Tell us a little bit about yourself?

My name is Desiree Izere, I am 29 years old and I have both parents and four siblings and we live in Kigali near Amahoro National Stadium in Remera. I studied Travel and Tourism Management at university, graduating in 2018 and I started working with Go Further (then called Go Kigali) in 2019. I’m Rwandese and speak my mother tongue, Kinyarwanda, along with fluent English and French.

Why did you choose to work in travel and how long have you been working in the industry?

I’m a very outgoing person and I love to speak to people and share experiences with them. I knew that travel and tourism is what I wanted to study in university, just because of my character. Working in tourism is one of the best ways to get to meet new people, but also to broaden my own mind and to connect with the world through work.

What is the most inspiring part of your job?

The most inspiring but also the most humbling part of my work is to share the stories of my country and the resilience of the people. Rwanda is such a small place and many people only know the tragedy of the Genocide Against the Tutsi in 1994. So to be able to share that, despite what the country has been through, Rwanda and its people are moving forward and thriving is something that inspires me.

What is your favorite memory (so far) from working with Go Further?

My favorite memory so far would be the family of six that I hosted around three years ago. It was my first big group working as a guide and I was a little bit nervous because it was the first time. You meet many different personalities in this line of work and guiding six people on a seven day trip gave me the confidence that ‘I got this’ and the experience taught me that you just have to trust yourself and your abilities.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to work in tourism in Rwanda?

Working in this industry is very rewarding but you will want to have an open mind. Rwanda is a small country and it’s very traditional and our job is to keep learning and to be open minded about others’ view of the world.

Who is a person that inspires you and why?

My mum because of everything she’s gone through. Talking about Rwanda, you can never shy away from the things that happened in 1994 and the experiences your family went through. She has such a beautiful heart and is a wonderful person who inspires us to do better and to be better. She’s my strength and I look up to her for those reasons.

Share three words that your closest friends would use to describe you.

Friendly, driven, and open minded.

What are three ways you would describe yourself?

Loyal, passionate about what I put my mind to, and easy going.

What’s your favorite cuisine?

I enjoy my local food but I also enjoy trying other things like Indian food and my favorite restaurant in Kigali at the moment is Khana Khazana. I also love Chinese stir fries and Italian pizza and pasta. I’m a foodie and I love to try a lot of things!

What Rwandan dish should everyone try?

It’s very easy, you have to try isombe and ugali. It’s something that Rwandans can eat anytime and some people even eat it in the morning for breakfast! Isombe looks like spinach and is made out of cassava leaves, and ugali is made from cassava flour. So it’s basically cassava on cassava and it’s one of Rwanda’s most popular and delicious dishes.

What’s something you wished every client knew about you?

My work ethic. I wish for my guests to know that whenever I’m with them they are going to be my priority and that I’m someone who loves to go above and beyond to make their experience seamless.

What’s your favorite animal (and why)?

I’m a dog lover but I also love elephants a lot because they are very loyal, they protect their young, and they are very communicative and expressive. They are amazing animals, not to take away from the others, but whenever I’m on a safari, elephants are always going to be the highlight of my trip. Elephants… and dogs!

Where would you like to travel – anywhere in the world! – and why?

I love water so anywhere with blue water like Bora Bora, Bali, or The Maldives. Somewhere that’s very beautiful with hotels right by the water so I can sleep and wake up to the sound of the water. Plus Italy for the people, culture, and especially the food!

What is your favorite thing about Rwanda?

The resilience of the people. It’s a country that has such a heavy history but when you come to visit you feel so welcomed. The people are trying as a unit to make it work despite what’s happened and I think it’s something very special. Plus Rwanda is very clean and safe and the weather is wonderful!

What are some of your favorite hobbies and activities?

I enjoy swimming at pools around Kigali, watching movies, TV shows, and documentaries, and I also love going out to eat with my friends. Kigali is growing so fast and there are many new restaurants so I love visiting them, not only for my job to be able to make recommendations, but also because I want to try all of the new cuisines here.

What is your favorite social media account that you follow?

I’m a dog lover so I follow a lot of dog channels. Whenever I’m scrolling I can never scroll past a dog channel! I also follow some cooking channels, not because I want to cook the recipes but because I find them relaxing.

If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be?

It would be to fly or teleport or anything that allows me to get to a destination as soon as possible.

If you could quickly and easily learn one new skill, what would it be?

A new language. I’ve wanted to learn Spanish for a long time but so far I only know three words.

What’s a dream that you want to make come true one day?

I want to make my parents proud. I know they are proud of me right now but going into the future as well, I want them to see me be successful. I would also love to travel outside of Africa to all of the places I mentioned but also to Paris because of its culture, food, and beauty.