Singita to Open Lodge in Volcanoes National Park
Singita, is set to launch their latest venture on a breath-taking, isolated but contained, 188 acre piece of land, right on the edge of Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. Singita Kwitonda will be built to embody the spirit of Rwanda and offer a tribute to the lodge’s namesake – Kwitonda – a great silverback gorilla whose legend lives on in Rwanda and was known for his humility and gentleness. This remarkably positioned site offers a buffer between the farmland of the region and the national park where Rwanda’s iconic gorillas live.
The mountain gorillas of this region are Rwanda’s treasure and have flourished in the last decade, thus the Rwandan government is striving to find ways to increase their habitat. This is where Singita can provide support. Singita is about building sustainable revenue streams to support conservation efforts in Africa, and the government’s objective to grow the gorillas’ habitat aligns closely with Singita’s mission to create low-impact tourism to help preserve areas of iconic African wilderness for future generations. Singita was established in 1993 in South Africa and has set the bar for high-end safari escapes in Africa ever since, balancing a philosophy of preserving and protecting land and wildlife with the wellbeing of local communities. It is this conservation model that Singita is proud to be able to extend into Rwanda.
COO of Singita, Mark Witney comments: ‘The favourable environment and government’s commitment to develop tourism have made Rwanda a very attractive conservation development partnership for Singita. For our guests, a once-in-a-lifetime itinerary that includes a seamless transfer between our Serengeti properties in Tanzania and Rwanda covers two of the real ‘bucket list’ items on a seasoned traveller’s list – the Serengeti plains and the gorilla experience of the Volcanoes National Park. We’re honoured to be a part of this opportunity in Rwanda and furthermore extending Singita’s important conservation efforts across this magnificent continent’.
Singita’s established brand in the high-end tourism segment will attract influential world travellers who have a heightened awareness of the plight of wilderness and wildlife in Africa and want to be part of the solution.
Planned to open in August 2019, Singita Kwitonda will offer 8 suites and a villa with magnificent views of the Sabinyo and Gahinga volcanoes. Sustainability is at the core of the construction project. Paul Milton, CEO Singita Private Partnerships, states ‘We ran a sustainability framework in the design stage to ensure that what we are designing is as efficient as possible. For example a thermal analysis was completed in order to minimise energy usage given we’re positioned in a cool and temperate environment’. Great lengths have been taken to engage with specialists to create a light foot print and maximum energy efficiency on so many levels.