Wilderness Sabyinyo

I rarely write reviews anymore but I just had to...Wow, wow, wow. What an incredible stay. This is one of my most favorite lodges I have ever stayed at. From beginning to end, the staff made this dream trip just spectacular. The food, villa, and views, were amazing but its really the service that stands out here. The staff was warm and welcoming and made me feel like this was my home. Big shoutout to Tifa, Sujira, Vanessa, Eloise, Erik, Fedele, and Gilbert for making my stay a 10/10. Thank you. I can't wait to return to this property and other Wilderness lodges.

Wow!!! What an amazing lodge. From the staff to the service, everything was fantastic. Very knowledgeable about the gorilla trekking & provided us with all the gear we needed - which was a huge plus! Highly recommend!

What a treat! If you are going to Volcanoes National Park you must stay here. We have high standards when it comes to accommodations having stayed all around the world coming from New York and Wildnerness Sabyinyo met and exceeded everything we had hoped for. The staff were so friendly and accommodating. They greeted us with a smile every day and made us feel at home. The food was delicious too. They truly wanted to hear about our gorilla trek and see all our photos every day. You will not regret staying here!

We spent 3 nights at Wildneress Sabyinyo and it is our greatest hope to return again someday. We were a family of 5 - the 3 adult boys shared a spectacular family suite and my husband and I shared another cottage. The main lodge and the cottages are warm, inviting, and luxurious with every necessary amenity. The views from the main lodge are spectacular. Every meal was delicious and the options plentiful. ||The most important piece of our stay, however, were the incredible members of the hotel staff. Wow! The hospitality, friendliness, knowledge, and kindness were beyond anything we could have expected. From the energetic welcome to the nightly fires burning in the cabins, we were in awe. Special thanks to Gilbert (who made every meal and cocktail hour a delight), Erik (for graciously allowing a friend to join us for dinner), Peter and Fidel. A most special thank you to Felicien, who spent hours birding with our oldest son on the property. ||Uri uwambere! Murakoze cyane!!

Wow, I cannot say enough about this lodge and its staff! My wife and teenage son and I spent 4 nights in the family room (2 bedrooms, sleeps 4) in August for gorilla trekking. Highlights included the delicious (and healthy!) food, gorgeous rooms, lovely grounds, in-room massages, village walk, nature walk, sundowner dance performance (which we guests joined), and most of all, the warm, welcoming staff. Special shout out to the ever-present Ernest, who washed our clothes daily and made sure the fire was lit every time we returned to the lodge. ||The vibe here is "our home is your home," and no request is too much: when I realized my trekking shoes were too tight after the first day they went into their closet and found a pair that fit perfectly. If you want maximum luxury, I've heard that the sister lodge Wilderness Bisate delivers that. But we found Sabyinyo had every comfort we needed and we cannot wait to return. In fact, we're already planning our next trip for 2027!||One suggestion to consider as you plan your trip: we did 2 days of gorilla trekking (many do one) and we highly recommend that if you can afford it. We also did one day of golden monkey trekking, which was honestly less exciting, especially for our teenager. If we had it to do over again, we would have done a 3rd day with the gorillas instead and skipped the monkeys. If you do end up doing the golden monkeys, we recommend you do them first, and end on a bang with the gorillas.

This is a very special community owned lodge with a gorgeous panorama view and super staff! We had a very impressive luxurious suite (S1) —lots more steps, though as it was furthest away from the main lodge! The suite has a cosy seating area around a fireplace which is always lit for you (thank you Ernest!), a comfy 4-poster bed (hot water bottles at turndown!), a bathtub with bath salts as well as body wash, shampoo, conditioner, etc. Other special touches included Q-tips, make-up remover rounds, a hairdryer, cookies, tea, coffee, a bar fridge stocked with pop, a bottle of wine, drinking water and milk, umbrellas, dressing gowns, slippers, a safe, beautiful coffee table books, an I-pad—you name it! ||For your trekking days, the Lodge supplies gaiters, raincoats, backpacks, trekking snacks and water, etc. The staff will put the gaiters on and take them off for you after the trek—you feel like royalty! Our treks were very muddy (end of May—nearing the end of rainy season) and our muddy clothes and boots were whisked away, cleaned to pristine and returned by the same evening, ready for trekking or departing the next day. In between trekking days, my husband got a generous, excellent in-room massage from Priscilla (thank you!).||One night we were delighted and amazed by the staff sharing their dance, Igitaramo, during a sundowner around the fit pit. Such talent and joy! Wow!!||A favourite line from the staff is ‘I am here for you!’ If you need something, just ask, they will bend over backwards to make sure you are happy and they will do it with the biggest, genuine smile on their face!! I am reluctant to mention staff names, for fear of leaving someone out, however, just to name a few of the special people who looked after us face to face (in no particular order): Eunice, Peiter, Ernest, Priscilla, Sandrine, Fidele, Mary, Donat, Bryan, Vanessa, Nadine, the chefs (giving us recipes and trying to adhere to our request for smaller portions), the security and cart drivers and then thanks to all those behind the scenes like laundry staff! Eric, you have an incredible crew! Bridge was our kind, informative and safe driver guide who took care of us for 8 days from our 1am arrival at the Kigali Airport, touring us for several days around Kigali to communicating on our behalf (easy trek, please) with the Rangers at Volcanoes National Park and taking us on the scenic drive 5-hour drive to Akagera National Park. Thank you to each and everyone of you for a most memorable stay!||For the Gorillas: This camp is very close to the Park Headquarters where everyone checks in for the treks (BTW nice washrooms!). I would strongly encourage you to do 2 gorilla treks if you can afford the time and $$$$. Our 2 breathtaking treks were totally different experiences seeing 2 different families in very distinct settings. (At the time we booked, if you stayed 7 nights in Rwanda at Wilderness properties you would get a complimentary gorilla trek! We took advantage of this by staying 4 nights at Sabyinyo Lodge and 3 nights at Magashi Camp in Akagera National Park.) We did a Golden Monkey Trek in between the 2 gorilla trekking days which kept the muscles moving and was enjoyable. Make sure to hire porters—they are extremely helpful and it is good to support the local community! We did not eat our Lodge prepared snack bags, so along with a nice tip, we gave the porters the food / drink package at the end of the treks and they seemed very pleased.

Perfect Base for Gorilla Trekking – Exceeded All Expectations!||Our 3 day stay at Wilderness Sabyinyo Lodge was beyond incredible. We came for gorilla trekking, and the lodge not only made our dream come true but far exceeded expectations.||From Peter, the manager, to Felicien and the entire staff, everyone went out of their way to make us feel at home. The service was flawless – from delicious, healthy , gourmet meals, to great wines to cleaning our clothes and boots after trekking the experience was exceptional. The beautiful accommodations were first rate. So cosy and well maintained... We could have stayed forever.||The location is stunning, the food outstanding, and the people unforgettable. If gorilla trekking is on your list, this is absolutely the place to stay. A once-in-a-lifetime experience! Can't see enough about this place and our experience there.

A unique and very special destination. We LOVED everything about this place. Fidelle made our stay so comfy and Pacifique made sure we had a roaring fire in the room every night before bed. We went for a golden monkey trek and gorilla trek but had such a lovely experience at this hotel. We even did a couples massage and had one of the best massages I've ever had (better than in the states). Thank you to the staff for making us so comfy and happy- the food is outstanding with great variety and the wine is flowing. They walk you to and from your room when you waive a flashlight and someone promptly comes to walk with you - you are close to the volcano and there is a beautiful nature walk we enjoyed one morning. they provide everything you need for trekking with gorillas including snacks and a backpack and gaiters and rain pants and coat to use. Thank you again for cleaning our shoes with a tight turnaround before we left after lunch and the day of our last trek. This is a place we will NEVER forget- you and your community stole our hearts!