Singita Kwitonda Lodge Restaurant — African / International, Musanze
Singita Kwitonda sits at the base of the Virunga volcanoes — the chain that straddles Rwanda, Uganda, and the DRC and is home to more than half the world's remaining mountain gorillas. The lodge's position at 2,100 metres altitude, on the forest edge where the cleared farmland meets the bamboo zone, provides a dining backdrop of extraordinary power.
The kitchen is Singita's signature expression in Rwanda — a programme that has won awards for its integration of local Rwandan produce with international fine-dining technique. Rwanda's highland agriculture produces exceptional vegetables: sweet potatoes, sorghum, plantain, and the highland beans that are the country's most important crop. These appear on the menu with the same care given to the lodge's imported proteins.
The tasting menu, served at the lodge's communal dining table overlooking the Virunga forest, changes with the highland seasons and the availability of Rwanda's agricultural bounty. The breakfast — with the Virunga volcanoes in cloud above and the forest birds calling from the bamboo — is the most powerful single meal in Rwanda.
Singita's sustainability programme — sourcing from local farmers, employing exclusively from the Musanze community, and providing income to families who might otherwise encroach on the gorilla habitat — means that every meal here contributes directly to the conservation that makes the gorillas' survival possible.
Best Occasion: Perfect for Proposals
The Virunga volcanoes at evening, dinner at 2,100 metres, and the knowledge that mountain gorillas inhabit the forest visible above the table. The most extraordinary proposal setting in Africa.
Best Occasion: Best for Impressing Clients
Mountain gorilla trekking followed by dinner at Singita Kwitonda. There is no more impressive or more meaningful client experience available in East Africa.