Rwanda suits a honeymoon almost unfairly well. The country is small enough that nothing is a slog, the lodges near Volcanoes National Park are among the most romantic in Africa, and one unforgettable hour with a gorilla family sits at the centre of a week that otherwise moves at a very slow pace.
Two nights in Kigali to arrive properly, eat well and see the city on foot. Three or four nights in the Virungas with two gorilla treks — a second permit is the best money you will spend, and the second hour is invariably calmer than the first. Then three nights on Lake Kivu, where the point is to stop moving entirely.
The order matters. Doing the trekking first and the lake last means the honeymoon ends in stillness rather than at 05:45 in hiking boots.
Bisate is the most photographed setting in Rwanda: six thatched forest villas in a volcanic amphitheatre, each with a fireplace at its centre and a wall of glass facing Bisoke. Singita Kwitonda offers more space, a proper spa and a suite category that borders on absurd. One&Only Gorilla's Nest sits in a eucalyptus forest with the largest rooms in the region. Virunga Lodge has the finest ridge-top view and a gentler price.
On Lake Kivu the pace changes completely — boat picnics between the islands, kayaks at first light, the singing fishermen at dusk, and nothing on the schedule.
Private dinners set away from the main lodge area, a bath drawn with the volcanoes in view, a photographer arranged discreetly for one morning, a helicopter instead of the three-hour drive on the day you would rather not sit in a vehicle. None of these are the honeymoon itself; all of them are what guests remember describing afterwards.
For couples who want their hour with the gorillas entirely alone, Rwanda permits an exclusive private family visit at USD $15,000, with rangers and trackers briefing you privately at the lodge.
A private Rwanda journey with us begins from USD $10,500 per guest for four days, and a full honeymoon of eight to ten nights with two permits, suite-category lodges and a helicopter transfer sits well above that. The permits are fixed at USD $1,500 each; the variables are lodge category, transfers and length.
We will always tell you where money makes a real difference — a second permit, a helicopter on the transfer day — and where it does not.
Exceptionally. Distances are short, the lodges around Volcanoes National Park are among Africa's most romantic, and pairing the gorillas with Lake Kivu gives you both a defining experience and genuine rest in one small country.
Private journeys begin from USD $10,500 per guest for four days. An eight to ten night honeymoon with two permits each, suite-category lodges and helicopter transfers sits considerably above that. We compose exact pricing on inquiry.
Eight to ten. That allows two nights in Kigali, three or four in the Virungas with two treks, and three on Lake Kivu without ever rushing.
Yes. Rwanda offers an exclusive private visit to a gorilla family at USD $15,000, where RDB trackers and rangers brief you privately at your lodge and the trek is paced entirely around you.
Tell us a little about how you travel. Our team will reply within 24 hours with a draft itinerary composed for you alone.
Private expeditions are typically composed from USD $10,500 per guest, fully inclusive of gorilla permits, lodging, guiding and transfers.
