Kinigi Cottage

Huge thank you to Joachim and the team at Kinigi Cottage. We stayed here for 2 nights while in town for the gorilla trekking and the location couldn’t have been better.
Honestly have never experienced such a welcoming and comfortable stay anywhere in the world. You can really see how much thought and effort has gone into every aspect of service, ambiance and detail of this place. It has such a cosy charm and the entire team will go out of their way to ensure you are comfortable.
Really hope to be back one day to visit again.

What a special place. We were so well looked after. The food was excellent — local, vegetarian dishes that were served beautifully. The breakfast, which is included, is out of this world. The whole place is wonderfully designed and authentic to the area. Super well located, a few mins walk to the museum and women’s center where you can buy crafts. Good location for Volcanoes National park, short drive away. We were there with our 1 year old and the staff went out of their way to make us feel comfortable, playing with our son, and providing a lovely crib. Highly recommend.

Wow! What a place! 😍
First of all I would like to thank you all for the amazing hospitality! We felt so warm and welcome!
The host (Joachim)? Is an wonderfull guy! He really takes care about his guests. He knows so many things to do in the area and he will always make sure everything is planned perfectly! We would like to thank you personally!
The staff are also amazing, with a big smile and a heartwarming welcome!
The food, the rooms are just perfect! The view in the room on the vulcano is just unbelievable beautifull! Everything is perfectly clean.
Big ups! Best hotel I ever visited in Rwanda!
Thankyou so much for everything!
I would really recommend this place!

We have been travelling for 9 weeks through Africa and this is one of the best places we stayed. Friendly, kind staff, great facilities, exceptional breakfasts and a homely feel which encourages socialising with other guests. Very close to local tourist attractions and excellent value for money.

Very good location to visit the Bisoke and gorillas. Very good service, very helpful people. Nice decoration. We stayed with 4 people during two nights. Delicious breakfast, lunch package and diner.

The host is very nice and knew we were going on a gorilla hike. Since it's been rainy and muddy lately, he lent us gaiters and jackets. The room is comfortable, the food is delicious, and the staff are all very friendly. They provide hot water bottles in the evening, very thoughtful. The price is reasonable, highly recommended.

Nice location with very friendly staff.
Rooms are small, but sufficient.
Food is very good! The Wi-Fi was broken during our visit, but we could use the hotspot of the manager. There is a nice fire place in the common area too. From Security to Cooks and Manager, everyone was welcoming and friendly. Location is perfect if you want to climb mount Bisoke.
They even cleaned our shoes after the hike, which was really appreciated.
Recommendation: Add a little more vibe to the area (maybe few candles, always some background music, some cosy lights), but these are just minor advices.

The room (the upstairs one on the right) was amazing. Huge room, huge fireplace, huge bed, so gorgeous that I took as a video as inspiration for when I finally build my own place. The team were so kind, made a fire every night for me, provided brilliant hot water bottles, supper in your room if you wanted it, pre dinner drinks. The value is outstanding if you compare it to some other well known places in Volcanoes. It's very near the park entrance. Breakfast was huge and lots of variety. Had supper every night bar one — soup, salad and main — plenty of it, delicious flavours, simple food — if you feel the need to eat Michelin starred "gastro" food every night this probably isn't the place for you but then Rwanda probably isn't either! Loved the sociableness of sitting down and eating breakfast and supper with other travellers or enjoying a pre dinner drink in the shared sitting room or whilst watching a local dance troop. Again though if you like 5/6 star resorts where you don't mix with the riff raff this may not be the place for you!

15 minus drive from Virunga park centre.
The beds are a bit narrow, but all the rest compensates for that. Best breakfast I got in Rwanda.

Beautiful place, with amazing staff and host. Incredible view of the volcanoes and such a quiet peaceful place. All you hear is bird sounds and other animals and the night sky is great to look at too. Highly recommend.

We had a great 3 nights stay in Kinigi cottage and felt well taken care of. There is an amazing living room area with a fire place and a dining table where we shared dinner with other guests and made wonderful new friendships! The food and breakfast were also really amazing, incorporating the best of Rwandan cuisine and coffee. The cottage is only 5min walking to the Dian Fossey museum which is a must to do, especially before trekking with the gorillas as you learn so much about them in advance and in an interactive way.
Most of all, the service was great and we were well looked after by the managers Joachim and Angel who also shared very useful information with us. When we were cold in the night, they provided us with a hot water bottle, and after trekking they organised for our hiking shoes to be cleaned before we left. They also organised for an intore dance performance one evening around a bonfire. That was great fun.
Thanks again and we hope to be back soon!

Amazing experience! A truly unique place that makes you feel like you are staying at someone’s house more than a hotel. The living room and dining room were cozy on a rainy day with a fireplace. The bedroom was crazy beautiful with an unreal balcony and views. Angel is super friendly and knowledgeable. We will be back again and again.

We absolutely loved our stay. The best team, amazing atmosphere and location. It felt like coming home!
We would have loved to stay longer. If you’re going to Volcanoes Nationalpark, make sure to stay at Kinigi. One of the best experiences we have ever had.

The Kinigi cottage team made us feel instantly at home. It was more of a homestay than a hotel. Wonderful food served in a living room with kitchen and fireplace. As a bonus, the host is a great source of information about the local region and travel in Rwanda in general. Certainly was one of the most memorable parts of our trip in the area.

Absolutely loved our stay! From the delicious meals, to the cozy fireplace in our room to the kind and accommodating staff, I highly recommend this gem of a spot. A hidden treasure of Kinigi. The location is perfect — a quick 15 minute drive to the national park HQ, a beautiful garden to relax by after a long day (or work remotely from), a hot shower and nice amenities in a quiet and relaxing room to unwind. An overall calming environment that will make you want to extend your time.

My wife decided to celebrate our 5 year anniversary with primate tracking at Volcanoes National Park. We were recommended Kinigi Cottage through friends and found that it was less than 15 minutes from the park entrance. We had an excellent stay with warmth and highest levels of hospitality from Joachim and his team. Our room was huge, immaculately clean with a comfortable bed and shower and an incredibly large terrace and fireplace with abundant wood to keep us warm. The food prepared was delicious and abundant with fresh local healthy choices. We felt greatly valued in our stay offer 5 stars and our highest reccomendations for Kinigi Cottage.