives of local tea pickers.

This is one of the most unique tea plantation tours in Rwanda because it is completely interactive.

You get to step out into the estate and pick the tea leaves yourself.