VOLCANOES — RWANDA
Into the cloud forest
Mountain gorillas, volcanic landscapes and a remarkable story of recovery.
In northern Rwanda, a chain of ancient volcanoes rises through farmland into dense montane forest.
This is Volcanoes National Park, home to more than a third of the world's remaining mountain gorillas and one of Africa's most extraordinary conservation landscapes.
Singita Kwitonda Lodge and Kataza House sit immediately alongside the park, creating a base from which to experience both the gorillas and the wider story of the landscape being protected around them.
Meeting the mountain gorillas
There are wildlife experiences and then there is walking into a Rwandan cloud forest in search of mountain gorillas.
Treks begin close to Kwitonda and lead into the high-altitude forest of Volcanoes National Park. Before setting out, Singita's Conservation Room gives guests a deeper understanding of the gorillas, their habitat and the conservation work surrounding them.
Then the forest takes over.
The encounter itself may last only a relatively short time, but understanding what it has taken to protect these animals gives that time an entirely different significance.
This isn't simply about seeing a gorilla. It's about entering a landscape that has fought to keep them.
Restoring the forest
When Singita established its presence beside Volcanoes National Park, the surrounding land was largely agricultural.
Reforestation began before the lodge opened. An initial 60,000 indigenous saplings sourced from local growers grew to more than 250,000 as work continued to rehabilitate the 178-acre site and expand habitat alongside the national park.
Guests can visit the Akarabo Nursery and see this work first-hand.
Here, conservation isn't happening somewhere beyond the lodge. You can watch the forest returning around it.
Stay at the edge of the forest
Singita Kwitonda Lodge
Built with volcanic stone, timber and local materials, Kwitonda sits against the edge of the park with the Virunga volcanoes dominating the landscape.
Suites have private heated plunge pools and fireplaces, while the lodge's Conservation Room, nursery and kitchen garden bring the wider landscape into the experience.
Kataza House
For complete privacy, Kataza House offers an exclusive-use villa with its own host, chef and dedicated team, particularly suited to families or friends travelling together
Beyond the gorillas
Volcanoes National Park deserves more than a single morning.
Golden monkey trekking takes you into the park's bamboo forests, while hiking, birdwatching and cycling offer different ways to explore the landscape. From Kwitonda itself, walking trails run through eucalyptus forest towards the Akarabo Nursery.
There are also opportunities to learn about local crafts, visit community projects and understand more about Rwanda beyond the national park.
Food, wine and Rwanda
Kwitonda's kitchen draws produce from its own farm-to-table garden, while the Akarabo Nursery brings food, conservation and local culture together in one place.
Singita's wine experience adds something rather unexpected: tastings of South African wines can take place in the cellar or outside at Akarabo, looking towards the volcanoes
Purpose in motion
In February 2027, Singita and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund will host the inaugural Ubumwe Women's Trail.
The experience combines a 15–18 km trail run, gorilla trekking and a hike to the original Karisoke Research Center, together with behind-the-scenes access to the Fossey Fund's Ellen DeGeneres Campus and its conservation teams. Funds raised support the Village Vitality Project and its work with women in communities surrounding gorilla habitat.
Ubumwe means “unity” or “togetherness” — an appropriate idea for a landscape where the future of wildlife and people is so closely connected
Experience Rwanda with Primaterra
Seeing a mountain gorilla in the wild is extraordinary.
Understanding the forest, conservation and communities that make that encounter possible makes the journey something more.
Primaterra will design your time in Rwanda around the experience you want. Gorilla and golden monkey trekking, conservation, hiking, food and culture, or simply time in one of Africa's most beautiful landscapes.
Rwanda can stand alone or combine beautifully with a wider East African journey.
Luxury, led by nature.
