Wilderness Sabyinyo 

Gorilla treks and volcano views

With breathtaking views and beautiful décor, this is the perfect base for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The experience at Wilderness Sabyinyo is high quality yet homely. Owned by a community trust, it’s run by a superb small team for whom nothing is too much trouble. The main lodge building has a cosy sitting room with snug, library/games room and a dining room. Outdoors, two patio areas make the most of the dramatic view towards the Virunga Volcanoes. Nine stone cottages are stylish with traditional touches including a cosy fireplace for the cooler mountain evenings.

The lodge is set on 31 acres at the edge of Volcanoes National Park, which is the starting point for magical mountain gorilla treks. From the lodge verandas you’ll enjoy views of the volcanoes in the Virunga Massif, which straddles Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Why we love Wilderness Sabyinyo

  • The lodge has a long-term commitment to the community and conservation and a percentage of each stay goes into the Sabyinyo Community Livelihood Association

  • The lodge is a stone’s throw from Volcanoes National Park, the starting point for magical gorilla treks and seeing golden monkeys

  • Take in the views  of six volcanoes which are part of the Virunga Massif

  • Sabyinyo is also the perfect location for avid birders, with over 50 species endemic to this area in Northern Rwanda and the Albertine Rift

5 stars
Jun - Sep
Rwanda
10 hours to Kigali via Nairobi
2515 metres (8250 feet) above sea level in Ruhengeri at the edge of Volcanoes National Park, a 15-minute drive from the Volcanoes National Park offices
Approx. 3 hours’ drive from Kigali

Facilities

  • Restaurants & bars
  • Activities
  • Sustainability

Farm-to-table food is served in the main lodge. You can choose to dine with your fellow travellers, with everyone gathered together around a long table to share your day’s experience.

The highlight of staying here is trekking to see mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. You can also track golden monkeys. Follow the resort’s nature trail through bamboo forests and vegetable gardens, accompanied by an ornithologist who’ll help you spot over 50 species of birds.

When the lodge opened in 2008, its purpose was to support local people and gorilla conservation. Sabyinyo is Rwanda’s first ever community-owned lodge and every stay there helps to fund local projects like schools, health clinics and sustainable farming businesses through the Sabyinyo Community Livelihood Association.

They are passionate about and committed to making the lodge and food as sustainable and ethically sourced as possible. Thanks to the fertile volcanic soil, they are able to grow a variety of produce to provide an ethos of a farm-to-table menu. There is also a sewing project, run on donations, that supports single mothers and teaches them to sew to allow them to have a vocation and to become self-sufficient.

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