Umutuzo Lodge Kivu Lake

Umutuzo lodge is a true gem with unbeatable views over Lake Kivu — phillipe & the team were amazing, attentive, and genuinely welcoming, making feel right at home. The food was exceptional: fresh and beautifully presented dishes that tasted as good as they looked. Top shout out to the chef It was the perfect setting for working remotely with great WiFi Rooms were spotless and peaceful, with large windows framing the lake and hills. Falling asleep to the sound of the nature was pure relaxation. If you’re after natural beauty, fantastic service, and great food, this place delivers on every level.

My family and I have just spent 3 fantastic nights in Umutozo lodge. The location is genuinely breathtaking, on the shores of lake Kivu. From the moment we arrived we were made to feel totally at home. The staff are all exceptionally helpful and friendly. I can honestly say I have never stayed at a place that has such a joyful, communal feel to it. I had read that dinner is served communally and as a reserved Englishman I wasn’t sure if I liked that idea but in reality it was truly lovely. It gave my family and I an opportunity to meet fellow travellers from around the world and it made the whole experience so homely. We loved it. The owner Phillipe is extremely hands on and a wonderful host. A very interesting, humble man, it was a pleasure to meet him. Similarly Eric, the hotel manager is someone my family and I will never forget. A lovely man and very helpful. I would highly recommend visiting Rwanda and any visit to Rwanda would not be complete without a stay at Umutuzo lodge. To all the team, thanks for making our stay so special.

I have just spent five absolutely wonderful days at Umutuzo Lodge, with a million dollar view over Lake Kivu and some of the islands. I travel a lot and have stayed in hundreds of hotels, lodges and airbnbs, and my stay at Umutuzo ranks rght on top of all those places. Philippe (owner), Eric (manager) and Olivier (guide) were all wonderful, always helpful, always pleasant and very personable. Half of my stay I was also the only guest, which certainly added to the feeling of being special. This is not an easy place to get to - a four hour drive from Kigali and the final half hour partly on very rough "roads"! But, once you arrive, you will instantly know that THIS IS THE PLACE! Oh, and fabulous food of course. I was also pleasantly surprised by the good wifi. Not perfect (slightly slow at times) but totally workable and I was impressed. My own personal lodge was very comfortable and I could easily settle in and live there! Philippe, Eric and Olivier - thank you for one of my most memorable travel experiences ever!

As a tour operator, and travel enthusiastic, I would say that Umutuzo lodge is now the best property on the shores of lake Kivu. The thing that impressed us most is the beauty of the place, the gentle service especially from Philippe (The owner), the natural serenity, and the possibility to actually network. I, and my partner had an unforgettable stay, though it was too brief. We shall definitely come back, and we highly recommend the property. Sandra et Koen

It is the third time I stop at Umutuzo Lodge. Always an amazing experience made of warm welcoming, marvelous view, Rwandan authenticity, very good meals and perfect comfort. Do not hesitate to ask Philippe ( Umutuzo owner) to organize for you small or big trips in the neighborhood. As an example, he perfectly organized for our family a multi-day complete tour of Rwanda : full satisfaction, competitive rate, transparency, possibilities to interact with him to adapt the program . We absolutely recommend!

NEVER AGAIN After a long day and drive, we decided to reward ourselves with an overnight stay at Umutuzo lodge. The photos looked very promising. What I can say is that this overnight stay only caused us stress. 1. The road to the lodge is terrible. Lots of stones and holes. You literally destroy your car. A car that is not a 4x4 cannot handle this road. This was not communicated, which seemed very strange to us. We communicated this to the manager and asked for a solution to get back to the main road. The manager put us in touch with owner Philippe. The owner just laughed at us and said it was our mistake. That he shouldn't communicate this. We received many insults fron Philiooe and we decided to end the conversation. Then he decided to blame us further through WhatsApp. This is not customer service and we did not feel welcome. Because of this bad experience we decided to leave early the next morning. We were indeed unable to get our car back to the main road, so we had to seek extra help. 2. What you see in the pictures is not what you get. The resort has a lot of potential but is not finished. There are 2 lodges ready, both with a view of a construction site. This construction site obstructed our view of the lake. There were also a lot of people and noise in front of our lodge from 7 am, so we were not able to enjoy our outdoor shower and terrace. The only positive thing I would say is that Eric and the chef remained very friendly. It's not fair that they have to apologize for their boss's behavior. Not worth your money or time!