Volcanoes National Park

Wilderness Sabyinyo Newsletter – January 2024

Camp news

Eric Dushime

2/17/2024

Visit Sabyinyo

Sabyinyo welcomes a new year

What an incredible January! At Sabyinyo, it doesn’t feel like we are already concluding the first month of 2024 – the days are passing very quickly, and it is really special to have started this year off on a good note with happy guests and staff celebrating.

 

What’s more, the weather didn’t disappoint as we had sunny but cool days compared to the previous month’s rainy days – literally, the perfect start. With 2023 being very successful, and 2024 looking very promising, we are looking forward to what the new year has in store for us, and the many changes and happy moments that will be created with our guests and staff.

Sabyinyo guests

January was a great month for guests and we noticed a lot of couples travelling together, which differed from December when it was more families. This truly shows how much of a home Sabyinyo is to everyone who visits the lodge.

 

 

Our guests had great luck with the weather and their treks in the national park were a lot less muddy because of the beautiful sunny days that we had. Many guests also took the opportunity to go on nature walks around the property, and in the evenings they were able to spot loads of birds. Those who were able to go to the community really enjoyed meeting the children, as part of January was school holiday season, and our guests were able to play and have an amazing time with the children.

Sabyinyo reforestation

Our reforestation has been going very well. You may recall, a couple of months ago we started on this beautiful journey to restore the lodge to its natural state by planting more indigenous trees across the property. Species include Dombeya, Hagenia, Lobelia and many more, and we are happy to note that our trees have been growing very well thanks to the perfect weather that came with January. Just walking around Sabyinyo one can see how even more beautiful and lush it’s becoming.

 

It’s with this in mind that we planted another 400+ different trees around the whole property this month. It was an amazing activity for everyone involved because we couldn’t wait to see how much our landscape is yet to evolve, especially now, with more than 2,000 different species planted across our grounds.

Sabyinyo staff

This year’s New Year staff party was one of a kind – with vibrant music, delicious barbeque, dancing, and singing, our staff welcomed the new year in style, and it meant a lot to be able to look back at the successes of 2023. Also at the party we set out the new year’s resolutions that will keep us working even harder in 2024.

 

Thanks to the marketing team, starting the new year wasn’t our only joy for January, as we received our gifts from winning the Wilderness 40th anniversary competition. Our team was all given beautiful T-shirts that were customised with Sabyinyo Hora Kw’Isonga, a term that translates to Sabyinyo keep being on top – trust me this felt like winning the lottery because of how much joy and happiness they brought to the team. Now if one walks around our staff village you will notice that those who aren’t on duty are wearing their beautiful shirts with so much pride.

 

Sabyinyo and CITW

With the support of generous Bisate and Sabyinyo guests, Wilderness and Children in the Wilderness (CITW) in Rwanda have been able to assist Bisate Primary School and the surrounding community with brand-new sports fields. Suitable for basketball and volleyball, of course, they can be used for other sports and activities too.

 

Amounting to a total value of USD17,000, the project’s construction and all necessary materials were outsourced to, and procured via, local companies, further supporting the community at large with employment and income.

 

Although the final touches are still to be completed in the coming month, the sports fields are now in use, and the students and teachers appreciate this addition to their school grounds so much.

 

Dancille Mukakamari, Headmistress of Bisate Primary School said: “On behalf of Bisate Primary School, we would like to thank you for your support of the basketball and the volleyball field and facilities. The playgrounds are now helping our children and even the surrounding community to play and exercise. We promise we will be the best school to play these games! We thank you for your generosity”.

 

 

Bisate Primary School has 1,678 learners at the primary and nursery school, while a total of 40 teachers are employed, and ensure all classes take place.

 

With such a high number of students, you can imagine how these wonderful new sports fields will be in great demand from now on!

We had the best time of our lives. The people here are very warm and lovely. Thank you for every time we spent together.

Diana & Pepe

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