Why Rwanda Makes for the Ultimate Honeymoon: Gorilla Trekking, Luxury Lodges and the Wild Romance of Africa

I was nearly at the point of giving up.

We had been trekking for two hours on a steep incline in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, on sticky, muddy trails and through overgrown patches of stinging nettles — their small thorns slicing through my hiking pants like tiny razors.

Nevertheless, our group of eight travelers (plus porters, trackers and two national park guides) pressed on at an impressive clip. We were ascending the slopes of Mount Karisimbi, where legendary gorilla conservationist and researcher Dian Fossey studied Rwanda’s mountain gorillas between 1967 and 1985. (In fact, Fossey had a direct connection to the very gorilla family that we were visiting that day. Called “Isimbe,” they are descendants of an original study group.)

As we approached the family’s resting spot for the day, our guide began making a series of throaty grunts. For gorillas, he explained, the sound is similar to knocking on someone’s front door and asking, “Is it OK to come in?” If Muturengere, the family’s giant silverback leader, responded with a similar grunt, we would have an official invitation. To our relief, the affirmative reply came, and we stepped into the gorillas’ proverbial foyer to come face-to-face with Muturengere, as well as a handful of mature females and several juveniles.

The boldest of the lot, a 1-year-old infant, caught my eye immediately. He alternated between contently eating foliage, seemingly disinterested in us, and showing off — running toward our group like a leggy toddler, losing his
balance and then somersaulting down a short slope. Then, he would peek up at us as if to say, “Did you see that?” before feigning disinterest once again.

Meanwhile, our group of humans minded our manners by avoiding direct eye contact and periodically repeating our own throaty grunts, roughly translating to, “We come in peace."

Over the course of an hour — the maximum time allotted for encounters with fully habituated gorillas within the national park — our group co-existed together in relative silence, with only the occasional click of a camera
shutter, before packing up and starting the steep descent down the mountain.

My porter, Emmanuel, a local resident of the community surrounding the western entrance of the park, effortlessly shouldered my day pack and led the way, pausing to lend his strong, sturdy grip as we waded through the slippery mud. Visitors rely on porters for help up and down the mountain; their extensive knowledge of park routes and their physical strength are necessities for the journey, and tourism dollars made from their hire offer job security and aid in supporting the local communities living outside the park’s perimeter.

We stepped into the gorillas’ proverbial foyer and came face-to-face with Muturengere, as well as a handful of mature females and several juveniles ... Over the course of an hour, our group co-existed together in relative silence, with only the occasional click of a camera shutter — two species sharing space in quiet, mutual respect.

After about 90 minutes, we arrived at an open meadow of farmland and into the waiting arms of Moses, our driver/guide from luxury tour operator Wilderness. Moses had set up a makeshift bar out of his Land Cruiser’s trunk, complete with chilled tamarillo cocktails in celebration of our trek. My husband and I – fatigued but elated by the 4.5-mile trek – clinked glasses in a cheers to the gorillas.

Why Rwanda?

This profound experience with the mountain gorillas was a memory my parents cherished from their own Rwandan adventure in 1983. Back when they traveled, however, international tourism to Rwanda was virtually nonexistent — a gorilla-trekking permit through the national park cost about $30.

But now, in large part thanks to Fossey’s vocal advocacy regarding mountain gorilla conservation and a resulting spike in interest around the endangered species, the permit is $1,500 per person, with funds supporting preservation and anti-poaching efforts (plus, 10% for the surrounding local communities).

My parents’ reflections and photographs of their trek stuck with me through adolescence and into adulthood. So, when it came time to choose a honeymoon destination, Rwanda was at the top of my short list. My husband, Nick, a big-hearted animal lover with a penchant for wildlife experiences, was an easy sell — on the condition that our destination also offered a safari where we could spot the Big Five (lion, elephant, rhinoceros, leopard and buffalo).

To my surprise and delight, Rwanda offers both. A small, densely populated country in East Central Africa, the landlocked nation is one of only three countries where mountain gorillas exist (in addition to neighboring Uganda
and the Democratic Republic of Congo).

It’s known as “The Land of a Thousand Hills” thanks to a unique topographical makeup of rolling hills, steep mountains and deep craters, all of which are covered in a blanket of green (with the exception of the savannah wetlands in Akagera National Park, in the eastern part of the country near neighboring Tanzania, where we would search for the Big Five).

Despite its small size, Rwanda is increasingly attracting the eye of international tourists; it welcomed nearly 1.5 million visitors in 2023, according to the Rwanda Development Board’s latest figures, with leisure tourism nearly doubling year over year from 2022 and up 24% from 2019.

Unsurprisingly, mountain gorillas remain the main draw, attracting a record-breaking 25,927 tourists in 2023, and contributing to a 38% rise in visitors to Volcanoes National Park over 2022.

However, the appeal of Rwanda extends beyond its wildlife: Rwandans are a testament to resilience. In 1994, during one of the most horrific acts of violence within the 20th century, an estimated 800,000 to 1 million people — primarily Tutsis, a minority social and ethnic group — were killed in the The Genocide Against the Tutsis in Rwanda, perpetrated by extremists within the Hutu majority over the course of just 100 days.

In the decades since, Rwanda has undergone a remarkable transformation. Years of peace, reconciliation and nation-building have helped shape it into one of the cleanest, safest and most forward-looking destinations in
Africa. The country’s difficult history remains a central part of Rwanda’s national story, but rather than shy away from the past, Rwandans have embraced remembrance, education and unity among its people — choosing to honor the memory of those lost while building a future. Visitors to Rwanda would be remiss not to spend adequate time learning about the genocide; the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Rwanda’s capital city is a good place to start.

Wilderness: Ethos And Impact

After Nick and I settled on our honeymoon destination, we began the search for an ethical and sustainable tour operator that would offer us a window into the Rwandan way of life.

That’s where Wilderness comes in.

Established in 1983 by a pair of guides in Botswana, Wilderness is now one of the leading conservation and hospitality companies in the world. Operating across eight African countries and 60-plus lodges and camps, the company has a reputation for protecting more than 5.6 million acres of land across the planet. As I learned during last year’s Virtuoso Travel Week, its reputation for sustainability is also pristine: In 2024, Wilderness snagged the network’s top awards for “Best Tour Operator” for its work in conservation and protection, and “Protecting the Planet,” which recognizes pioneers that promote sustainable practices around the world.

In Rwanda, Wilderness operates four lodges: Wilderness Magashi in Akagera National Park; Wilderness Sabyinyo, which is a community-owned lodge just outside Volcanoes National Park; Bisate Lodge (named the No. 1 safari lodge in Africa for the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards in 2022); and Bisate Reserve, a sister lodge to Bisate that opened last year, also near Volcanoes. Another property, Magashi Peninsula, is set to open later this year next to Wilderness Magashi, within the company’s private park concession at Akagera.

Conservation at Wilderness Magashi

Each of Wilderness’ luxury lodges has an identity, according to Selma Benjamin, general manager of Wilderness Magashi.

“They all fit a different market,” she said, noting that while many people come to Rwanda for mountain gorillas, they often hire a private driver (like Moses) and add on a safari in Akagera to complement the experience. (Note: Akagera is about a six-hour drive from Volcanoes National Park; Wilderness also operates private helicopter transfers for clients short on time.)

Magashi was our first stop on the Wilderness circuit. A solar-powered lodge that features eight identical tented-style suites overlooking Lake Rwanyakazinga, Magashi’s main draw is its privacy and exclusive access to Akagera’s wildlife.

As the last remaining protected savannah land within Rwanda, the park has been working since 2009 to reintroduce native species that were wiped out by illegal poaching, the increase of post-genocide refugees to the area and cattle herding. Now, it proudly features 40 species of mammals (including the Big Five), 11 species of antelope, four species of primates and more than 500 species of birds. Lions were reintroduced in 2015 after a 20-year absence, and Eastern black rhinos came shortly thereafter, in 2017.

Often, Nick and I were in the only vehicle on the road for early-morning and at-dusk game drives within Wilderness’ own private concession in the park. Our guide, Assiat Ingabare — the first female Rwandan guide to be accredited by the Field Guides Association of South Africa — expertly positioned us for ideal viewings, including of a playful young elephant enjoying a mud bath, a herd of lions sunning near the lake and a trio of giraffes who paused dinner to eye us quizzically.

What’s more, the lodge’s position on Rwanyakazinga, the second-largest body of water within the park, allowed us to swap our land vehicle for a sunset boat cruise, which remains one of our favorite memories from the trip.

“Wilderness chooses untamed places,” Magashi’s Benjamin told me. “They are places where people wouldn’t [think to] go, or people wouldn’t dare build a lodge. But they build it in a way that [keeps] luxury, [without sacrificing]
the wilderness or the nature.”

Indeed, there was no question we were right in the middle of a national park — just ask the grunting hippos that grazed beneath our tent at night, or the elephant that could be seen from our porch one morning, wading through
the shallow waters of the lake.

Community at Wilderness Sabyinyo

Community impact is a core pillar of Wilderness’ overall philosophy, and our driver, Moses, a Kigali resident and former Rwandan refugee, became our insightful companion and a window into the country’s culture throughout our journey.

During the hours winding through the hillside in the Wilderness Land Cruiser, Nick and I peppered Moses with questions about Rwandan culture, the local communities we visited, the Kinyarwanda language and daily village life.

He answered at length and in great detail, and often made impromptu road stops to further expand on several of his points, deepening our exposure to the local culture.

Moses was not an anomaly; rather, we found the employees of each Wilderness Lodge to be just as endearing, a reflection of the tour operator’s emphasis on prioritizing the integration of guests with the local community.

Wilderness Sabyinyo, for example, was originally built by the Sabyinyo Community Livelihood Association in 2008 and has been managed by Wilderness since 2022. Settled in the foothills of the Virunga mountains near Volcanoes National Park, Sabyinyo has six luxurious stone cottages and two suites in addition to a one family cottage.

Our own cottage was breathtaking, elegantly appointed and featuring a fireplace, a king-size poster bed and a large bathroom with a freestanding tub.

But Sabyinyo’s cultural offerings are even more of a selling point. From the lodge, clients can drive 10 minutes to Kinigi Women’s Village to learn traditional basket weaving.

Complimentary escorted community walks are also offered, which took us to a local town — where we were followed by a gaggle of young school children shouting “Amakuru?” (“How are you?”) — and to residents’ homes to learn the traditional means of pounding flour, beekeeping and brewing herbal medicine.

As was the case at all Wilderness lodges, the staff at Sabyinyo embraced us as family. Eunice, Sabyinyo’s assistant manager, spent an evening teaching us how to play Igisoro, a two-player mancala-style board game passed
down through generations and played in Rwanda and neighboring Burundi. Quickly, our gameplay evolved into conversations about life, family and culture.

Reforestation at Bisate Lodge

When I describe a stay at Bisate Lodge, our third and final Wilderness property in Rwanda, a treehouse comes to mind — or, perhaps, a bird’s nest.

Built in 2017 and a 15-minute walk from the new Bisate Reserve (which opened in 2024), Bisate Lodge features six large Forest Villas perched within the volcanic landscape near Volcanoes National Park.

Both sister lodges put reforestation and rehabilitation initiatives at the forefront of the guest experience. Guests are asked to plant a tree to aid in Rwandan reforestation efforts (Nick opted to plant an African redwood, and
I chose the Forest Lobelia, a tree within the bellflower family), or the lodge can plant one in the guest’s name in a joint effort to protect the natural biodiversity of the forest. Since Bisate’s opening, more than 100,000 indigenous trees have been planted by the lodge, and the tree-planting activity is complemented by guided nature walks and bird-watching excursions around the property, which features stunning vistas of the surrounding land.

Bisate is also largely dependent on its own supply of local ingredients for a true farm-to-table culinary experience. Its garden is located directly outside of the Kwanda Day Lounge — an outpost for guests who have checked out of
the hotel but have time to kill — complete with day rooms, showers and a gift shop featuring locally made goods and a fully operational pizzeria for freshly baked pies.

Bisate’s overall philosophy of "murisanga" (Kinyarwanda for “feel at home”) was made evident numerous times throughout our stay. When we returned from our gorilla trek, our first stop was the lodge’s wine cellar (which also functions as a game room, a movie theater and, in our case, a mud room for returning trekkers). There, we were met by Bisate staff, who took our hiking boots to be cleaned before escorting us back to our villa, where a steaming bath had been drawn — surrounded by candles — and room-service soup, salad and fresh, piping-hot garlic bread were on the way.

After cleaning up, we headed to our final dinner at Bisate, where we were met with yet another surprise: a private dinner table in the wine cellar, perfectly positioned in view of the room’s television, which was playing the 1988
film, “Gorillas in the Mist,” adapted from Fossey’s memoir of the same name (which I was reading), starring Sigourney Weaver.

As I watched Rwanda’s mountain gorillas dance across the screen — just hours after seeing them in person, for myself — I thought back to my conversation with Benjamin, days earlier at Wilderness Magashi. I had asked her what sets Rwanda apart from other African destinations hoping to attract American tourists, especially when many neighboring countries may have greater tourism infrastructure in place.

Beautiful things don’t make noise. When a flower is blooming, it doesn’t say, ‘Look at me!’ Rwanda is similar. It takes a moment for one to explore, and to discover, Rwanda’s beauty.

“Beautiful things don’t make noise,” she replied. “When a flower is blooming, it doesn’t say, ‘Look at me!’ Rwanda is similar. It takes a moment for one to explore, and to discover, Rwanda’s beauty.”

Indeed, a near deafening silence had permeated our time with the Isimbe gorilla family that day in Volcanoes National Park.

It was, simply put, beautiful.