Sambora Kinigi

Truly an excellent place to stay for gorilla trekking. Fantastic staff who help with any and all needs. Delicious and plentiful food with a great chef who will make basically whatever you want as long as he has the ingredients in stock. Meals are at a communal table and are included in the nightly lodging rate. The bungalows/rooms are very well equipped and quite comfortable. Internet is via starlink and is totally functional. I cannot recommend this place enough if in the area do gorilla trekking.

What a gem of a place! Perfectly located to see the gorillas and visit the Ellen Degeneres campus. The hotel is intimate, just a few cottages set around a beautiful lush garden with lots of flowers and birds, and views of the volcanoes in the distance. The staff were very well trained and very attentive, without being overwhelming. They even organized a chaperone for us to do a run around the village on a Sunday morning. The food was excellent, very fresh and sourced locally. The fireplace in the room was a nice touch as evenings are chilly! So was the complimentary massage and boot cleaning after our gorilla trek. Kai and team, thank you! We will definitely spread the word !

We had a terrible experience at Sambora Kinigi Lodge. Room was lovely but freezing cold, power kept going on and off several times an hour, when the power went off, the water in our bathroom went off. Both sinks were leaking water all over the floor. Staff tried hard to remediate the situation but it was clear that their infrastructure was faulty. The atmosphere and food were very good, however, 3 of the 4 of us got food poisoning on the second night. Sambora was the only place we had all eaten within 24 hours of being struck by 12 hours of severe vomiting and diarrhea; so bad that we had to cancel our second day of gorilla trekking, which is what we came for. Our travel company acted quickly to find us a better hotel for the last night of our stay in the area. We thought we were dealing with the manager, a woman named Kai, who was trying her best. All 3 of us who got sick were very nice throughout the ordeal and even gave Kai and her team a decent tip before we left. We then found out that Kai was not the manager, that the manager is a man, who never approaching us about any of these issues. The most galling part is that he told our travel coordinators in Rwanda and our fantastic driver, that we were making all of this up and that no one else on the property was having any problems. Despite the fact that electricity throughout the camp was off at times. Everywhere else we stayed in Rwanda was fantastic. We would go back to see more of the country, but NO WAY would we consider staying at Sambora Kinigi Lodge.

Für einen Besuch des Volcanoes Nationalpark, Gorilla- und Golden Monkey-Trekking sowie diverse Wanderungen waren wir als Familie für 4 Nächte im Sambora Kinigi. Von anderen Reisenden, die vor 2 Jahren hier gewesen waren, hörten wir eine sehr negative Kritik (wohl bevor es im letzten Jahr einen Besitzerwechsel gab), aber wir waren rundum total begeistert! Das Sambora Kinigi ist nicht unbedingt luxuriös, aber sehr geschmackvoll und schön eingerichtet und liegt in einem schönen Garten mit tropischer Vegetation. Vor allem aber ist es das wunderbare Team, das uns den Abschied nach 4 Tagen wirklich schwer machte. Von Kay, die gefühlt immer anwesend war und für alle Fragen und Anliegen zur Verfügung stand, über die extrem bemühten und aufmerksamen, sehr freundlichen Menschen im Service (nach der ersten Getränke-Bestellung z.B. musste man bei weiteren nicht mehr erwähnen, dass man z.B. das Wasser gern mit oder ohne Kohlensäure trinkt, es wurde selbstverständlich das richtige Wasser gebracht etc.), den Koch, der uns zu jeder Tageszeit mit sensationell gutem, lokalen Essen verwöhnte (und egal zu welcher Tageszeit man von einer Aktivität zurückkehrte, direkt etwas frisch kochte) bis hin zur Physiotherapeutin, die uns nach anstrengenden Wanderungen neben einem knisternden Kaminfeuer richtig gut und effektiv massierte, dem netten Housekeeping, dem Manager...wir fühlten uns absolut wohl und wunderbar willkommen. Besonders liebevolle Details waren z.B., dass uns bei unserer Rückkehr von einer anstrengenden Aktivität die Wanderschuhe und Gamaschen ausgezogen wurden, dazu gab es einen frischen Fruchtsaft...die Schuhe standen dann am nächsten Morgen frisch geputzt wieder bereit! Jeden Abend fanden wir nach dem Abendessen Wärmflaschen in unseren Betten vor. Und das Essen nehmen alle Gäste gemeinsam am "Familientisch" ein, was zu einer herrlich vertrauten Atmosphäre und tollen Gesprächen führte. Kurz gesagt: ein echtes "home away from home" im besten Sinne mit einem unglaublich herzlichen Team. Wir würden auch 6 Sterne vergeben, wenn es möglich wäre!

All the staff were very nice and warm and made us feel very welcomed. Starting from the manager, Kai, who checked us in and explained everything about the property to us, to the service staff who brought us water, the staff who started the fire in our room and the the waiter who served us during the meals. Small touches like cleaning up our boots and loaning us the gaiters. Chef coming out to ask what we liked. Really appreciate Ed

This is an absolutely beautiful lodge with an incredibly kind and helpful staff. Upon arrival, we were greeted with drummers and dancers. From there, the staff couldn’t have worked harder to ensure our stay was the best possible. The food is phenomenal and served family-style, giving you the opportunity to talk with other guests about the day’s adventures. A truly memorable visit!