One&Only Nyungwe House

One&Only Nyungwe House sits on the Gisakura tea estate, a 1,000-hectare working plantation that borders Nyungwe Forest National Park in Rwanda's Southern Province, roughly 220 kilometres southwest of Kigali. The approach road winds through rows of tea bushes at an elevation above 1,800 metres, and the forest canopy visible from the estate gives a tangible sense of proximity to one of Africa's most biodiverse remaining rainforests. The resort was developed in partnership with conservation initiatives and the Rwandan government, and its position on a functioning commercial estate means guests can observe the full cycle of Rwandan tea production alongside world-class wildlife experiences.

The property contains 23 accommodations comprising forest suites and two-bedroom owner's suites, each built on elevated platforms that minimise ground disturbance and frame views of either the tea gardens or the forest edge. Interiors blend East African textiles with clean contemporary lines, and every suite has a private veranda. Beds are generously sized, bathrooms include soaking tubs, and butler service is available around the clock across all suite categories.

Dining centres on the main lodge restaurant, which sources ingredients from the on-site kitchen garden and regional farms, producing menus built around local crops — plantain, beans, seasonal greens — alongside internationally sourced proteins and a curated wine programme. A more casual terrace bar serves light lunches and sundowner drinks overlooking the plantation. The spa occupies a free-standing pavilion and offers treatments drawing on African botanical traditions alongside standard massage therapy.

Guided experiences form the core of the guest programme: trained guides and visiting researchers lead canopy walkway excursions above the forest floor, chimpanzee and colobus monkey tracking expeditions, and birdwatching walks through the reserve's dense interior. Tea plantation tours explain both the agricultural and social dimensions of the Gisakura estate. The resort employs a significant share of its staff from surrounding communities, and this local engagement is a deliberate element of the guest experience rather than an afterthought.