Wilderness Bisate Concession newsletter – December 2025

Our spicy take on the Bisate guest experience – that focuses on taking every guest through the intricacies of Rwandan culture, with the purity and grounding of a gorilla trek – leaves the soul completely revitalised. We then complement this ‘fire’ with a calming and restorative return to the finer things in life, presenting a carefully curated dining experience that nourishes each guest with the best local produce and genuine hospitality that Rwanda has to offer. ‘Ask for a glass of water here and you shall receive three glasses with an ear-to-ear smile’… this line, that our guests keep repeating, perfectly encapsulates Rwandan culture. We have the absolute best staff in the world and are fiercely proud of it. Come and share one of the world’s last untouched wildernesses, and allow our unique and unapparelled atmosphere to enter your soul, leaving you ready for your return home to daily life with positivity and balance.

From the entire team here at Bisate, we wish you all an absolute cracker of a 2026, and cannot wait to see you all.

Cheers!

This month, we are throwing a curved ball into this segment. The Bird of the Month for December goes to……

Unknown! 

As ridiculous as this sounds, we are being entirely truthful when we say that we have absolutely no idea what species our Bird of the Month, only that there was a sighting of a large bird around dusk that had a very silent flight. As always, there is a story behind this bird that has led to all of this confusion. The sighting occurred on the top of the Bisate Reserve hill when our General Manager Tiffany was walking back to the Management Village. It was just starting to get dark, and a large shape suddenly appeared, startling her. She saw a flash of white as it flew past in ominous silence. When she recovered and caught her breath, she was still confused, but she also had some clues that could help us ID this mystery beauty. The next day, she decided that we needed to get some professional help with our search, and so first thing we went to our guiding team. Together with our three brightest bird minds, we came to the conclusion that we are looking for one of the species of rare montane owls – that are very seldom seen in this region of Rwanda. 

This is a very exciting development and we recommend that you to keep your eyes peeled for our newsletter and the next instalment of this ongoing search! 

Believe it or not but our team is still growing! With the opening of the Sanctuary at Bisate, spa and wellness centre, we have seen the need to expand our team even further. Added to this, we have revamped the Kwanda day-lounge menu, so our dedicated chefs’ team has also added more members to its ranks. This team has been further complemented by the arrival of two students from a local cooking school that has produced many talented young chefs, and we are happy to be supporting the initiative again this year.

Our Sanctuary spa team has received in-depth training and has spent the last few months honing their skills, and we are extremely eager and proud to offer this service to our guests. We are almost ready to reveal all that we have been working on, but I would quickly like to thank Jeanine and her team of therapists for the long hours and time that they have put into finessing their craft, not to mention the dedication and love that they have poured into this new space. When our guests come to experience Bisate’s Sanctuary, I am absolutely certain that they will leave it completely enchanted and revitalised. 

This instalment of our reforestation segment is quite a special one – we dedicate it to the brilliant Jean Moise and his Bisate agronomy team, for the absolutely biblical job that they have achieved at our new Bisate Sanctuary. It is hard to put into words exactly what the magnitude is of what has been accomplished by the team. In the space of just over two weeks, they turned what was essentially a barren building site, with a concrete central courtyard, into what can only be described as an absolute celebration of Rwandan flora. The team has filled every inch of the Sanctuary surrounds with a cornucopia of local ferns, cave palms, buffalo grass, alpine bamboo and about 50 different species of indigenous flowers and plants.

A special mention must go to the cave palms that greet the guests in the arrival circle, and form the central point of the Sanctuary’s inner chamber. The plants are a specific species of palm that are, as far as we know, only found in the high-altitude areas of the Virunga Mountain range. To be more specific, we have only managed to find these unique plants in a little stretch of caves that start in the Bisoke volcano in front of the lodge and extend through the Bisate property and continue into our local town. We discovered this plant a few years ago and were waiting for the ideal opportunity to show off these beauties. We think we have found the perfect place to reveal them to the world, and we cannot wait to have you come to see them.

Everything was spectacular. You made it so welcoming and easy for me to truly enjoy this beautiful lodge and the surrounding area. While the gorillas and golden monkeys truly were spectacular, my favourite part of my visit was the warmth and care I experienced with every member of the team whom I met. Thank you! 
U&P

Our stay at Bisate and Bisate Reserve has truly been exceptional in every way. Bisate is maintained impeccably — it feels as pristine as a brand-new camp. Bisate Reserve was absolutely incredible… on an entirely different level. A full 10 out of 10. The team is professional, warm, and attentive to every detail. Honestly, it’s the best Wilderness camp we’ve experienced; the level of detail even surpasses that of the Botswana Premier camps.
T&A

Kind, friendly, knowledgeable staff anticipating every need. Beautiful property with every detail thought of. Wonderful meals catering to our vegan and vegetarian diets. 
K&H

Jean Pierre and his team provided excellent service in every way. In particular, I had the misfortune of getting sick before reaching Bisate, and JP took very thoughtful care of my health needs. Further, the staff are friendly in a most sincere way. I would recommend Bisate to anyone looking for a high-quality experience at a Wilderness retreat. 
J&D