Guest reviews Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge

by brianpZ7519YT Saint Louis, Missouri

Mountain Sanctuary

If you are going to spend the money to see the gorillas in Rwanda there’s no better place to stay than the Silverback Lodge. If you are on a budget, forget it. Don’t stay there and complain about the price. The lodge is located in the foothills above the valley and has unparalleled views of the surrounding mountains. Most other lodges are on the valley floor with no substantial views. It’s location is separate from the population on the main roads. It’s only a quick 10 minute drive to the gorilla guide station where all gorilla tours are organized and assembled. The individual guest bungalows are tastefully decorated and adorned with charming patios over looking the valley. The main lodge is terrific with a living room where guests can meet and discuss travel and the days events. The food is outstanding along with all services. Your day begins with coffee or tea being brought to your place before breakfast. Don’t miss staying at this lodge. It’s worth every penny.

by AnnC523 Denver, Colorado

Warm and friendly with great views

The welcome we received on arrival was wonderful. Be prepared to trek up 198 steps to the the most beautiful views and the friendliest staff. Barbara greeted us with fresh lemonade and cool towels. The staff was wonderful. Our children were in one room, 21, 24 and 25, we were in another. Felicienne was our butler and he anticipated our needs. Thomas was our waiter. The food was wonderful. They had gaiters for our use as well as gloves. Boots and gaiters were removed by the staff and cleaned both days, including the day we left. Laundry was returned promptly. We had a couples massage in the room that was relaxing after the day in the mud. We met other travelers who were gracious sharing pictures and traveling tips. I think the sign of a wonderful resort/hotel is when the guests become friends trading personal information because you feel so comfortable in the environment the staff has created for you. Sabyinyo has done just that! Well done, we will return❤️🦍.

by hamachi1 Los Angeles, California

A+ service/all around-super detailed very long review.

Although I haven’t really been reviewing as much as I want to on trip advisor, I’ve decided to start again given I get such good feedback from my readers. I usually feel compelled to write if I have a really great experience or a bad one. As a background to this review I wanted to give the caveat that we are mostly higher end luxury accommodation travelers. In the 30+ countries we’ve been to around the world we usually stay at the most high end lodging that country offers so please keep that in mind when we offer our perspective. In other words I am an extremely picky, pain in the ass customer. I have unique perspective this trip on this lodge given that we stayed at two different lodges in the Volcanoes National Park area (Bisate and here) and can talk about how the two compare. Often times I find that comparison reviews are helpful when making a decision on where to stay and I can offer it this time. The Sabinyo Silverback Lodge property is nestled uphill offering some of the most beautiful views of the surrounding volcanoes and scenery. I will say though that both lodges I stayed at had incredible views so that may be the thing in this area. However since it sits way up, there is a flight of stairs a little less than two hundred steps in order to get to the front and that initially was a huge concern for me especially after two days of hiking and painful legs. This issue was quickly resolved the next day when they arranged a buggy service to go up to the top for me. Phew. (Btw this Buggy is not just a dinky little golf cart..it is the AAA of buggies kind of buggy Hummer where you hardly feel the bumps) The most stellar thing about this property is the level of service and attention to detail. I knew this the second I got there. I was visibly struggling so much going up the stairs upon arrival and completely disgruntled. Immediately upon check in, I think the manager of the property noticed this and she changed our suite to a more closer one without us even asking for it. The staff is incredibly perceptive and accommodating and it makes all the difference for me. (More on this later). The rooms- are not modern or updated but it didn’t make a difference which was surprising for me since my preferences is always new and modern. They are nicely sized and comfortable and all the things that mattered to me such as the bed and shower were great. We stayed in suite 2 which is the closest to the main area and our room had a medium-hard comfortable king size bed which I loved, thick white crisp sheets which felt clean and refreshing and average plushiness pillows. Turn down service was good and prompt. (No slippers here however) There is a living room area with an older but rather comfy sofa in front of a fireplace and another little area of desk space where we had a converter power strip accommodating all different voltages. There is a roomy walk in closet that can fit two big suitcases comfortably and has a spacious bathroom with a tub, shower, toilet and two sinks in one non-compartmentalized room. The floors of the bathroom are kind of cold but there are plenty of bath rugs to help this. Heated towel racks, check. The shower has no door but is contained in a little chamber like space with a shower head perfectly situated so not too much water escapes. The water pressure is excellent and a huge difference from our room in the Bisate. The toiletries are also much better here as well with better shampoos that made my hair softer and much more easy to manage. I was not a fan of the carpet in the room but that is just me. The food at the Sabinyo Silverback Lodge was excellent. Pretty much everything we ate was delicious. Everything is freshly made there and you can tell. I would say that the food between the two different lodges are pretty close but I actually preferred the food here. Gilbert our personal server was excellent as well. Super nice, professional and accommodating. If you decide to dine in your room Gilbert pretty much brings the restaurant to your room. The food doesn’t come all at once like most room services. Instead your meals are brought as courses so you’re pretty much being served in your own room. Speaking of the people here, our lodge has a butler (I want to say his name is Felicien but I’m so bad w names can’t remember exactly) who was nothing less than amazing. We have had our share of butlers that came with our accommodations in many different countries over the years and have seen it all. F, was possibly the best out of them. He offers a level of service and warmth beyond what we expected and I would say our suite was worth it just having him around to help. He didn’t miss a beat. He always had a smile with the best attitude ever. He would get stuff done in a second and even when I would say something in passing it would just get done. Like I said in conversation own morning in the lobby that I wish I could clean my backpack or my non hiking sneakers were a little dirty, and then I would come back to my room at the end of the day and find my backpack and shoes washed and immaculate. As far as the service industry he’s one of the best. I have to say that the initial impression of the lodge was that it seemed a bit on the older side, a bit rustic and more like the lobby of a hotel you’d find like near a camping ground in the US..and I was concerned at first because older and rustic is usually not my thing. None of this was an issue. All the things that mattered was better at this hotel. Our manager (marathon runner from Italy who’s name I forgot due to my name memory issue) was another amazing member of the staff. She also like our butler would never miss a beat and accommodated to all my needs even before I had to ask. She is also so attentive she will do things that make you realize how thoughtful they are. Example: at the first lodge I stayed I wrote a letter to my kids back home to send to the states. I tried to get it mailed as this is usually a simple thing that higher end hotels hv no problems taking care of, but somehow it was too complicated and it didn’t happen there. Brought the same letter here and asked if there was any way they could help me find a way to mail it. Not only did they mail it out for me by the time I came back to the hotel from my trek, but I think they read the names of my two kids off the front of the letter and yesterday dropped of a gift addressed to them to take back home with us! They also prepared a full birthday cake and super lovely gift for me as I was celebrating my birthday. The thing was.. it wasn’t just a typical hotel birthday amenity. My butler and Gilbert brought in a full chocolate cake with decorations and candles lit into my room, sang a song and literally celebrated with me. My gift came in a personalized hand made gift bag and dropped off directly by our butler. All of it was super warm, memorable and amazing. We always say that when you get to the five star hotels of the world the things that make the difference and make it memorable are the details. Sabinyo Silverback Lodge wins by a landslide on this front. It is a Five-Star lodge that offers something very unique and warm. Not a single detail is missed and the level of thoughtfulness they maintain is something that you can only get at a small sliver of luxury hotels around the world. Highly recommend.

by dareyoutoleap

Like family, but with a much nicer house than mine

I can't say enough about Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge - but I can say that the staff is the best part (which is saying something). Although my room was so, so comfy and beautiful, I tried not to spend too much time in there in order to hang out with the staff more. When I was in my room though, it was amazing - hot water bottles and a fire at night, movies pre-downloaded for me, comfy furniture, and amazing views. The lodge as a whole has amazing views and even some (harmless) wildlife, and the food is SO good (I was tempted to try to get recipes out of the chefs). The moment I left, I started plotting how soon I could come back.

by olahchristina Kampala, Uganda

Stunning! Stunning! Stunning!

I will start with the manager Michael, he is such a wonderful soul. Always eager to make you feel at home. Thank you Michael. The services are top top on the charts. The rooms have been carefully thought through, there is pretty much everything you need. The cottages are warm in-spite of the high altitude of about 2500m. For guests with mobility issues, there is a small carrier that can drive you up to the reception area just so you avoid all the many steps. I loved especially the meals, very light and yet so feeling. There is something really unexplained about this lodge, it feels like home to everyone, so warm, i dont know how they do it. Thank you Michael!