The four places
What differs, and what does not
The lodges here are genuinely good. What separates them is distance from the park headquarters and how warm they are at night.
Volcanoes
Two hours from Kigali, and the reason you came. Two or three nights.
What differs between lodges here is mostly two things, and neither is obvious from photographs.
| What to ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| How far from the park headquarters? | Briefing is at seven. Twenty minutes is a civilised start; an hour is a 5.30 one. |
| Is there heating, and a fire? | It is genuinely cold at 2,300 metres. This is the single biggest comfort difference here. |
| Is drying space provided for boots and kit? | You will come back soaked and muddy, and want it dry by the next morning |
| What happens on non-trekking days? | Golden monkeys, the Fossey hike, the caves, or a lodge good enough to stay in |
Nyungwe
Four to five hours from Kigali by road, through tea country that is itself worth the drive. Montane rainforest, chimpanzee tracking, a canopy walkway a hundred metres above the forest floor, and very few people.
Two or three nights, and best added when you have eight or more in total. Chimp tracking is an earlier start than the gorillas and a different kind of walking — flatter, faster, and you may not catch them, which is worth knowing in advance.
Lake Kivu
An hour or so from Volcanoes. A large, warm, freshwater lake — bilharzia-free and crocodile-free, so you can actually swim in it, which is unusual in this part of the world.
There is nothing to do, and that is the entire point. After the trek this is where the honeymoon part of a Rwandan honeymoon happens, and couples who cut it to add a night at Volcanoes generally say afterwards that they would not again.
Kigali
One night at the start, and possibly one at the end. It is clean, safe, hilly and considerably more interesting than most people expect.
The Genocide Memorial is there. Many visitors go and find it worth the hours; it is not a light experience and it should not be scheduled for the afternoon you arrive or the morning you trek. If you go, leave time afterwards to do nothing.
More from our Rwanda guides
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