The lodge lies on the Gisakura tea estate along the northern boundary of Nyungwe National Park. This position places guests within a short drive of the main trailheads for chimpanzee tracking and the famous canopy walkway, with road access from Kigali taking around five hours.
Twenty three suites make up the accommodation, including Garden and Forest categories, each with a bedroom, sitting area, fireplace, and private deck. En suite bathrooms feature double vanities, soaking tubs, and separate rain showers, while the two bedroom Nyungwe Suite adds additional living space and a private plunge pool.
The main building contains a restaurant serving Rwandan and international dishes, a bar, lounge, and tea tasting room. Guests also have access to a spa with treatment rooms and steam facilities, a heated pool, fitness centre, and staff who coordinate all park activities and transfers.
A tea tour through the surrounding Gisakura estate allows guests to observe the picking and processing methods used on site. The proximity to Nyungwe’s trail network also makes it possible to return to the lodge between morning and afternoon activities rather than spending full days in the forest.
Habituated communities occupy territories within the forest, located each morning by trackers before you set out. An hour with a group allows you to observe feeding behaviour, social dynamics, and vocalizations carrying across the valley.
A suspension bridge hangs above the forest valley, positioning you at the level of the middle and upper canopy. The forest opens beneath while birds and monkeys move through branches at eye level. The structure spans a section where the valley drops away and treetops form an unbroken surface below.
Troops of Angola colobus gather in numbers rare elsewhere, their black and white coats visible against green canopy. Following them leads you through forest sections where multiple primate species share the same trees. The monkeys tolerate close approach, allowing you extended observation without the time restrictions applied to chimpanzee visits.
The forest holds Albertine Rift endemics found in few other locations, including Ruwenzori turacos and red-collared babbler. Guided walks bring you through zones where mixed flocks move through understory and canopy simultaneously. Specialist guides identify calls that reveal species hidden in dense vegetation around you.
Trail networks lead to waterfalls scattered throughout the forest, some requiring full-day hikes through the interior. Routes bring you through sections where the canopy closes overhead and streams cut through the slope.
