Wilderness Bisate & Bisate Reserve newsletter – December 2024

Experiencing the mountain gorillas on foot is still one the most incredible, levelling and humbling experiences that humans can have. When you look into a gorilla’s eyes and see this brute calmly working you out, and then proceed to tear up a eucalyptus tree from its roots and gnaw on it like a corn cob, something just makes sense in a weird and natural kind of way. 

We did manage to send off 2024 with a bang thanks to our festive celebrations over Christmas and a new year fuelled by local cocktails, and a tasting menu that would make Gordon Ramsay envious. Regardless of your beliefs, December has always been a time of family and coming together to reflect on the year that has been, and we honoured this with some tasteful nods to tradition with some celebrations that were inclusive of all. 

We also achieved a lot of personal goals for the Bisate property this year with the opening of our smaller, very grand sister lodge Wilderness Bisate Reserve. We also received the recognition and accolade of “World’s Best Safari Lodge” at the World Travel Awards for 2024 – but, perhaps proudest and most exciting for us is that we have expanded our staff numbers to 95 amazing individuals, with five of our brightest holding the very elevated positions of Lodge Managers, Executive Chef and Back-of-House Manager respectively. The future of our property is certainly bright and we promise to not rest on our laurels. We will continue to push the boundaries of traditional hospitality to even more exciting and novel heights. So once again, happy new year and we welcome 2025 with open arms and eager minds. Murakoze Cyane! 

The doors of our newest offering officially swung open on 1 September, and since then we have been welcoming the small and discerning company of eight guests at a time to this very special place. With the same architect that designed Wilderness Bisate, and some of the best of our current staff, we have attempted to give a slightly different and more bespoke offering to our guests. With larger rooms and cleaner lines, the façade of Bisate Reserve is truly impressive, with nods to the old king’s palaces of Rwanda. Tucked into the hillside of our property’s volcanic crater, you can be forgiven for not wanting to leave your nest of solitude and serenity. The good news is that with the amazing Artichoke interior design team, who did all interior and art installations, there is just too much to enjoy in the lodge’s main areas to not come up and find your little corner here and enjoy a fireside reading session; or for those who crave a slightly more adventurous path, head out on a walk on the property led by one of our amazing guides. 

Bisate Reserve is for everyone, and we look forward to a busy year ahead in 2025 with all of our official press releases now available to feast your eyes on. But remember, there are only four rooms available so if you were waiting for your opportunity to see the gorillas, now is the time! See you all here soon! 

2024 was indeed a busy time for us but we are unyielding in our quest to forever change how hospitality is looked upon. This brings us to the current setting and the brightly lit road that is 2025. Included in our ambitious plans this year is the much anticipated unveiling of our wellness destination that will most certainly start to crystalise towards the end of this year. More about this I will not say for now, so treat it as a tasty morsel that keeps you eager to hear more as 2025 unfolds.

Our reforestation efforts reached an incredible milestone of 100,000 trees planted on the Bisate property so far, and of course for us, that now means that we need to work even harder, as the target is now to double that, and to double it again by 2030. With the opening of our second tree nursery, the expanding of our agronomy team and the amazing leadership of our original and first-ever staff member employed at Bisate, the ever-smiling Jean Moise, our eyes are locked firmly on this goal. However, we cannot do it alone, so when you come to stay with us as a guest, we urge you to plant a tree and leave your unique mark on this land.

We have various community projects also on the go, spearheaded by an ambitious firewood and charcoal initiative with our three local villages that aims to remove invasive species of trees, and turn them into ambience-enhancing firewood and charcoal to keep us warm and cosy at Wilderness Bisate, Wilderness Bisate Reserve and Wilderness Sabyinyo. 

From the entire team at Bisate, we once again thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything that you share with us. We also humbly request that your hunger for and love of nature never dissipates and that you continue to experience life and travel to these diamond destinations with the same enthusiasm that we always see from our guests. May 2025 be the best year of your lives yet, and may our gorillas in the mist that surround us continue to grace your dreams and fuel your wanderlust. Cheers to you all! 

Love how you hire local and promote within. The guides at night were wonderful – so many names to comment. Everything in passion of team members shows in their excitement they made the experience. Everyone is exceptional! – M&M

Everything, it was just the right level of luxury without being too much. Every need catered for in the right way. – J

Amazing staff, incredible attention to detail. All the unexpected details. The welcome celebration, the care, service, kindness, the gorgeous décor, ambience & setting, the fires, the hot water bottles in bed. You make people feel welcome & like family. Truly exceptional. – R&K

Details of space and the thought that went into them was great. Everyone did everything they possibly could to make our stay very perfect. – W&B

Everything! Service with a smile, knowledgeable about anything we asked, and the food and facilities, excellent. – H&J