Virunga Lodge stands high on a ridge in northern Rwanda, looking west to the Virunga volcanoes and the Musanze valley and east across the twin lakes of Bulera and Ruhondo. The position, reached by a steep climb of around an hour from the Volcanoes National Park headquarters, gives the lodge long views in every direction and a stillness that comes with the altitude.
Run by Volcanoes Safaris and opened in 2004 by the company’s founder Praveen Moman, it was among the first lodges to bring tourism back to this corner of Rwanda after years in which few travellers came. It remains one of the longest-established properties in the region, built by hand from local wood and stone in a style its makers call Rwandese Afro-chic, and it has held its place as a leading choice for travellers tracking the mountain gorillas.
The setting does much of the work. Terraced gardens drop away down the ridge to a sunken garden at their centre, and the surrounding slopes give onto the lakes below and the volcanic peaks beyond. Guests walk the trails through the grounds, watch birds in the gardens and take in the long view from their own terraces, with a volcanic-stone spa and sauna set among the planting.
One of Rwanda’s first eco-lodges, still set apart by its position above the twin lakes.
Virunga Lodge was conceived with a light footprint in mind, and Volcanoes Safaris has built its community and conservation work into the property from the start. The lodge sits within walking distance of the villages on the ridge, and a stay here connects guests to both the mountain gorillas and the people who live alongside them.
Virunga Lodge occupies one of the finest positions in Rwanda, set high on a ridge with the Virunga volcanoes and the Musanze valley to the west and Lakes Bulera and Ruhondo to the east. Six of the eight volcanoes in the chain are visible from the property on a clear day. The terraced gardens, now well established, run down the slope to a sunken garden, and a volcanic-stone spa and sauna sit among them.
The ten guest bandas are built by hand from wood and stone, each with a private terrace facing either the volcanoes or the lakes. They are simple and warm rather than showy, with open living rooms, fireplaces and en-suite bathrooms, and they are spaced along the ridge to keep the views and the quiet. Hospitality runs to a private butler and food drawn from local ingredients.
The position alone would be reason enough to stay; the gorillas make it remarkable.
The lodge is a base for tracking the mountain gorillas of Volcanoes National Park, about an hour’s drive away, and for trekking the rare golden monkeys that live on the lower slopes. Guests also climb the volcanoes, walk the gentle trails around the lakes and visit the grave of the conservationist Dian Fossey, who studied the gorillas in these volcanoes for nearly two decades.
Volcanoes Safaris runs its community and conservation work through the Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust, and Virunga Lodge supports projects in the neighbouring villages. These include a solar power partnership that has brought electricity to homes in the local community, water-tank support and livestock schemes, alongside the wider effort to protect the gorillas and their habitat.
Beyond the trekking, the wider area rewards a longer stay. The lakeshore villages, the birding within the lodge’s own gardens and the long evenings around an outdoor fire all draw on the same ridge-top setting, with the volcanoes on one horizon and the lakes on the other.
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accommodation
Ten guest bandas, hand-built of local wood and stone, each with a private terrace facing the volcanoes or the twin lakes. Rooms have open living areas, fireplaces and en-suite bathrooms, and the lodge offers a private butler and locally sourced food. A volcanic-stone spa and sauna sit among the terraced gardens.
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activities
Track mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park, about an hour’s drive away, and trek the rare golden monkeys on the lower slopes. Climb one of the volcanoes, walk the gentle trails around Lakes Bulera and Ruhondo, watch birds in the lodge gardens or visit the grave of the conservationist Dian Fossey.
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conservation
Community and conservation work runs through the Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust. Projects around Virunga Lodge include a solar power partnership that has brought electricity to local homes, water-tank support and livestock schemes, alongside the wider effort to protect the gorillas and their habitat.
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.
Virunga Lodge stands high on a ridge in northern Rwanda, above the twin lakes of Bulera and Ruhondo. From Kigali International Airport it is a road transfer of roughly two and a half to three hours to the Volcanoes National Park area, followed by a final climb up to the ridge that takes around an hour from the park headquarters. The height is the point here, and it rewards you with long views in every direction.
We handle the transfer, and a helicopter charter from Kigali can be arranged if you would prefer to shorten the journey.
Yes. To track the mountain gorillas you need a permit from the Rwanda Development Board, bought separately from your stay at the lodge. At the time of writing the price is 1,500 US dollars per person for one trek, though we will confirm the current rate when you book, since the government controls it and it can change. Because only a set number are issued each day, we arrange yours well ahead of the dry-season peaks when they are hardest to come by.
Once you reach the gorillas you have one hour with them, in a group of up to eight, and the minimum age is fifteen. The hike to find them varies from about an hour to most of a morning across steep terrain. A porter hired at the start is well worth it. If you would like a second primate encounter, golden monkey tracking is a separate, lower-priced permit we can add.
Virunga Lodge and the park sit high in the mountains, and at that altitude the cool air keeps malaria-carrying mosquitoes scarce, so the risk is low. Low is not nil, however. No part of Rwanda is officially malaria-free, and the journey up from Kigali crosses lower, warmer ground where the risk is greater.
Guidance changes 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 against bites after dark.
The forest here is cool and wet, so pack for rain and mud in any month. A waterproof jacket, sturdy, well-worn hiking boots, and gardening gloves for the thorny, stinging vegetation are the essentials, with long trousers and long sleeves against nettles and light layers for mornings that start cold. The ridge itself is breezy and cooler than the valleys below, so a warm layer for the lodge is sensible too.
Rwanda has two rainy seasons, the longer from March to May and a shorter one around October and November, but rain is possible year-round at altitude. Gaiters and a dry bag for your camera are worth packing, and a porter at the trailhead can carry your daypack.
The binding rule for families is the park's minimum trekking age of fifteen, which applies at every gorilla lodge including Virunga. Children under that age cannot join the gorilla or golden monkey walks, though they are welcome to enjoy the lodge and its gardens while the rest of the party treks.
Lodges vary in the youngest age they will take as guests, so tell us who is travelling and their ages, and we will confirm Virunga's own policy and build a plan that works for all of you.
Gorillas and golden monkeys are tracked here every day of the year, so the season is not about whether you will see them but about the conditions. The long dry season from June to September and the short dry spell from December to February give the firmest trails and the easiest walking, with July and August the driest, and these are also the busiest months when permits go earliest.
The rains from March to May make the trails muddier and steeper underfoot but bring the best permit availability and a quieter park. We will help you weigh trail comfort against crowds and availability, and hold the permits to match.
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