Virunga Lodge : Looking for a luxurious yet reasonable place to stay when visiting the Volcanoes National Park? Book your stay at the Virunga Lodge. The Virunga Lodge is one of the rare and distinctive luxury lodges that guests seeking to explore the mountain gorillas of Volcanoes National Park and spend a night in the area can book into to make the most of their visit.
The Virunga lodge is around an hour to 40 minutes’ drive from the Volcanoes National Park headquarters in Kinigi town. The Virunga Lodge has been available to visitors from all over the world, including Rwanda, for more than 15 years, and they celebrated their 15th anniversary in 2019. The Virunga Lodge offers beautiful views of the Virunga mountain ranges, which include Mount Sabinyo, Mount Karisimbi, Mount Gahinga, Mount Bisoke, and Mount Muhabura, all of which may be ascended from the Rwandan side.
The Virunga lodge is situated on a 2,175-meter-high hill, providing in-house guests with a full-time view of the Virunga mountains in the northwest as a stunning backdrop. Guests will also have a glimpse of Rwanda’s twin lakes, Lake Burera and Lake Ruhondo, located in the Musanze valley to the east.
This resort was established by Praveen Moman in 2004 and has since hosted guests seeking a friendly and elegant stay. The Rwandan property features an African but chic decor and timeless objects that have been handcrafted around the resort. Every year, the style is tailored to luxury guests, and the personnel is well-trained and welcoming to this type of traveler.
The Virunga lodge has eleven luxury Banda rooms with stone walls and hardwood floors, all outfitted with elegant wooden furniture. Each of these ten rooms has a big balcony that doubles as an observation point or sitting space to enjoy the lodge’s vista, as well as the sunset and mountains beyond. Each of these villas is spaced out on the hill, giving all visitors privacy during their stay. The rooms also feature a private fireplace to keep guests comfortable during their stay in this frigid section of the nation. Shower rooms with a double vanity, solar heated water, and low flushing toilets round off these luxury bandas, making them environmentally sustainable.
The Virunga lodge’s 10 bandas are divided into two classes: ordinary bandas and luxury bandas, which range in size, facilities, and cost. The Virunga Lodge contains eight ordinary bandas and two premium bandas, named Ibirunga and Ibiyaga. The luxury bandas contain a private sitting space, and the décor is more elaborate and sophisticated, distinguishing them from the other rooms.
The luxury bandas also contain enormous hot tubs that come in handy on cold days at the lodge, and the terrace seating area is significantly larger than that of the other bandas. The terraces of the deluxe suites provide a better view of the Virunga volcanoes and the twin lakes of Burera and Ruhondo.
Every hotel client will be allocated a personal butler for the duration of their stay, and the room cost will include spa and sauna treatments. The resort features a luxury spa named Ikirunga, where tourists can unwind or spend time after completing the physically strenuous treks of Volcanoes National Park.
Virunga Lodge is both daring and convivial, with everyone eating at one large table in the evening. The lodge’s personnel is highly qualified and will go out of their way to make the guests’ stay enjoyable.
Aside from providing delightful facilities, the resort also hosts local ‘Indore’ dance troupes to entertain guests after watching the mountain gorillas, and massages are available.
Virunga resort is currently the area’s top resort and offers one of the most stunning views of any camp in Africa, perched on a ridge overlooking both lakes.
While at the Virunga Lodge, you will have the opportunity to visit several community projects in the vicinity to see or perhaps help their cause, or simply engage with the locals as part of your Rwanda safari experience. Enjoy a complimentary bottle of wine, whisky, or cocktail prepared by the professional barristers at the lodge. WiFi will be free and available to all guests in the main lodge building, which also includes a Dian Fossey Map Room.
The Virunga Lodge’s Dian Fossey Map room was named after Dian Fossey, a primate primatologist who dedicated her life to mountain gorilla conservation. This chamber was opened to visitors in March 2017 and features a permanent display of Virunga Volcanoes conservationists and explorers from 1850 to 1985, coordinated by Giulia Ajmone Marsan, a historical writer.
The Virunga lodge also features a troupe of Intore dancers who entertain guests upon arrival and in the evenings throughout their stay. A Virunga Lodge Standard banda costs around $1,200 USD per person per night on a full-board basis. Contact us and we can help you organize your stay at the Virunga Lodge.
