Destination No. 11 — Virunga volcanoes and Nyungwe
Rwanda
One hour with mountain gorillas that changes the rest of the journey.
Rwanda is small, green and well run. From Kigali it is two to three hours to the Virunga volcanoes, and there the reason most people come takes place: a climb through bamboo and montane forest to a gorilla family, followed by exactly one hour in their company.
That hour is expensive, tightly regulated and, for most travellers, the reason the effort is worth it. With more time, add Nyungwe in the south — chimpanzees, a canopy walk and tea planted to the forest edge.
Why we like this place
Three reasons
01
Because the encounter happens without fence, without vehicle and in complete silence.
02
Because permit fees go directly into conservation and communities, and you can see it along the paths.
03
Because the country is underrated as landscape: a thousand hills, tea plantations, crater lakes.
For planning
- Best time to visit
- June to September, December to early February
- The drier months keep the trails walkable; the montane forest is never entirely dry. The rains bring greener, more slippery ground and fewer visitors.
- Suggested length
- Four to six nights
- Two gorilla permits on consecutive days is the best decision of this journey. Add a night in Kigali and, if time allows, three nights in Nyungwe.
How many treks should you plan?
Two. The first is overwhelming and passes quickly; on the second you actually look. Permits are limited and should be secured months ahead. Fitness: if you can manage a three-hour hill walk at 2,500 metres you are well prepared. Four nights in total, ideally with two more on Lake Kivu.
Noted by Pure Voyage
Pure Voyage Atlas
Where this leads
The Atlas connects what belongs together: the region, the collections, the right season and the houses that sit within the same story.
Related Houses
Within These Collections
When to Go
In the Journal
Discovery Paths
Where we stay
Addresses in this region
A lodge at the foot of the volcanoes from which you drive straight to the meeting point in the morning — proximity matters more here than elsewhere.
Continue through Pure Voyage
Where to go from here
Not a catalogue, but a next step: the houses, routes, countries and essays we would mention at this point in a conversation.
Hotels
Addresses that belong beside this page.
Journeys
Routes that open up this region.
Recommendations
What we suggest for this occasion.
Journal
Further reading before you decide.
An Invitation
Once a month: hotels, new openings and travel ideas
One hotel that convinced us, with our advice on suite and season. The openings that actually matter. And a destination at its best right now. No offers, no advertising.