Nyungwe Forest Lodge

Between the trees and the tea plantations on the edge of Nyungwe Forest

There are 22 rooms and suites, close enough to the forest to see the monkeys leaping from branch to branch. Despite the rural location, bedrooms are anything but rustic. There are flat screen TV’s in each room, wi-fi, and air-conditioning. Decor is sleek, modern, and African in style, with clean straight lines, natural wood and stone, and flashes of red amongst the neutral colours.

Rwandan bush lodges aren’t generally known for their facilities, but Nyungwe Forest Lodge breaks the mould. There’s an infinity pool hanging over the forest, a small gym with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the trees, and a tiny spa that offers massages to guests. Meals are generally taken in the main dining room, but there’s also an outdoor boma, where you’ll often eat dinner on warm evenings.

Many of Nyungwe’s visitors are drawn by the spectacular birdlife, and the chance to trek for chimpanzees in the forest.  These are very definitely wild though, and the challenging hiking means there’s an element of grafting for your great apes.  Twitchers will be thrilled by the array of birdlife, and hikers (including those gearing up to a gorilla trek) will certainly have the opportunity to muddy their boots here.  Really though, much of the beauty is in Nyungwe’s location, and it would be as easy to lie back, have a massage and go for a gentle potter as to tramp off in into the forest.