Sabyinyo, Rwanda

Wilderness Sabyinyo Newsletter - March 2023

Camp news

Our Collective

Wilderness blogger

4/12/2023

Visit Sabyinyo Lodge

A most magical month

This month will surely go down in Wilderness Sabyinyo’s history as a most magical March – famously celebrated as Women's History Month, oh boy, who would have thought we would have the Hirwa family (one of the Volcanoes National Park mountain gorilla families) as our guests of honour. While two special visits from the Hirwa family would have been quite enough, this month had a lot more to offer, including community, guests’ and staff activities.

Wilderness Sabyinyo Gorillas in Camp
Sabyinyo's special visitor
Wilderness Sabyinyo Volcanoes Gorillas in Camp

The Hirwa Gorilla Family visit Wilderness Sabyinyo

Wow, what a special treat for Wilderness Sabyinyo! Despite being located less than 400m from Volcanoes National Park, we have never had the privilege of a gorilla visit since we opened 16 years ago. Until this month. We had not only one, but two special visits. And guess what? Not just a few of them, but all 12 members of the Hirwa family came down to Sabyinyo. 

We watched the silverback take over the camp, and our hearts were amazed by what our eyes were seeing. The whole family marked their territory as they walked all over the grounds of Sabyinyo, showcasing different behaviours to those watching. This moment felt very rewarding as we saw the product of Sabyinyo’s efforts to help protect the gorillas and other species in the park. In the hope of attracting more special visits, more than ever we are encouraged to plant indigenous vegetation and push on further with our reforestation programme.

Read all about it here

Hiking Mount Bisoke

 

After a couple of weeks of exercising in our new gym, some team members decided to hike Mount Bisoke. What another great experience. Everyone reached the crater, including Michel. our sous-chef who had tried a few times before, but failed to make it all the way. The most rewarding part was meeting the Umubano gorilla family halfway. I guess the Hirwa family must have organised a special welcome for their new friends after they had met the Sabyinyo team – who are known to have the most beautiful welcome songs and dances.

Sabyinyo Staff

The Sabyinyo team continues exercising now that we have seen the results, and are preparing to take a new and more challenging hike. But we are also using this quiet time to continually improve our back-of-house area, including our two nature trails – Ndabe and Ingagi – as well as preparing our new farm tour.

Sabyinyo was also very happy to welcome, meet and host the new Magashi managers Dean and Nicole, who had an unforgettable time here, especially on their hike to Dian Fossey’s grave site.

Children in the Wilderness at Rushubi Schools

The Rushubi Primary and Secondary schools have been selected as our partner for Children in the Wilderness projects that will be supported by Wilderness Sabyinyo.

The school is situated close to Sabyinyo on the main road. Leontine Mukankuranga, the Headmistress, is so grateful and happy to be part of Children in the Wilderness. The school already has very active Environmental Clubs, and because of this, some of the students had been selected in previous years to participate in the Conservation Camps that CITW has organised in the area, together with other partners. This relationship will now be expanded, and we are excited to start working more closely with the Rushubi School.

Already in March, a CITW-facilitated water filtration system was installed at the school with donations made possible by Sabyinyo guests. The filter system will ensure clean, safe, and hygienic drinking water for all 1,354 students at the school!

In the first weeks of April, the installation will be complete, meaning that at the start of the last term of the school year, the students can enjoy fresh drinking water.

After spending 10 days in the Serengeti, we found a restful, peaceful place to regroup. We were focused on seeing the gorilla part of a “bucket list”. The trek was amazing, but what will bring us back is the warm hospitality and friendly staff. Lovely setting, and amazing food! See you again! Best wishes to all the staff! – D & K

Wilderness Bisate Rwanda Bisoke View

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