About Eric Sabi
Founder of Hope Tours Africa
Eric Sabi, Founder: Hope Tours Africa
Eric Sabi grew up in Musanze, the Rwandan town that sits at the gateway to Volcanoes National Park home to Rwanda’s mountain gorillas. Watching travelers arrive from around the world to trek into the Virunga Mountains shaped his earliest understanding of tourism, and it set the direction for the rest of his career.
Eric holds a Bachelor’s degree in Travel and Tourism and a Diploma in Climate-Friendly Travel, and is a licensed tour guide in Rwanda. He began working in the country’s tourism industry in 2012, and over more than a decade has worked across the sectors that make a safari run smoothly: with local and international tour operators, with hotels and lodges, and with community-based tourism initiatives near the national parks. He also worked with the Rwanda Chamber of Tourism, contributing to the development of national sustainable tourism policy.
In 2020, Eric founded Hope Tours Africa, licensed by the Rwanda Development Board, built around a straightforward idea: tourism should benefit both the people who live alongside Rwanda’s parks and the wildlife those parks protect. His training in climate-friendly travel shaped the company from day one — including operating as a single-use plastic-free business and supporting indigenous tree-planting and reforestation efforts.
What this means for travelers planning a safari
Eric’s combination of formal training, a tour guide license, and over a decade working across operators, lodges, and national tourism policy gives Hope Tours Africa a practical, ground-level understanding of permit systems, lodge logistics, and what actually happens on the trails in Volcanoes National Park, Akagera, and Nyungwe Forest. For travelers planning a gorilla trekking safari or a tailor-made Rwanda itinerary, that means realistic expectations and informed planning from the first conversation.
As a small, locally-owned, RDB-licensed team, Eric and the Hope Tours Africa team remain personally involved from initial inquiry through to a traveler’s return home.
To start planning a luxury gorilla trekking experience or a tailor-made Rwanda safari, speak with a safari specialist.
