Wilderness Sabyinyo Newsletter – May 2023

Following April, which was a most peaceful month, the Sabyinyo team applied themselves to rigorous exercise, resulting in improved fitness. Moreover, the lodge received a new coat of paint adding some fresh new colors. Both Sabyinyo and the team are now fully prepared to commence the bustling months, happy to be welcoming various groups and families travelling together. This is an area where Wilderness Sabyinyo excels – creating a homely atmosphere.

May marks the end of the major rainy season in the Virunga Massif. This month we enjoyed the advent of beautiful, sunny-cold mornings, which are ideal for gorilla treks. However, heavy rains still occurred in the afternoons, contributing to the greener appearance of our property. This was further enhanced by the eucalyptus harvest, which cleared numerous areas.

Sabyinyo helipad

Over the past few years, Akagera Aviation faced challenges in landing at Sabyinyo due to the helipad's positioning in amongst some large trees. Additionally, the proximity of the helipad to the guest rooms posed a concern. Consequently, we made the decision to relocate it far away from the accommodations. After several months dedicated to identifying and preparing the new site, we eagerly awaited approval from Akagera Aviation. It was a moment of great excitement when our new helipad was officially sanctioned, and opened on May 16th.

Sabyinyo reforestation

The favourable weather conditions last month provided an excellent opportunity for our back-of-house team to undertake a significant tree-planting initiative. We successfully planted a diverse range of 400 tree species, including Hagenia, Dombeya, and bamboo. Building upon this momentum, our reforestation team has made remarkable progress this month, tripling the number of trees in our nursery to an impressive 4,239. We eagerly anticipate expanding our tree-planting efforts even further by introducing additional species in the future.

Sabyinyo community

On Saturday 27 May, Kwibuka, a special Memorial Day, was commemorated in the Kinigi Sector. Many dignitaries were present, including a Member of Parliament, the Governor of Northern Province, the Mayor of Musanze and a number of other invitees.  On this day, SACOLA (the Sabyinyo Community Livelihood Association) supported 24 needy families who are all survivors of the 1994 Genocide.

Four of the families received a cow each, with the other 20 families receiving household supplies, including rice, maize flour, cooking oil, laundry soaps, fabrics and some financial aid.

Micomyiza, a genocide survivor, was very happy to be given a cow. He said that his parents were killed when he was only six months old, meaning he never experienced what is like to enjoy milk from a family cow. He thanked SACOLA, and said that together with his family he is going to enjoy the milk, and share with his neighbours.  The donation of the cows and the supplies totalled some RWF 4.5 million.