Imagine you are trekking with your guide through a dense jungle and hear a faint rustle in the trees up ahead. Leaves begin to sway, and your heart skips a beat. Suddenly, a large Silverback gorilla and his troop appear in front of you. To say the moment is captivating is an understatement. You linger for the next hour, watching some of the world’s last remaining and protected gorillas as they forage, groom and nap without fear in their natural habitat.
KWITONDA LODGE
Set right on the edge of Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, where more than a third of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas find refuge, Singita Kwitonda Lodge’s unrivalled position puts life changing gorilla trekking experiences within easy reach. Each of the eight luxurious suites features a private heated plunge pool, wellness treatment area, in- and outdoor fireplaces and large timber-framed windows that welcome breathtaking scenery and volcano views inside.
Created in response to its dramatic setting, the luxury lodge includes elements such as woven ceilings and hand-fired terracotta brickwork crafted by local artisans, while a dedicated Conservation Room and on-site nursery and vegetable garden – which provides fresh produce for Kwitonda’s farm-to-table food journey – further enhances the experience. Offering guests a nurturing space within which to contemplate their encounters with the remarkable “gentle giants of the forest”, the lodge envelopes them in a sanctuary of warmth, stillness & solitude.
Kwitonda Lodge, which was named after a legendary silverback gorilla, is located on 178 acres and shares a 1.2km border with Volcanoes National Park – the only lodge within such close proximity of the park.