Sambora Kinigi is a small, owner-run, thatched lodge of nine suites at the foot of Mount Sabyinyo, on the edge of Volcanoes National Park — three hundred metres from the Dian Fossey Campus and a five-minute drive from park headquarters, where gorilla treks begin. Built by local artisans in local materials, it sits in lush gardens at 2,300 metres. We focus on quality of experience — food, comfort and conservation — rather than scale. It is part of the Sambora collection, alongside Sambora Private Journeys, our destination management company for Rwanda and East Africa.

Four categories, nine suites — each within private forested grounds, with a Californian king or twin configuration, en-suite walk-in rain shower, fireplace, mini-bar and private verandah:

• Sanctuary Suite · 2 suites · 80 sqm · new for 2026 — en-suite shower & bath, outdoor rain shower, fireplace with lounge, private dining area and a heated plunge pool of its own
• Superior Forest Suite · 2 suites · 70 sqm — en-suite walk-in shower, outdoor rain shower, fireplace with lounge area
• Forest Suite · 3 suites · 50 sqm — en-suite shower & bath, outdoor rain shower, fireplace with seating area
• Junior Suite · 2 suites · 40 sqm — en-suite walk-in shower, fireplace

Every suite sleeps two adults plus one child on a camp bed by request. The entire lodge — nine suites, up to 18 guests — can also be taken on an exclusive-use basis. See Stay for each suite in detail.

Locally-sourced amenities, robes, slippers and hot-water bottles for cool nights; an in-room safe, hair dryer, telephone and binoculars for guest use; complimentary snacks and mini-bar; Starlink Wi-Fi and daily laundry. Your fireplace is lit before turn-down on cool evenings, and butler service is available.

A large, open-plan space with a shared dining room, stocked bar, fireside lounge, curated library and a verandah looking out onto Mount Sabyinyo. There's a heated pool and sauna, and a wellness centre where one complimentary 45-minute massage per guest is included in each stay; further treatments are available at an additional charge. See Wellness.

Menus are seasonal and locally sourced — much of it from our own kitchen garden and neighbouring farms. Shared dining is gently encouraged, an opportunity to meet other guests and swap trekking stories; private dining is available by prior arrangement around the fire pit (weather permitting), on the verandah or in your suite. Packed lunches are provided on trek days, and a gin & tonic sundowner is served daily at 6 pm. See Dining.

Yes — Starlink Wi-Fi is available throughout the lodge and in every suite, and is included in your stay.

220–240V, with Type C, E and F sockets (European two-prong). Multi-voltage appliances such as phone and camera chargers need only an adaptor.

English fluently, alongside French and Kinyarwanda. The lodge team is multilingual; reservations correspond in English.

Check-in from 14h00; check-out by 11h00. Early arrival is subject to availability, and late check-out can sometimes be arranged by prior agreement — a supplement applies.

Smoking and vaping are permitted only within designated outdoor areas.

Stays are generously all-inclusive, with VAT and the 3% Rwandan tourism levy included. Please note that gorilla permits, park activities and transfers are not included — see the panel below and the Getting Here section.

One additional activity per day is included, arranged by your host — from the local area or on-site. Park activities are excluded and are pre-booked separately, with fees.

• Local area (included, one per day) — Twin Lakes boat & canoe, bird watching with our resident guide, the Hand Spun Hope textile project, Red Rocks cultural visit, Dian Fossey campus visit, white-water rafting
• On-site (included) — traditional dance & drumming, painting workshop, fire pit & BBQ evenings (weather permitting)
• On-site, extra fees apply — Gorilla Doctors talk, genocide history presentation, wellness treatments beyond your complimentary massage
• Within Volcanoes National Park (permits and fees apply, pre-booking required) — gorilla trekking, golden monkey tracking, the Dian Fossey tomb hike, Bisoke crater lake, Sabyinyo ascent, and the two-day Karisimbi trek

See Experiences for the full picture.

Rates vary by suite and season and are quoted in US Dollars per person per night sharing, on the all-inclusive basis above. Exclusive use of the whole lodge — nine suites, up to 18 guests — is also available. For current rates and availability, please enquire with your dates; our reservations team will come back to you within 24 hours.

No — gratuities are not included and are entirely at your discretion. Our team never expects them and always appreciates them. See Gratuities below for a guideline.

Check availability and send an enquiry via our Enquire page, or email stay@samborakinigi.com. Every enquiry is answered personally within 24 hours.

Your reservation is confirmed once we've issued written confirmation and received a 25% non-refundable deposit. The 75% balance is due 60 days before arrival — at which point the full booking value becomes due and payable. Full details are in our Booking Terms & Conditions.

More than 60 days before arrival, the 25% deposit is forfeited; at 60 days or fewer, 100% of the booking value is payable. No-shows and early departures are non-refundable. Because we're a small lodge with limited accommodation, comprehensive travel, emergency and evacuation insurance is required — covering cancellation, medical treatment, emergency evacuation and travel disruption. The full policy is set out in our Booking Terms.

All rates are quoted and invoiced in US Dollars (USD). All major credit cards are accepted, and AMEX via our online payment link; card transactions are subject to a 3.9% fee. Our reservations team will share payment details with your confirmation.

No — transfers are not included in accommodation rates. Private road transfers from Kigali (and throughout Rwanda) are arranged at additional cost through Sambora Private Journeys, our own tour operating and ground-handling team — who can equally design your entire itinerary, not just the drive. Tell us your flight details when you book.

International flights arrive at Kigali International Airport. From Kigali it's a scenic drive of around 2.5 to 3 hours via Musanze, on a modern road, to Kinigi on the edge of Volcanoes National Park. Alternatively, a 30-minute helicopter transfer from Kigali International can be arranged. If you're driving yourself, we're about a mile past One&Only Gorilla's Nest, on the left — if you reach the Dian Fossey Campus, you've gone too far. Detailed directions accompany your booking confirmation.

Sambora Kinigi · Kinigi, Musanze, Rwanda · 1°25′48″ S, 29°35′06″ E (1.4300° S, 29.5850° E) · what3words ///dining.cushion.confided

Five minutes by road. Every park activity begins at 7 am at Volcanoes National Park headquarters in Kinigi; from there it's a 15–45 minute drive to your trailhead. One of the great advantages of staying here is how short that morning journey is — our team will help arrange your park-morning logistics.

A professional driver-guide is recommended throughout your stay, both for park mornings and for exploring the local area. We do not recommend local taxis or motos. Sambora Private Journeys can arrange a vehicle and guide for the duration.

Yes — and we'd recommend it. Sambora Private Journeys is our own tour operator and destination management company: one team designing and running your complete itinerary — gorilla permits, transfers, private guiding, helicopter charters, accommodation across Rwanda, and multi-country journeys through East Africa. Guests travelling with Private Journeys are automatically covered for emergency medical evacuation. One point of contact from touchdown to departure — start with Private Journeys or simply mention it in your enquiry.

Permits are issued by the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and cost US$1,500 per person. A limited number are released daily to protect the gorillas, and they sell out quickly in high season — please plan several months ahead. Permits are not included in accommodation rates, but Sambora Private Journeys can arrange them for you — alongside your transfers or a complete Rwanda itinerary. Simply say so in your enquiry.

Your day begins with a 7 am briefing at park headquarters, followed by a 15–45 minute drive to the trailhead, before small guided groups set off into the forest. Treks typically last three to six hours depending on where your gorilla family is that morning; once found, you spend one hour with them at a respectful distance. Moderate fitness helps. Porters can be hired on the day at US$20, cash — warmly recommended, both for the steadying hand and for the local livelihoods they support.

You'll start at around 2,300 metres and may rise to 3,500 metres. Some guests experience mild altitude sickness, so an acclimatisation day before trekking is wise — and a good excuse for a gentler local-area activity first.

Yes. Private trekking is available, charged as a group of eight minimum: choose your gorilla family, choose your guide, and start from the lodge. Please enquire if of interest.

Yes — the minimum age for gorilla trekking is 15 years, set by park regulations. Golden monkey treks are open to younger adventurers from around 12 years.

Gorilla trekking runs year-round. The dry months — June to October and December — bring more predictable weather and firmer trails; January and February are shoulder months, and March, April and November are the wettest. The green months are lush and quieter, with beautiful light for photography.

We provide gaiters, gloves, jackets and backpacks. Hiking boots and waterproof trousers can be hired locally with advance notice. Conditions can change quickly, so bring:

• Waterproof hiking boots with good grip and ankle support
• Long trousers and long-sleeved tops (stinging nettles are real)
• Thick socks
• A waterproof jacket, whatever the season

Tipping is at your discretion — this is a guideline only, in US Dollars, cash.

• Gorilla trekking guides (usually two)per person, per trek$25
• Trekking porterper porter, per day$20
• Professional driver-guideper day$25 – $50
• Transfer driverper group, per transfer$10 – $20
• Lodge teamper room, per night · communal box$20 – $30

Lodge gratuities are placed in a communal box and shared across the whole team — from the kitchen to housekeeping to the gardens.

Very much so — all ages are welcome at the lodge. Every suite sleeps two adults plus one child on a camp bed by request, and multi-generational families often take the lodge on an exclusive-use basis. Children's rates:

Remember the park's trekking ages: gorillas from 15, golden monkeys from around 12. Many of our local-area and on-site activities — Twin Lakes, bird watching, dance and drumming, the painting workshop — suit all ages. Tell us your children's ages and we'll help plan days that work for everyone.

At 2,300 metres, the air is cool year-round and evenings can be cold — warm clothing is recommended, and your fireplace will be lit. Rwanda is rewarding in every season:

• Layers — light clothing for the day, something properly warm for evenings
• Comfortable walking shoes
• A sun hat and sunglasses (we're just south of the equator)
• Camera — binoculars are available for guest use, but bring your own if you're a keen birder
• A two-pin European travel adaptor
• Any personal medication — we're beautifully remote

Rwanda offers visas on arrival to travellers of all nationalities; requirements can change, so check current guidance before you travel. Your passport should be valid for at least six months beyond arrival, with blank pages for stamps. Travel, emergency and evacuation insurance is required for all guests. A Yellow Fever vaccination is only required when travelling from endemic countries — please consult your physician, and take malaria advice that reflects everywhere on your itinerary, not just the highlands.

Gladly — all dietary requirements are catered for, including Kosher with notice. Advance notice helps our kitchen do it justice. Whilst every effort is made to accommodate individual needs, we cannot guarantee an entirely allergen-free environment. Our kitchen and food & beverage team are HACCP certified — see our Food Safety Policy.

Drone use in Rwanda requires official permits and is tightly restricted nationwide; at the lodge, drone use and commercial filming require our prior written approval. Personal photography, of course, is warmly welcomed.

Directly. Sambora is owner-run with its head office in Rwanda, and our team of 37 is more than 75% from Kinigi and the surrounding area. A portion of profits is reinvested in community projects and skills training; our programmes span professional development, sponsored education, female and youth employment, our resident Intore dancers, farm-to-fork partnerships with local growers, and native tree planting. The lodge is plastic-free throughout, with on-site composting and locally-sourced building materials wherever possible. Your gorilla permit fee also channels revenue into conservation and community development around the park. Read the full story on our Community page.

Rwanda's annual gorilla naming ceremony — drawn from the tradition of naming a newborn child before family and community — held each September in Kinigi, on our doorstep. Every infant gorilla born in Volcanoes National Park over the year is publicly named; in 2026, twenty-two babies received their names. It's one of conservation's great celebrations, and we're proud it happens in our village.

We'd love to hear from you. Email stay@samborakinigi.com with "Trade Enquiry" in the subject line for trade rates, contracting and availability, or visit our Trade Portal for the fact sheet, image library and sample itineraries. FAM trips are encouraged. Through Sambora Private Journeys we also provide full ground handling — Rwanda itineraries, East Africa multi-country journeys, transfers, helicopter charters and emergency evacuation cover — alongside the lodge. Trade enquiries are answered within one working day.