Nyungwe Tea Forest Resort by Rare Finds

Nyungwe Tea Forest Resort by Rare Finds, formerly One&Only Nyungwe House, rises from its own working tea plantation at Gisakura, on the edge of Nyungwe National Park, one of Africa's oldest montane rainforests. Its 23 rooms and suites are Canopy Rooms, set in wooden clusters along the tea plantation with private balconies onto the forest or gardens and rainforest-facing soaking tubs, and Suites in standalone villas set apart for added privacy, with a separate living room and a private deck. The park beyond is home to chimpanzees and 12 other species of primate, and guided treks go out each day in search of them, as well as L'Hoest's monkeys, serval cats and Congo clawless otters. Canopy walks, guided birdwatching for the forest's endemic species and walks through the tea fields ending with a Rwandan tea ceremony fill the rest of the day. The Dining Room looks out over the tea fields and cooks with Rwandan produce and herbs, and the spa faces the forest. The resort has its own helipad, so the journey from Kigali, about 230 kilometres by road, can be made by helicopter instead. June to mid-September, the long dry season, is the easiest time for trekking.