Bisate Lodge, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

Where it is

Kinigi, the park headquarters where each morning's treks are briefed and allocated, is a short drive from the lodge. The park covers Rwanda's share of the Virunga range, eight volcanoes straddling the borders with Uganda and Congo, and roughly one in three of the planet's mountain gorillas live here.

The road from Kigali winds through terraced farmland and takes around two and a half hours; a helicopter is the quicker alternative. Visitors consistently find Rwanda well run, clean and easy to travel around.

Villas

With only six villas, Bisate is properly intimate. Architect Nick Plewman took his cue from the royal palace at Nyanza for the domed, thatched shapes, raised on stilts above the hillside. Indoors, a hearth of volcanic stone warms the room, and local crafts, bold fabrics and panels of imigongo, Rwanda's patterned cow-dung art, give each villa its character. Big windows look straight at Bisoke, Karisimbi and Mikeno.

Food, people and the rest

Meals are taken in the central lodge, itself a great thatched dome with a fire-lit bar and lounge. Your rate covers food, drinks, a short massage and walks and visits around the lodge; gorilla permits are separate and should be secured months ahead. Cooking is seasonal, using vegetables from the lodge's own plots and nearby farms.

The hillside itself is part of the story. Once stripped for farming, it has been replanted with tens of thousands of native trees, and you can add one yourself. Many of the team come from surrounding villages, and the lodge will take you to see the community projects it supports.

The moment

That first sight of the gorillas. You climb for an hour or more through bamboo and stinging nettles, then the trackers stop, branches part and there they are: youngsters tumbling about, mothers feeding and a vast silverback keeping a calm eye on it all. You have one hour with them. Some fitness helps on the steep, muddy trails; porters will carry your daypack and lend a hand where it counts.

Why we chose it

Bisate combines a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife encounter with architecture, warmth and conservation that make the whole stay meaningful. It is expensive, and permits add significantly to the cost, but few journeys feel more worthwhile.

Add a few days of rest and wine at Delaire Graff in South Africa's Winelands, or the rock art and stars of Bushmans Kloof.

When to go

Gorilla treks run all year. The drier months, from June to September and from December to February, make for easier trails and are the busiest, so permits sell out early. The wetter months, from March to May and in October and November, bring muddier paths but fewer visitors and lush green hills.

If your dates are flexible, the shoulder weeks around the start and end of each dry season are a good balance. Each September, Rwanda's Kwita Izina ceremony gives names to newborn gorillas.

The longer stay

Allow three or four nights so you can trek twice, or trek once and add golden monkeys or the hike to Dian Fossey's grave. For a two-week journey, combine Volcanoes with chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest, a Big Five safari in Akagera and a day in Kigali, including the Genocide Memorial.