Lake Kivu Coffee, Tea & Pottery: Hands-On Cultural Workshop

Grow, make and taste what Lake Kivu produces

A hands-on workshop at Lake Kivu where you learn to grow and process coffee and tea from nursery to final cup, make your own pottery piece, and discover beekeeping and honey production with a live English-speaking guide. The experience runs 2 to 6 hours depending on which activities you choose, and includes bottled water. Minimum age is 18.

Step-by-step itinerary

Lake Kivu culture and traditions experience

• See Lake Kivu
• Visit coffee plantation
• Visit tea plantation
• Attend pottery-making workshop
• Discover beekeeping and honey production
• Enjoy cultural performances

The experience

You arrive at Lake Kivu and move through three separate crafts in a single session. Start at a coffee plantation to see how beans grow from nursery stock through harvest and processing, then taste the roasted result. Move to a tea plantation where the same journey unfolds (leaf to dried leaf to brewed cup), and you taste that too. The guide walks you through each step, and the tasting anchors what you've learned in flavor.

At a pottery workshop, you sit at a wheel and make something with your hands. The local artisan shows you the technique, and you leave with a piece you shaped. Then comes beekeeping: you see how honey is produced and the role bees play in the region's agriculture. Throughout, you're working alongside people who do this every day, not watching from a distance.

Public transportation options run near the site if you're arranging your own way there. The experience suits any fitness level. You pick one of three options at checkout (Pottery, Tea and Coffee together; Pfunda Tea alone; or Coffee to Kinunu), so the length and focus shift based on what you choose.

What’s included

• Bottled water.
• live guide in English.
• hands-on instruction in coffee and tea processing, pottery-making and beekeeping.
• tastings of the coffee and tea you learn to process.

Options for this experience

3 options

Pottery, tea and coffee experienceGuide in English · 06:00, 07:00, 09:00 and 10:00Always guided. Duration: 5 hours, made up of 2 hours of pottery, 2 hours of tea and 2 hours of coffee experiences. Meals and soft drinks: lunch or dinner and a soft drink are included in the price you pay. Roads: the Ruhengeri-Gisenyi road and the Gisenyi-Kinunu road.

Pfunda Tea ExperienceGuide in English · 07:00, 08:00 and 08:10Duration: 2 hours. Private taxi or your own car: the taxi costs only $30 for the round trip to and from the hotel where you are staying in Gisenyi. Motorbike: it costs only $5 each way, round trip, to and from your hotel, wherever you are staying in Gisenyi.

Coffee experiences at KinunuGuide in English · 06:00, 07:00, 09:00 and 10:00Always guided. Duration: 2 hours, with 120 minutes for the experience alone; the trip to get there takes 90 minutes from Rubavu or Pfunda to Kinunu. Private taxi or your own 4x4: if you'd like a private taxi for this tour, an extra $80 is charged, and the price is the same for 1 to 4 people. Motorbike: if you'd like to use a motorbike to see different areas on your way to Kinunu, the transportation price is $20.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day6 departure times: the first at 06:00, the last at 10:00

Book up to3h before

AgesAdult (18 to 50 years) · Under 18: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearby

Operated by Lake Kivu Coffee Tea, Pottery and Bee Keeping Experiences

Is this one for you?Pick the Pottery, Tea and Coffee option if you want the full range of crafts in one visit. Choose Pfunda Tea or Coffee to Kinunu if you'd rather go deeper into one skill and spend less time overall. All three options work best if you have a free afternoon and want to learn by doing rather than by watching demonstrations.

Top questions

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly do I make or do at the pottery workshop?

You sit at a pottery wheel with a local artisan and throw your own piece of clay. The artisan demonstrates the technique, and you create something to take with you.

Do I actually taste the coffee and tea after learning how they're made?

Yes. After seeing how coffee beans are grown and processed at the plantation, you taste the final roasted product. The same happens with tea. You taste it after learning the full journey from leaf to cup.

How do I get to Lake Kivu for this workshop?

Public transportation options are available near the site. You'll need to arrange your own transport to the location. Private transportation is not included.

What's included in the experience, and what should I bring?

Bottled water is provided. Wear clothes you don't mind getting soil or clay on, and bring sun protection if you're sensitive to it.

How long does the whole thing take?

The experience runs between 2 and 6 hours depending on which option you book. Pottery, Tea and Coffee together takes longer than either activity alone.