Amarembo by Touch Down | A Forest Garden
at the Gateway to the Gorillas.

Overview of Amarembo by Touch Down

In Kinyarwanda, amarembo means gates, and few names could suit a lodge better. Amarembo by Touch Down stands in Kinigi, the small highland town that serves as the gateway to Volcanoes National Park, where every gorilla trek in Rwanda begins.

Set within a garden of mature trees and natural forest, the lodge has just eight rooms, each opening onto its own balcony or patio. Beyond the garden, the slopes of the Virunga Volcanoes climb into the clouds, home to the mountain gorillas, the golden monkeys and the bamboo forests that draw travellers from across the world.

Amarembo is a boutique lodge in the truest sense: small enough for the team to learn your preferences by the first evening, close enough to the park that trekking mornings begin without a long drive in the dark, and comfortable enough that the hours between excursions feel like part of the holiday rather than a pause in it.

"The forest begins at the edge of the garden. The gorillas are only a little further on."

For travellers planning a private Rwanda gorilla safari, the appeal is simple. You stay somewhere intimate and well looked after, you are minutes from the start of the trek, and you return each afternoon to a warm room, a fire, a pool in the garden and a table set for dinner.

Kinigi: Life at the Foot of the Volcanoes

Kinigi lies in Musanze District, in Rwanda's Northern Province, on the fertile lower slopes of the Virunga massif. The surrounding countryside is a patchwork of small farms growing potatoes, beans and pyrethrum, edged by eucalyptus and dotted with homesteads. Above it all rise the volcanoes: Karisimbi, Bisoke, Sabyinyo, Gahinga and Muhabura, their peaks often hidden until the morning cloud lifts.

The highland setting shapes every day. Mornings are fresh and often misty, afternoons can be bright and warm, and evenings cool quickly once the sun drops behind the mountains. It is a climate for layers, for heated blankets and for a fire in the room, and Amarembo is designed with all three in mind.

Arriving at the Lodge

Most guests arrive through Kigali International Airport. From the capital, the road north to Kinigi takes around two and a half to three hours, depending on traffic and conditions. The drive winds through Rwanda's terraced hills, past banana groves and roadside markets, and through the busy town of Musanze before the final climb towards the park.

Travellers short on time can ask us about a helicopter charter to the Kinigi area, subject to availability and weather. The flight turns a three-hour drive into a short, spectacular crossing of the hills and lakes.

However you travel, the journey is handled from the moment you land. We arrange a personal meet-and-assist welcome at the airport, a private vehicle and an experienced driver-guide who stays with you throughout your time in Rwanda, and timings built around your flights and your trek.

Guests arriving on long-haul flights are best advised to spend their first night in Kigali or reach Kinigi by mid-afternoon, leaving a full night's rest before trekking. Because the lodge is so close to the park, trekking mornings start later and more gently than from lodges further afield.

Inside the Rooms

The eight rooms are arranged across three categories, each designed around comfort, privacy and the forest outside. Interiors are warm and natural, with earthy textures, local textiles and large windows that frame the trees. Every room has a king-size bed, a private balcony or patio, an en-suite walk-in shower and heated blankets for the cool highland nights.

With only one Executive Room and two Standard Rooms, these categories are often the first to fill. If a particular room matters to you, it is worth securing early. Room configurations and occupancy should be confirmed with the lodge for your travel dates.

Life at the Lodge

With just eight rooms, Amarembo has the feel of a private house rather than a hotel. The team is small and attentive, and the rhythm of the day follows the guests: an early breakfast before the trek, a long lunch on a rest day, a quiet hour by the pool, and dinner when everyone has returned from the mountains.

Dining

All meals are included. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in the lodge restaurant, where guests can dine communally and share stories from the day, or more privately if they prefer. Room service is also available. Drinks inclusions cover house wine, local beers and non-alcoholic beverages, so there is no bar tab to keep track of for the essentials.

The lodge also offers a Rwandan Boma dining experience, an evening of local food served around the fire. It is a fitting way to mark a successful trek and adds a cultural dimension to the stay, subject to the lodge's arrangements on the night.

Rest and Restoration

Gorilla trekking can be demanding, and the lodge is set up to help you recover. Mobile spa and massage treatments can be arranged in your room on request. Muddy boots are cleaned for you, and laundry is part of the stay, so trekking clothes can be returned ready for the next outing. On warmer afternoons, the outdoor swimming pool in the garden is a pleasant place to unwind.

Evenings

As the light fades, the temperature falls and the fires are lit. Guests in the Deluxe and Executive Rooms can retreat to their own fireplace, while the main lodge is the place for a drink before dinner. High tea in the garden and gentle garden tours are among the small pleasures on offer when there is time between excursions.

Amenities and Services

Amarembo is a boutique highland lodge rather than a resort. Its amenities are chosen to make gorilla trekking easier and the hours around it more comfortable, and most of what you need is included in the rate.

The lodge is set within gardens and natural vegetation, so guests with mobility needs should speak to us before booking; we will confirm the most suitable room and arrangements with the lodge. The lodge's child policy should also be confirmed at the time of booking.

Moments to Request

Small lodges are at their best when they create moments around their guests, and Amarembo's size makes that easy. We work with the lodge team to arrange the ones that matter to you.

Signature moments are arranged on request and are subject to the lodge's confirmation, weather and availability.

The Lodge, Entirely Yours

With eight rooms, Amarembo is an ideal size for a private takeover. The lodge publishes an exclusive-use rate for all eight rooms, giving a family, a group of friends or a small celebration the whole property: the garden, the pool, the restaurant and the team, with meals and timings shaped around your party.

The lodge's published exclusive-use rate is US$16,240 per night in low season and US$16,688 per night in high season. As with all rates on this page, it should be confirmed in writing for your dates, and high-season dates should be secured well in advance.

A Day with the Mountain Gorillas

For most guests, the reason for coming to Kinigi is a single, extraordinary hour in the presence of a wild mountain gorilla family. Staying so close to the park makes the day calmer from the start. Here is how it usually unfolds.

Gorilla permits are limited each day and cost US$1,500 per person. They should be secured well in advance, especially between June and September and over the December holidays. The minimum age for gorilla trekking is 15 years.

Trekking at Your Own Pace

A gorilla trek is a genuine walk in the mountains, at altitude and often on steep, muddy ground. Plenty of trekkers are seasoned travellers in their sixties and seventies, and with a little preparation most complete it comfortably. Regular walking in the months before you travel, especially uphill, makes the day far more enjoyable.

On the morning of the trek, your guide will speak with the park rangers about your fitness and preferences. Rangers decide which family each group visits, but guests who would prefer a shorter walk are often assigned a family closer to the park edge. A porter at your side, a walking stick and an unhurried pace make a great difference.

For guests with limited mobility, Volcanoes National Park can arrange for trained porters to carry visitors to and from the gorillas in a specially designed carrying chair, for an additional fee. Availability is limited, so please tell us at the time of booking and we will make the arrangements.

Beyond the Gorillas

Kinigi is the starting point for almost every activity in Volcanoes National Park, so a longer stay at Amarembo opens up the rest of the region with very little travel.

Golden Monkey Tracking

The golden monkey is one of Africa's most striking primates, with a bright orange-gold back and a playful, restless energy. Endangered and found only in the Albertine Rift, it lives in the bamboo forests on the lower slopes of the volcanoes. Tracking is generally shorter and less strenuous than a gorilla trek, and watching a troop leap through the bamboo is a joyful contrast to the calm of the gorillas.

The Dian Fossey Tomb Hike

In 1967, American primatologist Dian Fossey established the Karisoke Research Center in the saddle between Mount Karisimbi and Mount Bisoke. Her work brought the plight of the mountain gorilla to the attention of the world. The hike to her camp and her grave, beside many of the gorillas she studied, climbs steeply through forest and can be demanding, but for many visitors it is one of the most moving moments of the trip.

The Ellen DeGeneres Campus

A short distance away in Kinigi, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund's Ellen DeGeneres Campus continues the work Fossey began. Its exhibits explain how gorillas are studied and protected and how their numbers have grown in recent decades. A visit before or after a trek gives fascinating context to what you see in the forest.

Climbing Mount Bisoke

Active travellers can take on a guided climb of Mount Bisoke, which rewards a steep ascent with a beautiful crater lake at its summit. It is a full day at altitude that requires good fitness, proper footwear and a suitable weather window, and permits should be arranged in advance.

Birding, Cycling and the Countryside

The montane forests and farmland around Kinigi are rich in birdlife, including species found only in the Albertine Rift. Guided birding walks, cycling and gentle countryside excursions offer a slower way to enjoy the region on a rest day between treks.

Rwandan Culture

Traditional music, the energetic intore dance and community-led initiatives in the Musanze and Kinigi area offer an insight into daily life and heritage in northern Rwanda. We arrange visits with respected local partners, at times that fit comfortably around your trekking days.

Conservation and Community

Every gorilla trek is part of one of conservation's rare success stories. Once feared to be heading for extinction, the mountain gorilla has recovered thanks to decades of protection, research, veterinary care and the support of the communities who live around the park.

Rwanda's tourism revenue-sharing programme directs part of the income from national parks to the communities that border them, funding schools, health centres and water projects. Hiring a porter on your trek, buying crafts from local cooperatives and staying at a locally staffed lodge all add to that impact. A stay at Amarembo, together with a gorilla permit, makes you part of the story.

Why Discerning Travellers Choose Amarembo

Northern Rwanda now has several exceptional lodges, from the grand ultra-premium properties to classic ridge-top retreats further from the park. Travellers at this level often weigh them carefully, and Amarembo offers a distinct balance.

Its first advantage is position. In Kinigi, minutes from the park headquarters, it spares guests the long early-morning drives that come with lodges further away, and brings them back to their room soon after the trek ends. Its second is scale. With just eight rooms, the service is personal and the atmosphere private, and the whole lodge can be reserved for a single party. Its third is value. Full board, house wine and local beers, trekking gear, laundry and boot cleaning are all part of the rate, at a level well below the area's most expensive lodges. For travellers who want comfort, privacy and an effortless trekking day without the very top price tag, it is an exceptionally well-judged choice.

When to Go

Gorillas can be trekked all year round, and Amarembo welcomes guests in every season. Because Rwanda sits close to the equator, temperatures stay fairly steady through the year; what changes is the rain.

The long dry season, from June to September, is the most popular time to visit. Trails tend to be firmer, skies are often clearer, and it pairs well with the great wildlife season in Tanzania and Kenya. The lodge's high season runs from June to the end of October and again from mid-December to early January, so permits and rooms should be booked well ahead.

The long rains usually fall between March and May, with shorter rains around November. Trekking continues throughout, and the forest is at its most lush and green, though trails can be muddier and more demanding. Most of these months fall in the lodge's low season, and they appeal to flexible travellers, photographers and those who prefer quieter trails. Whatever the month, mountain weather changes quickly, so waterproof layers are essential.How Long to Stay

We recommend a minimum of two nights at Amarembo. This allows you to arrive and settle in, trek the gorillas without rushing and still enjoy the lodge. A single night is possible, but it leaves little margin for delays, and the lodge applies a published one-night surcharge.

Three nights or more is ideal for anyone who wants to add golden monkey tracking, the Dian Fossey hike, a climb of Mount Bisoke or a second gorilla trek. Because Amarembo is so close to the park, each of these is easy to reach, and a longer stay feels relaxed rather than busy.

Rates and What Is Included

Amarembo publishes its rates per person per night, sharing, with different prices for low and high season. The high season runs from 1 June to 31 October and from 15 December to 5 January. The low season covers 6 January to 31 May and 1 November to 14 December.

Indicative rates from the lodge's published rate schedule, per person per night sharing. Single supplement US$804 (low) and US$824 (high) per night. One-night stay surcharge US$861 (low) and US$883 (high) per person. All rates to be confirmed in writing for your dates.

The rate is full board. It covers your room, breakfast, lunch and dinner, house wine, local beers and non-alcoholic drinks, in-room soft drinks, water, tea and coffee, trekking equipment including gaiters and backpacks, shoe cleaning and laundry. Mobile spa treatments are available on request.

What a Stay Really Costs

At this level, it is better to see the full picture at the start than to discover it in pieces. Three nights in a Standard Room in high season, with one gorilla permit, comes to roughly US$6,243 per person sharing. The same stay in low season is around US$5,802 per person. Moving up to a Deluxe Room adds about US$372 per person over three high-season nights, and the Executive Room about US$903.

Transfers, a private guide and vehicle, any helicopter flights and further activities are added on top, depending on how you wish to travel. Every Savannah Explore Africa quotation sets these out line by line, so you can see exactly where your investment goes before you confirm.

These figures are based on the lodge's published rates and current permit fees and are offered as a planning guide rather than a confirmed quotation; final prices should always be checked for your specific dates.

Combining Amarembo with Your Safari

A stay at Amarembo works beautifully on its own as a short gorilla escape, but it also sits naturally at the heart of a longer East African journey.

Why Book Amarembo by Touch Down with Savannah Explore Africa?

Savannah Explore Africa designs private safaris around each traveller's interests, travel dates, comfort preferences and budget. When incorporating Amarembo by Touch Down into a Rwanda itinerary, we coordinate accommodation with permits, transfers, guiding and other experiences to create a well-organised journey.

Our team can help travellers:

• Choose the appropriate room category

• Coordinate gorilla trekking permits and park activities

• Arrange transfers from Kigali and other East African destinations

• Combine Rwanda with Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya or Zanzibar

• Build a private itinerary around honeymoon travel, special occasions or wildlife interests

• Review inclusions, exclusions and seasonal costs before confirming the safari

Plan Your Stay at Amarembo

A gentle start to the morning, an hour with the mountain gorillas, and an evening by the fire in a forest garden. We design every Rwanda safari privately permits, rooms, transfers and the special touches that make a journey unforgettable.