One&Only Nyungwe House sits on the Gisakura tea estate in Rwanda’s mountainous south-west, where waist-high green tea stretches across the plateau to the treeline of Nyungwe National Park. The forest is one of the oldest and largest mountain rainforests in Africa, and the lodge places you within walking reach of it rather than at the end of a long and winding forest drive.
Twenty-two rooms and suites are arranged across clustered villas, each with an open fireplace, a private terrace and a deep soaking tub for the end of a long day on the trails. The plantation setting gives the property its character: lush, quiet and surrounded on every side by working tea fields and the dark green wall of the forest beyond. Helicopter arrivals are common, sweeping in low over the canopy before the tea fields come into view.
The forest sets the pace of a stay here. Mornings begin early for tracking, with chimpanzees and black-and-white colobus monkeys moving through the canopy overhead, and the days fill out with guided forest walks, the marsh and waterfall trails, and some of the finest birding in the region across close to 300 recorded species.
Few lodges in Africa let you step from a tea field straight into ancient rainforest.
One&Only Nyungwe House also gives ready access to Nyungwe’s celebrated canopy walkway, a suspended bridge strung high above the forested valley floor that brings you level with the treetops. It is an experience unlike any ground-level walk, reached by a short drive deeper into the park and easily built into a day from the lodge.
One&Only Nyungwe House opened in 2018 as the brand’s first property in Rwanda, operated by One&Only Resorts. It occupies a plateau of the Gisakura tea estate, a working plantation that still harvests leaf around the lodge, with the rainforest of Nyungwe National Park rising directly beyond the fields. The design leans into that setting: timber and stone villas, large windows onto the green, and interiors that feel earthy and quiet rather than showy.
The forest is the reason to come. Chimpanzee tracking is the signature activity, following habituated groups through dense undergrowth on foot, and black-and-white colobus monkeys move in large troops through the upper canopy. Guided walks reach the Kamiranzovu marsh and the forest waterfalls, and the birding is exceptional, with close to 300 species recorded across the park.
The canopy walkway brings you eye to eye with a rainforest that has stood for millennia.
Nyungwe’s suspended canopy walkway is one of the few of its kind in Africa, carrying you high above a forested valley for a view across the treetops. Back at the lodge, the One&Only Spa offers African-inspired treatments using ethical Africology products, alongside a heated infinity pool, fitness centre and quiet relaxation spaces for the recovery a day in the forest tends to require.
Dining draws on the plantation and the region, with farm-to-table menus and the chef circulating among guests each evening. A private table set out among the tea leaves is a standing fixture of a stay, as are nocturnal spotlighting walks and stargazing once the forest goes dark.
The lodge is closely tied to its surroundings. It works with the neighbouring communities and supports the conservation of Nyungwe National Park, a protected mountain rainforest whose biodiversity and primate populations are central to both the region’s ecology and the reason guests travel here in the first place.
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accommodation
One&Only Nyungwe House has 22 rooms and suites set across clustered villas on the tea estate, including canopy treehouses. Each comes with an open fireplace, a private terrace looking onto the plantation or forest, and a deep soaking tub built for unwinding after a day spent tracking primates on the forest trails.
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activities
Days centre on chimpanzee tracking and black-and-white colobus troops, with guided forest walks to the marsh and waterfalls and birding across close to 300 species. Nyungwe's suspended canopy walkway carries you high above the valley, while nocturnal spotlighting walks and stargazing fill the evenings once the forest goes dark.
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conservation
The lodge sits on a working tea plantation and partners with neighbouring communities while supporting the protection of Nyungwe National Park. This ancient mountain rainforest, with its rich primate and bird populations, is the heart of the conservation work and the very reason the region matters to travellers.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
One&Only Nyungwe House sits on a tea estate on the edge of Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda's mountainous south-west, the far side of the country from Kigali. By road it is a long and scenic drive of around four to five hours from Kigali International Airport through the hills.
The quicker option is to fly. RwandAir runs a scheduled service from Kigali to Kamembe, near Rusizi, from where it is about an hour by road to the lodge, and a private helicopter charter can reach the estate in roughly forty-five minutes. We can also arrange a private fixed-wing charter to Kamembe, typically a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12, timed to your international arrival in Kigali. We build whichever suits your trip.
Yes, if you want to track the chimpanzees. Chimp tracking in Nyungwe needs a permit from the Rwanda Development Board, separate from your lodge rate. At the time of writing it costs 150 US dollars per person, and the celebrated canopy walkway is a separate ticket at around 200 US dollars; please confirm the current prices with us at booking, as the authorities set them and they can change. We arrange your permits in advance.
Chimp tracking has a minimum age of fifteen, and it can be demanding, as the chimps move fast and the terrain is steep. Reaching them is not guaranteed in the way a habituated gorilla family is, so the reward comes with some effort. We can also add colobus monkey walks and guided birding, which carry their own modest fees.
Nyungwe is a high montane rainforest in Rwanda's south-west, and the altitude keeps the malaria risk lower than in the country's low-lying areas. Lower is not zero. No part of Rwanda is classed as malaria-free, and the forest is wet, so cover against bites still matters.
Guidance shifts from year to year and depends on your own circumstances, so we always suggest confirming the current advice with a travel clinic or your doctor before you travel, and taking the usual precautions after dark.
Nyungwe is a wet montane rainforest, so plan for rain and slippery ground on the trails. A waterproof jacket, broken-in hiking boots with a firm grip, long trousers and long sleeves, and a dry bag for your camera are the core of it. Chimp tracking can be steep and fast once the group is found, so a reasonable level of fitness helps.
The forest has two wetter spells, the longer around March to May and a shorter one about October and November, though rain is possible year-round. Light layers cover mornings that begin cool, and insect cover is sensible under the canopy.
Chimps and colobus monkeys are in the forest year-round, so timing is about trail conditions and how active the chimps are. The dry months of June to August give the firmest footing, and they coincide with heavy fruiting of the forest figs, which draws the chimps into busy, close feeding. February, in the short dry season, is another settled window.
The two rainy seasons keep the primates near their food and bring the best of the birding, but April and November are the wettest and hardest for trekking. We will help you time it to balance the walking against the chances of a good, close encounter.
Chimp tracking in Nyungwe has a minimum age of fifteen, and the forest activities can be demanding, so they suit older children and adults. Younger children are welcome to stay at the lodge, which sits on a tea estate with gentler walks and a pool, while the rest of the party tracks in the forest.
Tell us the ages of everyone travelling and we will confirm the lodge's policy for children and match each day to who is with you.
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