Best of Africa – Primates & Savannah

Banana Beer Presentation & Tasting - $25 per person, 30 minute activity:
Guests learn the history and process of banana wine making and enjoy a tasting.

*Note: A 30 minute banana beer presentation with tasting is one of the onsite cultural activities included in The Retreat rate. Guests are welcome to book 1 complimentary onsite cultural activity, valid one time only per booking. Please book in advance of arrival.

Guests are welcome to book more than one cultural activity at additional cost.

Banana Beer Making Workshop - $50 per person, 1.5 hour hands-on workshop
Banana beer, or “urwagwa” in Kinyarwanda, is a traditional beer made from fermentation of mashed bananas. In our hands-on workshop, guests learn the step-by-step art of making traditional banana beer, from mashing bananas to grinding and toasting sorghum, to the fermentation process, which ends with a tasting!

NEIGHBORHOOD WALK - $25 per person, 45-60 minutes

Our neighborhood walk offers guests an authentic fun, informative and uniquely personal insight into Rwandan culture and local life in Kigali. A hotel guide will walk with guests through our residential neighborhood called Kiyovu, pass by the presidential compound, walk up the tree-lined streets to the famous Hotel des Milles Collines (Hotel Rwanda), and continue to Camp Kigali Memorial which offers insight into the genocide history in Rwanda.

*Note: A 45 minute neighborhood walk is one of the onsite cultural activities included in The Retreat rate. Guests are welcome to book 1 complimentary cultural activity, valid one time only per booking. Please book in advance of arrival.

Guests are welcome to book more than one cultural activity at additional cost.

LOCAL COOKING CLASS - $50 per person, 45 minutes

At Heaven and Fusion Restaurants, we work closely with local farmers, use quality ingredients, and cultivate our own onsite organic gardens. Enjoy an interactive cooking class and learn how to make a modern African recipe!

*Note: A 45 minute cooking class is one of the onsite cultural activities included in The Retreat rate. Guests are welcome to book 1 complimentary onsite cultural activity, valid one time only per booking. Please book in advance of arrival.

Guests are welcome to book more than one cultural activity at additional cost.

COCKTAIL MAKING CLASS - $25 per person (30 minutes)

Guests enjoy the variety, freshness and creativity of our cocktail recipes! Engage in an interactive cocktail making class with our expert baristas, and learn how to make one of our signature cocktails in this hands-on class.

*Note: A 30 minute cocktail making class is one of the onsite cultural activities included in The Retreat rate. Guests are welcome to book 1 complimentary onsite cultural activity, valid one time only per booking. Please book in advance of arrival.

Guests are welcome to book more than one cultural activity at additional cost.

Guests enjoy meeting our onsite tailor, being inspired by our visually enticing Look Book, and ordering custom made clothing and accessories! We have two Made in Rwanda Retail Shops onsite, one at The Retreat and another next door at Heaven Restaurant.

Our hotel concierge may arrange for a half day Fashion Experience, whereby guests have the chance to visit the best local Rwandan fashion boutiques and enjoy the unique opportunity to meet with designers and artisans.

Price per person: Request Rates

Our hotel concierge may organize an Art & Culture experience, to explore art galleries and cultural venues around Kigali.

Price per person: Request Rates

The Rwandan government has restored the natural wetlands in the valley of Kigali City! Bird watching, nature walks and hiking are all highlights in Kigali! Our hotel concierge may plan outings to explore the eco parks and Kigali's best preserved nature reserves.

Price per person: Request Rates

This remarkable community visit covers the history and amazing progress achieved in Rwanda. Owners Josh & Alissa Ruxin moved to Rwanda in 2006 to work on poverty reduction projects and started this work in Nyamata, which was an area hardest hit during the genocide and by famine after the war. Visitors meet with survivors of genocide to hear testimony and reflect on the past, and then visit various locations that demonstrate the incredible hope and progress we see in Rwanda today. Through innovative interventions in health, agriculture, education and micro enterprise, this area is now quite prosperous and is the chosen site for the new Kigali International Airport.

Price per person: Request Rates

One&Only Gorilla’s Nest is an evergrowing garden, teaming with flourishing eucalyptus, roses, butterflies, and birds. Winding through the land, with a walking stick, binoculars, reference books, and iPad in hand; learn about the natural lifecycle here where every plant and tree is chosen to encourage an abundance of wildlife. Taste the flavours of this land with home-made natural walk tea and rose macaroons.

Taste the raw flavours of Rwanda with passionate connoisseurs, hearing the origin story of sustainably grown regional coffee. Feel like an expert, learning to detect each hint of difference in flavour, scent, and colour; understanding what makes the perfect cup of coffee. Enjoy with selected savoury and sweet treats that create the perfect sensorial experience.

A gorilla encounter is like looking into the mirror, noticing the behaviors and traits common to humans.

A warming set-up with a bonfire, blankets, lanterns, drinks, and snacks, hear the stories of the 12 Gorilla families as well as vital information on distance, interactions, and safety. With insight into the behaviours and personalities to look out for; this is a must for guests embarking on a gorilla trek.

Feel warm as you listen to the sounds of the drummer’s beat and the rhythms, dances, stories, and poetry of the neighbouring community, themed around various traditional songs and instruments. Hosted by local talent, these interactive performances provide invaluable support for the local community to continue cultural arts and inspire younger generations to learn traditions.

Discover why Rwandans love cycling so much, venturing through the forest and dramatic volcanic landscape, in this adrenaline-boosting trail, featuring winding turns and gentle climbs across the resort grounds.

Feel connected to the elements in our terrain run and workout. In this scenic trail explore steep gradients, gentle slopes, and cardio workouts. After pushing your body, recuperate and wind down with a full body stretch.

Discover a vibrant forest, alive with colour and sound. Revel in the opportunity to see and photograph an array of birds, including sunbirds, bee-eaters, flycatchers, weavers, kites, eagles and vultures. Equipped with a walking stick, binoculars, reference book and iPad – you’ll feel like an intrepid explorer; enjoying a higher level of connection with nature. Sample homemade ice-tea and crudités made from the chef’s garden.

Surrounded by a sprawling forest and dramatic volcanic mountains, feel heroic as you try your hand at archery with our experience hosts.

Our expert field guides offer daily game excursions in modern, open-sided vehicles to get you up close to the myriad of wildlife species that call this wilderness home. All vehicles have power points where you can recharge your devices and are fitted with fridges to keep your drinks deliciously frosty.

The thrill of experiencing the African plains on foot is immeasurable – the sights, sounds, and smells of the bush tantalise your senses and reveal one of the most intimate ways to understand and become one with nature. Walking with the wildlife of the area and getting closer means you can truly appreciate their beauty. You’ll be walking at a comfortable pace and have the time to absorb all there is to see and learn; memories that will stay with you for a lifetime.

Visit nearby Merenga village to learn about the Kuria tribe, their culture, traditions and way of life. You can also stop off at the community vegetable gardens, mentored and sponsored by Asilia, to collect fresh produce for your evening meal. Please note that cultural and community visits are at an additional cost.

Few experiences compare with gliding serenely over the vast plains of the Serengeti in a hot-air balloon with teeming wildlife below. (at an additional cost)

Calling all passionate photographers! Join us for a photographic safari experience in our specialised photography vehicles. The vehicles have drop-down sides for photographers to capture low, eye-level photographs. Beanbags, foam camera rests, power points, fridges and 360º swivel seats promise to make your wildlife photography experience a dream!

Game drives at Angama Mara are planned according to what the guests would like to do as there is no set programme. Descending down Angama Mara’s private road, 10-minutes later guests enter the Reserve. Even though there is game a-plenty around the lodge, the heart of the action takes place in one of Africa’s most iconic year-round Big Five destinations – the Mara Triangle.

Watch the hot-air balloon as it is inflated, with a steaming cup of Kenyan coffee in hand. Just before dawn lift off into the skies, witnessing the sunrise and a multitude of animals below while floating over the Mara. Come back down to earth for a champagne breakfast in the middle of the savanna’s endless plains.

Guests have access to over a huge tract of wilderness along the Oloololo Escarpment. Escorted by a Maasai naturalist guide, walks can be as long or short as guests prefer. Discover the smaller details – fascinating plants, birds, insects and animals and the role they play in traditional Maasai beliefs and customs.

Visit Angama Mara’s Photographic Studio for a private tutorial with our on-site photographers who will help you come to grips with your camera. Hire photographic equipment or learn more about the editing process on our large-screen Apple desktops. Explore the Mara on a private photographic safari with one of our specialist guides. Those who prefer to put down their cameras, the in-house photographer can capture these special moments in a professional photoshoot.

Explore Angama Mara’s one-acre lovely kitchen garden followed by a soil-to-fork lunch under towering moth trees. Crusty bread, local cheese, chilled rosé and the freshest of salads served with the Mara as a backdrop – what could be better?

Intimate private picnics for two (maximum four) on the Out of Africa kopje featured on the movie’s iconic poster. Checked blankets, comfy cushions, canvas safari chairs, a picnic and sparkling wine on ice – everything you could need for elegant romance.

As the day ends, it’s time to sit back, sip a cocktail and watch the sun descend behind the Rift Valley from the spectacular vantage point of the Sundowner Boma — perfect for this, with its circular shape encapsulating the dramatic views overlooking the Maasai Mara.

Traditionally as the sun set, livestock was gathered into this space to protect the animals from predators. Today, it is also a space in which people gather, and where the African night is welcomed with song, dance and celebration.

Gather in a lantern-lit forest for dinner cooked over the coals. Guests dine family-style at long, wooden tables, off enamel plates with dishcloths for napkins. It’s fun, it’s relaxed and most of all, it’s delicious.

Leading off the Safari Shop is a sunny studio for Maasai ladies who come daily to bead bespoke items. Guests can try their hand at beading or perhaps have the ladies bead a name bracelet or an item of their clothing.

Join the Angama Running Club and see how you fare against this nation of great athletes as you jog along the Escarpment with the possibility of encountering plains game such as giraffe and zebra along the way.

A hands-on opportunity to learn about the invaluable work of the Mara Conservancy’s canine unit. Observe and participate in training exercises and see if you can outsmart these determined canines.

The Angama Foundation

Each guest at Angama Mara contributes a US$ 10 per night donation to the Angama Foundation, a separate entity that has been set up to support the communities that neighbour the lodge and the wildlife and land that surround it. The Foundation is active through three fields of work: Education, Healthcare and Conservation. The Foundation is also open to micro-donations facilitated through the lodge’s Safari Shop; for sizeable project-specific donations, https://angama.com/about/angama-foundation/