Huye District situated in the south of Rwanda, is one of the eight districts that make up the southern province. Huye has Butare as its city also cited among the secondary cities to Kigali the capital of the country. The district is portrayed in a hilly landscape developed into a steep hilly and mountainous area as one moves towards the west and the North West. The western part has tall undulating mountains including the famous Huye mountain connected to Nyungwe Forest by a ridge. The mountain is an important source of mineral water both supplied in bottled water around the country and also serving the nearby coffee plant whose washing stations are connected via pipelines. HUYE District is home to a number of tourism attractions and Hotels that can offer relaxation and accommodation to tourists on their way to or back from the Nyungwe Forest National Park.
The most known tourism attraction in Huye is the Ethnographic Museum which is home to Rwanda’s cultural and historic heritage. The museum houses the remains of the last known kings of Rwanda monarchy including some of the most ancient tools and traditional hardware. It was first opened in 1989 and it serves as a source of information on the cultural history of the country and the region. The other tourist attraction in Huye district is Huye Mountain Coffee, for the coffee lover, it is a good place for doing coffee plantation tours that end by the coffee testing.
Another attraction not to forget is the “Cafe de Maraba” known as the world’s first Rwandan specialty coffee. Grown by a united coffee farmer cooperative “Abahuzamugambi ba kawa” the coffee is roasted in small batches that one can take and go to taste him / her back home. Together with the professional local guide, you will visit the most beautifully decorated coffee and art makers in a charming atmosphere which you can feel only in your chosen time of the year. On the list of attractions, you can’t ignore art craft cooperatives, coffee farms, the Rwanda agricultural board research center to name a few.