We couldn’t be more excited about Bisate Lodge, located near Volcano National Park in Rwanda, a welcome addition to the gorilla trekking experience in Rwanda! While the property doesn’t open until June 1st, now is the time to start planning! Here’s what you need to know.

About the lodge

With just six sumptuous en-suite forest villas that maximise comfort, warmth and views while retaining environmental principles and reflecting the culture of surrounding rural Rwanda, this lodge is all about privacy and exclusivity.

Located just outside Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda, Bisate Lodge is within easy driving distance of Park Headquarters, from where gorilla treks depart daily. It’s in the natural amphitheatre of an eroded volcanic cone. The area has dramatic views of the peaks of the volcanoes Bisoke and Karisimbi rearing up through the Afro-alpine forests of nearby Volcanoes National Park.

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While the lodge is sophisticated in it’s design and supremely comfortable, what impressed us the most is the care and attention paid to sustainability. The back-of-house was built rst so that all elements such as energy supply, wastewater disposal and recycling can begin here. The light footprint then began, in the construction phase, with the crew adhering to strict environmentally-sensitive building guidelines. A demarcated pathway has been laid down, built using local volcanic rock, along which the crew must move, so as to protect the trees, both those already there and the new saplings that we have planted.

Bisate’s sophisticated architectural and interior design is rooted in Rwandan building tradition as exempli ed in the design of the Royal Palace of the traditional monarch. This spherical, thatched structure echoes the thousands of hills that dot the Rwandan landscape, while the richly detailed interior exhibits surfaces and screens made from a variety of woven materials with strong resonance in Rwandan culture.

Why Book Bisate Lodge

Aside from tracking one of the ten habituated gorilla groups, other attractions include Iby’wacu cultural village, the Twin Lakes of Buhondo and Burera, the lava tunnels of the Musanze Caves, Dian Fossey’s grave, and even seeing the endemic golden monkey. Walks on the extensive property offer birding and participation in the reforestation work.

Profile of female mountain gorilla with baby over the back

The mountain gorilla is the best known of all the great ape subspecies as a result of the work of Dian Fossey and others, but just 880 animals remain, isolated in the remaining natural islands of the Virunga Massif and Uganda’s Bwindi Forest. Here, they exist in family groups overseen by massive silverbacks, roaming their home ranges in search of favoured vegetation.

This stunning new property opens on June 1, 2017. Contact us today to start planning your safari to Rwanda and to learn more about Bisate Lodge.