Virunga Lodge

Virunga Lodge overview

Virunga Lodge enjoys a stunning hillside location with views of the Virunga volcanoes and 'twin' lakes Ruhondo and Bulera. There are 8 spacious rooms, all comfortably furnished and with large ensuite bathrooms. The now well established gardens are terraced into the hillside with lots of hidden seating areas and sunken gardens to sit and relax.

There are battery charging facilities in the public area, the main building has a terrace around the outside where breakfast and drinks can be taken to enjoy the stunning views. The lounge bar has an open fire to warm the chilly nights. The rooms and main lodge areas are serviced by solar power electricity and the bathrooms now have sensor lights to save power. The room also has plenty of candles for lighting at night and an emergency powerful lantern.

The lodge has a strong eco-ethos and was built from local materials with sustainability in mind. The bathrooms used to have composting toilets and bush showers but now all have flush loos and running water in excellent power showers. The public toilet areas are still composting.

It is a perfect base from which to explore Parc National des Volcans, which offers excellent gorilla trekking opportunties. Other activities include climbing Visoke or Karisimbi volcanoes, tracking golden monkeys, visiting Diane Fossey's tomb, taking nature walks in the area and visiting local villages. Note however, that Virunga Lodge is the furthest away from the park HQ of all the accommodation, so early starts are required, it takes around 45 minutes with no traffic from the lodge to the Kinigi HQ.