Singita Kwitonda Lodge

Singita Kwitonda Lodge stands on the edge of Volcanoes National Park, with the Sabyinyo, Gahinga and Muhabura volcanoes as its backdrop. It is built from volcanic rock, river stone, handmade ceramic tiles and red clay bricks made by neighbouring communities. The stone-walled, grass-roofed suites have the feel of snug forest cabins, while mountain bamboo, ferns, giant lobelias and trees are slowly closing in, so that in time the buildings will disappear into the green. Buffalo graze around the lodge, and forest elephants come down from the slopes now and then.

There are eleven suites, each with its own heated plunge pool. The lodge is open all year and welcomes children of all ages. All meals and drinks, including premium wines, spirits and liqueurs, are included, as are laundry and Wi-Fi. At the heart of the main building is the Conservation Lounge, which tells the geological story of the volcanoes and hosts the briefing on the eve of a trek; alongside are the Gear Room for trekking kit, a wine cellar, the Singita Boutique & Gallery and an outdoor fire pit.

Activities are shaped around each guest’s interests, and the driver-guide and vehicle are always on hand. The options include:

• mountain gorilla trekking in the park’s high-altitude forests, from 1 to 8 hours depending on the gorilla family assigned, with a briefing in the Conservation Lounge the night before and rain jackets, gaiters, trekking poles and packed-lunch backpacks from the Gear Room (from age 15);
• golden monkey trekking in the bamboo forest, from 1 to 4 hours, often with up to a hundred monkeys in view and up to an hour in their company (from age 12);
• a hike up Mount Bisoke to its crater lake, 3–4 hours each way (from age 15), and an hour-long visit to the Musanze Caves;
• guided cycling with one of the lodge’s conservationists, around the grounds, along village and farm roads or to the park headquarters (an 8 km round trip), on eight mountain bikes for adults and children over 10, helmets provided;
• a 2.2 km walking and running trail behind the lodge, climbing through eucalyptus forest to the Akarabo Nursery, best in the drier months of June to September and December to February;
• birdwatching with the lodge’s conservationists, from endemic sunbirds to migrant barn swallows;
• the Akarabo Nursery, with its herb beds and kitchen garden, where local craftspeople — a basket weaver, a seamstress and a carver — show their work, and a pottery studio for wheel-throwing or for glazing and painting pieces made by local potters;
• South African wine tastings with a sommelier, in the cellar or, weather permitting, at the Akarabo Nursery with the volcanoes in view.