Reviews of Sabyinyo Silverback
Wildlife sightings and reviews
29 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Sabyinyo Silverback and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in Sep-2018, 11 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Sabyinyo Silverback.
Mountain Gorilla
100% success
Buffalo
33% success
Elephant
0% success
Pangolin
0% success
Spotted Hyena
0% success
Lola
Canada
"Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge review"
4 nights Arrived 14 Jan 2023
"Beautiful lodge, great service and very friendly and accommodating staff. Be prepared for stairs though!
Staff and management went out of their way to make sure my needs were met and I enjoyed my stay. I loved having a fire in my room when I returned in the afternoon. Also great having a soaking tub after a tough hike.
The main lodge has lots of different areas to hang out and enjoy the surroundings. You can always find a quiet nook for yourself. My hiking boots never looked better than when they whisked them away and cleaned them after my trek." See all these reviews: 4n in Rwanda
Staff and management went out of their way to make sure my needs were met and I enjoyed my stay. I loved having a fire in my room when I returned in the afternoon. Also great having a soaking tub after a tough hike.
The main lodge has lots of different areas to hang out and enjoy the surroundings. You can always find a quiet nook for yourself. My hiking boots never looked better than when they whisked them away and cleaned them after my trek." See all these reviews: 4n in Rwanda
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Sightings Report
Mountain Gorilla
Multiple sightings
Mr & Mrs H
UK
"Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge review"
4 nights Arrived 24 Sep 2022
"Excellent lodge. Great service and very good food.
Very flexible service, adapting to the different times that people arrived or returned from treks. The cleaning of the hiking boots was amazing!
Super rooms and the open fire was a delight." See all these reviews: 10n in Rwanda
Very flexible service, adapting to the different times that people arrived or returned from treks. The cleaning of the hiking boots was amazing!
Super rooms and the open fire was a delight." See all these reviews: 10n in Rwanda
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report
Mountain Gorilla
2 sightings
Mrs A.
S. Carolina
"Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge review"
3 nights Arrived 21 Sep 2022
"Everything about Sabyinyo was fabulous - staff, food, accommodations.
Would love to stay there again." See all these reviews: 5n in Rwanda; 4n in Kenya; 4n in Tanzania
Would love to stay there again." See all these reviews: 5n in Rwanda; 4n in Kenya; 4n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Sightings Report
Mountain Gorilla
1 sighting
N&J
West Sussex
"A delightful place to stay "
4 nights Arrived 10 Sep 2022
"This was a delightful place to stay - again further bolstered by the enthusiasm and friendliness of the staff - especially Patrick who looked after the 5 of us impeccably.
3 of our group stayed elsewhere and joined us for dinner in the evening - which worked extremely well, with Sabyinyo Silverback being welcoming and thoughtful over what was clearly an unusual request.
Our room was quite stunning and a great base following early morning starts and arduous hiking . The quality of service, which stretched to providing gaitors (and backpacks, gloves, raincoats and boots if needed), snacks for hiking, laundry and boot cleaning - along with evening fires in our room and hot water bottles was exemplary.
It was misty for much of our stay, but when the mist lifted the views were beautiful and the birdlife was abundant.
The standard of food was very high as was the cocktail making!
If you are travelling as a small group or a couple it does seem you have to accept the presence of a large tour group most evenings in the bar and restaurant areas." See all these reviews: 21n in Rwanda
3 of our group stayed elsewhere and joined us for dinner in the evening - which worked extremely well, with Sabyinyo Silverback being welcoming and thoughtful over what was clearly an unusual request.
Our room was quite stunning and a great base following early morning starts and arduous hiking . The quality of service, which stretched to providing gaitors (and backpacks, gloves, raincoats and boots if needed), snacks for hiking, laundry and boot cleaning - along with evening fires in our room and hot water bottles was exemplary.
It was misty for much of our stay, but when the mist lifted the views were beautiful and the birdlife was abundant.
The standard of food was very high as was the cocktail making!
If you are travelling as a small group or a couple it does seem you have to accept the presence of a large tour group most evenings in the bar and restaurant areas." See all these reviews: 21n in Rwanda
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report
Buffalo
1 sighting
Mountain Gorilla
Multiple sightings
Liz C
Sussex
"Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge review"
3 nights Arrived 21 Jul 2022
"Felice our butler??? was so wonderful and made sure we had everything we needed.
The lodge is beautiful - the staff were so welcoming. F
ood was so good. They made us wonderful packed lunches for our treks - everything was thought about and taken care of." See all these reviews: 10n in Rwanda
The lodge is beautiful - the staff were so welcoming. F
ood was so good. They made us wonderful packed lunches for our treks - everything was thought about and taken care of." See all these reviews: 10n in Rwanda
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report
Mountain Gorilla
Multiple sightings
Mr/Mrs E
Wisconsin US
"Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge review"
2 nights Arrived 6 Jun 2022
"Extremely attentive staff! Birdwatching walk with staff member on the grounds was lovely. Fairly good vegan options available, and the staff was very mindful and aware of dietary restrictions in our group. The standalone cottages were cosy and well-appointed, and the setting is gorgeous. We appreciated the fireplaces (fires started by staff).
A small drawback was a hard-sell from the manager regarding tips and community support (suggesting quadruple the levels recommended by Expert Africa!?), when we felt we'd been doing our part to support the community by selecting this lodge. The staff were very knowledgable about what was needed to make the treks happen (lunches, gaiters, gloves, backpacks)!" See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya; 6n in Rwanda
A small drawback was a hard-sell from the manager regarding tips and community support (suggesting quadruple the levels recommended by Expert Africa!?), when we felt we'd been doing our part to support the community by selecting this lodge. The staff were very knowledgable about what was needed to make the treks happen (lunches, gaiters, gloves, backpacks)!" See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya; 6n in Rwanda
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Excellent
Feedback Response
We were delighted that this family enjoyed Sabyinyo so much. However we were concerned that they felt pressured to leave large tips. We heard back from the lodge after they had read these comments and the manager apologised for any misunderstanding. He assured us that the lodge appreciates every guest who stays at Sabyinyo and they are supporting the local community by doing so.
In later emails we learned that the suggestions about larger tips than Expert Africa would normally suggest related to the national parks guides, rangers and trackers, all of whom faced economic hardship through the pandemic. We feel strongly that tips should always be discretionary and not used to subsidise the employer's payroll, but we recognise that the opportunity to earn tips is part of the attraction of these jobs, beyond the often modest salaries.
In later emails we learned that the suggestions about larger tips than Expert Africa would normally suggest related to the national parks guides, rangers and trackers, all of whom faced economic hardship through the pandemic. We feel strongly that tips should always be discretionary and not used to subsidise the employer's payroll, but we recognise that the opportunity to earn tips is part of the attraction of these jobs, beyond the often modest salaries.
"East Africa Manager"
Sightings Report
Mountain Gorilla
10 sightings
DeGoler Clan
CA, USA
"Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge review"
1 night Arrived 20 Jun 2021
"A beautiful property with fantastic rooms with amazing views and all the amenities.
The pictures do not do it justice at all. It is 5 stars through and through.
The food was incredible and the service was fantastic." See all these reviews: 5n in Seychelles; 3n in Rwanda; 3n in Botswana; 1n in Zimbabwe
The pictures do not do it justice at all. It is 5 stars through and through.
The food was incredible and the service was fantastic." See all these reviews: 5n in Seychelles; 3n in Rwanda; 3n in Botswana; 1n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report
Buffalo
1 sighting
Mountain Gorilla
10 sightings
Jarek
Poland
"Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge review"
2 nights Arrived 7 Jun 2021
"Amazing place ! Rachel, the manager - fantastic woman !!!
There is huge gap compare to others ... so please don't replace her by anyone else during the stay of one group of people" See all these reviews: 4n in Rwanda
There is huge gap compare to others ... so please don't replace her by anyone else during the stay of one group of people" See all these reviews: 4n in Rwanda
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report
Mountain Gorilla
10 sightings
Mr & Mrs L.
London
"Absolutely stunning"
3 nights Arrived 7 Nov 2019
"Of all the safari lodges we stayed at various destinations, Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge was one of the best.
The views are stunning, the lodge is beautifully decorated, the food was delicious and the service was absolutely excellent. The staff were very friendly and attentive. We particularly enjoyed relaxing in front of the fireplace in our room after a long trek.
We were very sad to leave this lodge towards the end of our trip." See all these reviews: 9n in Rwanda
The views are stunning, the lodge is beautifully decorated, the food was delicious and the service was absolutely excellent. The staff were very friendly and attentive. We particularly enjoyed relaxing in front of the fireplace in our room after a long trek.
We were very sad to leave this lodge towards the end of our trip." See all these reviews: 9n in Rwanda
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report
Mountain Gorilla
2 sightings
Mr J & Mrs S
Streatha
"sabyinyo silverback lodge"
5 nights Arrived 19 Aug 2019
"Fantastic service and a really relaxing place to stay. The community walk was a wonderful bonus - well worth doing and for anyone interested in birds so too was the bird walk"
See all these reviews: 6n in Rwanda
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Holiday styles & special interests in Rwanda
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Other lodges in Volcanoes National Park
Alternative places to stay in this same area.
Mountain Gorilla View
With superb views of the volcanoes, the relaxed Mountain Gorilla View Lodge on the slopes of Mount Sabyinyo is well-placed for gorilla trekking.
Virunga Lodge
Virunga Lodge is a consciously environmental lodge in a stunning location, about an hour's drive from Volcanoes National Park headquarters.
Gorilla's Nest
Gorilla's Nest is a very high-end lodge in a great location near the Volcanoes National Park headquarters, from where all gorilla trips start.
Bisate Lodge
The exclusive and luxurious Bisate Lodge, close to Volcanoes National Park, is one of the best places to stay in the area.
Bishops House
In the town of Musanze, a half-hour drive from the Volcanoes National Park headquarters, Bishop's House is well placed for gorilla trekking.
Kwitonda Lodge
Close to the edge of Volcanoes National Park, the luxurious Kwitonda Lodge opened in 2019. Ask your Expert Africa specialist for the latest news.
Tiloreza Eco Lodge
Five Volcanoes offers mid-range hotel accommodation around 15 minutes' drive from Volcanoes National Park headquarters.
