Rwanda

My Singita Kwitonda Lodge experience and visit to Volcanoes National Park was 10 out of 10 phenomenal. I can’t wait to share Singita with friends, family, clients - anyone looking for an experience of a lifetime, really. You’re going to see a lot of superlatives and adjectives for ‘incredible’ below, all of them warranted.

The heart of Africa, Rwanda, Uganda and Congo offer unparalleled gorilla trekking experiences amid lush landscapes and diverse wildlife. Beyond your standard safari wildlife encounters, gorilla trekking provides some of the closest experiences one can have with wildlife in Africa. With each trek, travelers contribute to the preservation of these magnificent creatures and the rich biodiversity of the region, ensuring unforgettable experiences that leave a lasting impact. Use this guide to consider the experience in each country, as well as the time and costs it takes to visit each.

I took this trip with my 77-year-old mother. It was a bucket-list trip for me and she held her own
and then some on the hike to see those incredible majestic creatures. While I wanted to stay
with them forever, I am grateful for the hour we had with them. I think of them often, and hope
that we, as humans, will protect them and their habitat so they can thrive.

Mention Rwanda to people, and most of the resulting responses contain the word "genocide." The reality is that that event happened over 30 years ago, and Rwanda is now one of the safest places in Africa, with excellent infrastructure – think roads, internet connectivity even in national parks and excellent hillside restaurants! The hilly terrain and the mist that comes with it makes for lovely vistas throughout the country, and are the habitat for the majestic mountain gorillas – see the movie "Gorillas In The Mist" for more on this.

Rwanda is also one of the cleanest countries in the world, thanks to a sense of civic pride, where all citizens - whether a prince or pauper - are expected to take part in community cleaning activities every week.

Finally, Rwanda grows coffee and so it takes its coffee seriously. If you are a coffee snob, you'd be seriously remiss if you skipped this ritual while in Rwanda!

When you think of Africa, what comes to mind? Vast savannas teeming with wildlife, the majestic silhouette of Mount Kilimanjaro or perhaps the rhythmic beats of traditional drums? While all these are quintessentially African, there’s an experience that stands apart in its raw, unfiltered connection to nature: the gorilla safari. If you’re seeking an adventure that will leave you breathless, both figuratively and literally, gorilla safaris in Africa should be at the top of your bucket list.

Exploring the volcano-punctuated highlands of Rwanda is high on many’s bucket list. This is for the all-important reason that Rwanda is home to approximately one-third of the world’s total mountain gorilla population.

The global population of mountain gorillas is estimated to be around 1,000 individuals. Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park hosts about 300–350 gorillas. The rest of the population is found in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, as well as the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

But Rwanda's primate circuit extends beyond the mountain gorillas of Volcanoes National Park. For the permit price of $100 per trek, explore Volcanoes and Nyungwe Forest National Park for other endangered primate species including chimps, Colobus and Golden Monkeys. I’ve summarized below how you might do this at three different price-point options. Pinnacle, premium and classic.

Rwanda was recently named the safest country for solo travelers in Africa. It is also the sixth safest on the planet, according to a review conducted by a trusted travel website. This is testimony to Rwanda's miraculous recovery from its painful past, and the resulting success story that has emerged due to the newfound solidarity, impressive work ethic and warmth of its people.

The country is a mecca for the very best in luxury accommodation set spectacularly alongside deeply intimate, once-in-a-lifetime encounters with a rich abundance of endangered primates — not least of which are the gentle giant Mountain Gorilla. Less well-known but equally spectacular, the rare Golden Monkey (also Volcanoes National Park), and the Chimps and Colobus Monkeys of Nyungwe Forest National Park.

In January of 2024, I did a site inspection while staying at the Kataza House which is one of the Singita Lodges and Villas sites located in the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. This lodge is in a beautiful setting where the brick-style lodge with luxurious amenities such as spacious rooms with a spa-style bathroom, interesting artwork with unique designed lamps, tables and many views of the beautiful outside. The outdoor patio has locally crafted chairs and tables, a fire pit and a small hot jacuzzi with one of the views of the Virunga volcano chains in the background. The staff is super attentive to your needs daily, and are happy to serve you and are comfortable with your presence. The bed dinner table room is almost like being at your own house with a big dinner table with picture works of mountain gorillas, a nice fireplace and comfortable carpets that makes your stay cozy. I recommend anybody who wants to visit Volcanoes National Park to stay here for a few days after a day of gorilla trekking and hiking through the forest to see the volcanoes.