About the Community freelance Guides in Akagera
In the year 204, Akagera introduced the community freelance guides program me which was aimed to recruit and train the members of the local community to become tourism guides with in the Akagera national park. Two years later, the guides have amassed great experience in the park, had training, both external and internal, in conservation in Akagera and the field guiding techniques. Some of them have completed the first aid certificates and the others have passed their driving tests. All these are ways to become skilled professionals as well as respected guides. In addition to their work guiding tourists with in the park, the community freelance guides Cooperative have been working on developing reliable cultural experiences to share with park guests outside of the park.
Their Knowledge of the whole community is which they live and also participate in as well as their experience in guiding the tourists as well as identifying their interests has made them well placed to connect the two. The guides has also put together some of the options for the tourists looking for meeting with the local community and an understanding of Rwandan culture as well as tradition.
About the group
This group is the brain child of Akagera National Park management since there was a high demand for the guides. The park also resolved to employ the community members as the freelance guides, as offering them the same training as the official park guides. Since they realized that their strength lay in their numbers, these guides then decided to form a co-operative of the freelance community guides. This is where they learnt about conservation. These also teach about conservation efforts in their communities as they now understand the value of protecting wildlife and nature.
The guides also don’t have a field and also offer the same services as official park guides. These charge $30 for a day. The increase of tourism at the park also means more and more chance that will help in improving their living standards and community happiness in general.
The members of the co-operative come from Villages that are spread across the 3 districts that border the park. The group also started with 2 guides. Also working as a freelance guide allows them to have a more reliable schedule to do the other thing on the side, most especially when there is low demand. Working as a freelance guide also allows them to have a more reliable agenda to do other things. The group is so unique and has fair fees for their services in that they work for the cause.
Walk the line: this safari is an interesting chance to see a slice of the park on foot. You join community freelance guides as they guide you in the shoes of a fence attendant to check the fence that allowed the restoration of the lions into the park. This mid-range walk is 7km long and takes about 2 hours and then ends on a ridge with a beautiful view over the park. It also costs $20 per person with a minimum of three.
