Nyungwe Forest Lodge

About Nyungwe Forest Lodge

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A luxury lodge in the south of Rwanda situated in a tea plantation on the edge of the Nyungwe Forest. Ideal base for exploring the forest with its many primate species, flora and birdlife.

Opened late in 2010, this luxury lodge is the first of its kind in the region and has 24 rooms made up of 15 king bedded rooms, 7 twin bedded rooms and 2 king bedded suites. All rooms have fireplaces for cold nights, air conditioning, mini bars, tea and coffee facilities, en-suites and private decks. Extra comforts are provided such as fluffy bath robes, slippers, toiletries, mini bar, tea and coffee facilities.

There is an outdoor heated swimming pool and a boma area for outdoor dining and drinks. Enjoy relaxing in one of the two treatment rooms or in the jacuzzi pool at the spa.

The main building houses a large, stylish lounge and a dining area with a terrace.

Drive time from Kigali to Nyungwe is around 7 hours and 250km, but there is a helipad at the lodge and an airport within an hours drive. See our section on Nyungwe Forest for details of treks and activities there. Note that it takes nearly an hour from the lodge to the park HQ for the start of the trails, so early wake up calls are the norm here!

Guests at the lodge can take tours of the tea estate and may be able to see a local troop of colobus monkeys who frequent a plantation are near the tea fields. Gisakura village down the road is also worth a visit whilst at the lodge.

Gallery and information

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Highlights

Luxury lodge with good access to Nyungwe Forest and great views from the main terrace
Pool and spa
Lovely food and drink
Huge rooms and bathrooms with lots of luxury comforts.

Situation

Gisakura, edge of Nyungwe Forest, 250km from Kigali. Helipad on site, nearest airport at Cyangugu about 1 hr away.

Activities

Many different forest and nature walks including primate tracking, birding, cultural walks. Village visit nearby and tours of tea estate. Pool and spa.

Facilities

24 luxury rooms, dining area, lounge, treatment rooms, shop, fitness centre, wi-fi, conference facilities, wheelchair friendly, laundry service, rooms have air con, fireplaces, mini bar, tea and coffee, hairdryer, safe, electric adapters, TV and wi-fi.

Child policy

Families welcome but children under 15 are not allowed to trek Chimpanzees.

Open

All year

Best time

Any time.

Inclusions

All meals, usually sold as part of a tailor made itinerary and would include activities.

Pricing guidelines for Rwanda

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We hope the following will give you a rough idea of costs. These are quoted per person based on twin share for two people, without international flights but including internal flights. We’ve used good standard accommodation throughout. There are nearly always ways to spend more money than we’ve suggested (!), but these prices show a good and realistic range for each type of trip.

International flights will add from about £600 to £800 depending on the season and route (unless the airlines have special offers). Rwanda combines well with Uganda or the East African coast. Please note that gorillas permits add on US$500 per visit. We charge these to you at the time of booking.

For each accommodation on this website you will find an indication of the price. The bands are based on the price per person per night at peak season and are represented by the following values for this country:
	£50 to £100
	£100 to £200
	£200 to £300
	£300 to £500
	Over £500

For a specific personal quote based on any tailor made itinerary you have in mind, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help you.

Example tripPrice per person
1 week primate safariFrom about £3500 +

Tribes Advisor

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I loved the luxury in this lodge but it does feel a little out of place in a Rwandan rainforest setting! Until now, the only accommodation at Nyungwe has been a back packer level guest house, so it's completely the other end of the price scale. The rooms are huge and very well equipped. However, they are in blocks of 4 and the doors are all close together on a wooden platform, so if your neighbour is having a 3.30am wake up call and you are not, the chances are you will be woken up too, so it's helpful to check before hand what your neighbours are doing and ask the lodge to accommodate people accordingly. As the lodge is brand new, it does currently feel very 'starchy' and a bit more like a swanky south african safari lodge than a friendly, Rwandan lodge .... the staff almost seemed terrified but I'm sure it's just a case of training and teaching them English as they are clearly not used to western high class service standards. The food was superb but we did find it odd that there is no bar as such, the staff bring drinks to you in the lounge and the dining area is far too formal and clinically decorated. I think with a bit of a female touch and some planting and soft furnishings around the main lodge area, it could become a superb example of a world class lodge.

Julie Croucher, Africa Sales Manager, stayed here December 2010.

Rwanda