10 Best Value Luxury Rwanda Safari Lodges & Camps

By Philip Briggs

Rwanda is one of Africa’s most exciting and fastest developing ecotourism destinations. It is best known for the opportunity to go gorilla trekking in the forested Virunga slopes protected in Volcanoes National Park. Other wildlife attractions include chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe National Park and the more conventional Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino) safari territory of Akagera National Park.

Not that long ago, accommodation here was uniformly rather basic, but these days the country boasts an excellent choice of luxury properties, and here we pick 10 of our favorite Rwanda lodges and camps.

The accommodations below are not ranked in a specific quality order.

1. Mantis Akagera Game Lodge, Akagera National Park

Mantis Akagera Game Lodge

The only non-tented accommodation available in the eponymous national park, Akagera Game Lodge is a 60-room property that stands on a hilltop offering sweeping views over Lake Ihema. The oldest lodge in Rwanda, it was originally built in the 1970s and experienced several ups and downs prior to being taken over by the upmarket Mantis Collection in 2017. Architecturally it feels like a bit of a throwback, but the current management has overhauled the decor to give rooms and public areas an appealing contemporary African feel. Amenities include a refreshing swimming pool, tennis courts, large manicured grounds alive with birds, and a varied menu of guided activities. This Mantis property is highly recommended to first-time safari-goers who would be uncomfortable sleeping under canvas in Big Five territory.

Mantis Akagera Tours

2. Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel, Musanze

Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel

Named after the five volcanic Virunga peaks that lie partly within Rwanda, this well-run boutique lodge is a popular base with upmarket gorilla trekking tours. It has a convenient location on the northern outskirts of Musanze, alongside the main road to Volcanoes National Park. The 10 spacious rooms and suites are built with locally sourced lava stone and come with walk-in nets and private verandas. The attractive gardens are centered on a large free-form swimming pool and overlooked by a characterful terrace restaurant serving excellent Indian-inspired cuisine.

Five Volcanoes Tours

3. Ruzizi Tented Lodge, Akagera National Park

Ruzizi Tented Lodge

This fabulous tented camp stands in a dense patch of lakeside woodland abutting Lake Ihema in the far south of Akagera. You’re certain to hear hippos grunting merrily in the lake at night, and it’s a great base for boat trips and game drives in search of the Big Five and other wildlife. The standing tents are very well equipped and spaced widely along the shore to ensure maximum privacy. It is also a highly rewarding spot for bird-watchers, and the breakfast terrace is ideally positioned for watching the sun rise over the lake.

Ruzizi Tented Lodge Tours

4. Wilderness Magashi, Akagera National Park

Wilderness Magashi

For Rwanda’s most exclusive bush experience, look no further than Wilderness Magashi. This intimate luxury camp comprises just six spacious and stylishly decorated standing tents, each of which is set on a stilted wooden platform and has a private balcony overlooking Lake Rwanyakazinga. What makes Magashi stand out, however, is that guests have exclusive access to a 6,000-hectare private concession that offers some of Akagera’s best wildlife viewing. Guided game drives here routinely throw up quality elephant, lion and black rhino sightings, while boat trips on Lake Rwanyakazinga can be rewarding for leopards, which here have the unusual habit of catching fish from the shore.

Wilderness Magashi Tours

5. Wilderness Bisate, Volcanoes National Park

Wilderness Bisate

Our favorite lodge in the vicinity of Volcanoes National Park is Wilderness Bisate, which consists of just six exclusive villas spaced widely on a 43-hectare hill only 400m/1,300ft from the park boundary. The imaginative design of the spacious twin-domed villas represents a fascinating contemporary take on traditional Rwandan architecture, and makes ample use of local materials such as lava stone, hand-fired bricks, wood and thatch. The views across to the volcanic outline of nearby Mt Bisoke are superb, and a nature trail around an eroded crater rim offers great birding. A rewilding project involving the planting of more than 60,000 indigenous highland trees has encouraged the return of wildlife to the lodge grounds. Occasional visitors include elephant, buffalo, golden monkey and even mountain gorilla.

Wilderness Bisate Tours

6. Virunga Lodge, Volcanoes National Park

Virunga Lodge

Hilltop Virunga Lodge was one of the first luxury properties to open in the vicinity of Volcanoes National Park, and it remains another favorite. Its most memorable feature is undoubtedly the magnificent panoramic views, which take in four of the Virunga Volcanoes along with Lakes Burera and Ruhondo. Guests are accommodated in attractive stone-and-wood chalets with private verandas. Virunga Lodge is significantly farther than other luxury lodges from the meeting point for gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, but the staff are used to organizing early wake-up calls and breakfast.

Virunga Lodge Tours

7. Wilderness Sabyinyo, Volcanoes National Park

Wilderness Sabyinyo

One of the most luxurious Rwandan lodges, Wilderness Sabyinyo is also notable in that it operates in collaboration with a local community association that owns the land on which it stands. Bordering Volcanoes National Park, the rehabilitated grounds stand at a chilly altitude of 2,500m/8,200ft below Mt Sabyinyo, a dormant volcano whose peak forms the three-way border between Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The well-equipped stone cottages are attractively decorated in traditional Rwandan style, while log fires keep guests warm at night. Wilderness Sabyinyo is highly recommended to those who want to be sure their visit to Rwanda benefits the local people, as rates include a substantial community levy.

8. One&Only Nyungwe House, Nyungwe National Park

One&Only Nyungwe House

Far and away the most prestigious and costly lodge serving Nyungwe National Park, One&Only Nyungwe House stands in a pretty tea estate scattered with relict forest patches inhabited by a wealth of monkeys and birds. The spacious chalets combine an organic wooden feel with modern amenities such as air-conditioning, television, hot tub and private balcony. There is also a heated infinity pool, a spa and mountain biking. If you’re looking for a super-luxurious base for chimp trekking and other activities in Nyungwe, this is the obvious choice.

One&Only Nyungwe House Tours

9. Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel, Nyungwe National Park

Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel

Although it doesn’t pretend to match the nearby One&Only in terms of unbridled luxury, this comfortable and welcoming lodge is easily the best option in Nyungwe for visitors on a more restricted budget. Its best feature is a spectacular hilltop setting offering stunning views east over the vast rainforest and west towards Lake Kivu. Accommodation is in large stone chalets, all of which have a sitting room with fireplace and a private balcony. Meals are taken in a circular two-story traditional-style building with a tall thatched roof.

Top View Hill Hotel Tours

10. Forest of Hope Guesthouse, Gishwati-Mukura National Park

Forest of Hope Guesthouse

It doesn’t get much more exclusive than the Forest of Hope Guesthouse. This two-bedroom property is the only accommodation servicing Rwanda’s newest national park, whose Gishwati sector effectively operates as a private concession for the exclusive use of overnight guests. The setting, on a grassy hilltop overlooking Gishwati Forest and the more distant peaks of the Virunga Volcanoes, is absolutely stunning. Guided walks come with a good chance of encountering chimps, golden monkeys, l’Hoest’s monkeys and a variety of colorful forest birds. Accommodation here arguably doesn’t quite nudge into the luxury category, but the lodge is very comfortable and well run, and the exclusivity of the experience is a luxury in itself.