But such experiences are few , Bakunzi says , because most tourists understand the country they are visiting .
THE BEGINNING
Bakunzi ’ s fascination with wildlife began when he first encountered the unique mountain gorillas in Uganda ’ s Mugahinga National Park in 1994 when he was still a teenager .
And his interest in tourism was further stoked by his foray into Rwanda in late 1994 when he first encountered the country ’ s beautiful landscape , its social distinctness , and the volcanoes . “ When I first came here I was fascinated by the fact that people in this country spoke the same language , especially considering that I was coming from a place where we spoke about 10 languages ,” he says .
BECOMING A TOUR GUIDE
Bakunzi ’ s career as a tour guide was set in motion in 1995 when a tour operator friend of his in Uganda began to send him tourists to help guide them through Rwanda ’ s most amazing tourist destinations .
But it was not until 2001 that Bakunzi gained enough experience and the approval and confidence of a couple of tourists who had used his services .
“ When I took one German tourist who was researching on community tourism in Rwanda to Lake Burera and he admitted to me that he was satisfied with my services , I realised that I could actually turn this thing into a business venture ,” he says .
The German tourist , Michael Grosspietsch , encouraged Bakunzi to start a tour and travel company and also recommended other tourists to use his services while visiting Rwanda .
That was the turning point ; from then on Bakunzi was determined to pursue a career in tourism .
He began by setting up Amahoro Tours , which he officially registered in 2012 and quickly found success . In its first year of operations , Amahoro Tours led seven trips . There were more than 10 the following year and things really started to buzz in the subsequent years . Last year alone , Bakunzi ’ s company led more than 30 expeditions and is now listed among the country ’ s top 100 companies – certainly not a mean feat for a man with limited education .
Beginning as a one-man-show in 2012 , Bakunzi first hired a tour guide in 2003 ; now his company has 15 – six of whom are full-time staff and the rest part-time .
Nowadays Bakunzi leads a few expeditions himself – in a year he heads between two-four trips , “ especially when the clients are foreign tour operators . That presents me with a chance to learn something from them ,” he says .
The company ’ s trips are packaged like “ a supermarket ” because “ every tourist has a private purpose for travel ,” says Bakunzi . “ They ’ ll say they want to see gorillas when in actual sense they are here for research or something else .”
Amahoro Tours ’ packages are priced as all-inclusive ( with the exception of air tickets and visas ), and the company charges anywhere from $ 200 for village walks and visiting cultural centres up to a $ 1,500 gorilla trekking experience per person .
Tours are not entirely focused on tourist attractions , Bakunzi says , so over the years he has had to educate himself a lot about Rwanda ’ s culture and history .
“ Tourists want to know everything ,” he says . “ They want to know about Rwandan culture , history , the economy , politics and even about myself .”
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OCTOBER 2016 EDITION - 21