Bisate

Bisate offers dramatic views of the Bisoke and Karisimbi volcano peaks rising through the forests of the nearby Volcanoes National Park. It is within easy driving distance of Park Headquarters, from where once-in-a-lifetime gorilla treks depart daily. Exploring around Bisate includes community visits, birding, golden monkey tracking, and helping reforest the area, Gorilla Guardian Village, the Twin Lakes of Ruhondo and Burera, as well as Dian Fossey’s burial site.

The main area offers a lounge, dining and bar area, wine cellar and viewing deck. Both the architecture and interiors are rooted in Rwandan cultural traditions. Each of the six en-suite 91 square metre Forest Villas consists of a generous yet intimate combination of bedroom, reception space and bathroom, all warmed by a central fireplace and with breathtaking views out across your private deck towards Mount Bisoke. With only six villas, the real generosity in the Rwandan context is the amount of private and exclusive space that surrounds Bisate, cosseting it in a rare natural landscape brimming with Albertine Rift biodiversity and beauty. There are also two single rooms with twin beds and shared en-suite facilities for your guide/pilot/tour leader.

Guests who have a late flight can relax at the Bisate Kwanda day lounge at Bisate Lodge, Volcanoes National Park. The first of its kind in Rwanda, Bisate Kwanda is a proud showcase of Rwandan creativity, resourcefulness and commitment to conservation, and a testament to a team dedicated to creating impactful Rwandan journeys.

The aim of Bisate is to be a model of sustainable ecotourism in Rwanda. Its reforestation and rehabilitation project has each guest contributing to conservation and local community upliftment, with a positive impact on the iconic endangered mountain gorilla.

About the Volcanoes National Park

Situated in northwestern Rwanda, Volcanoes National Park is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations. Since reopening in 1999, it has experienced a growing number of visitors each day, thanks in large part to its role as the world’s most popular mountain gorilla sanctuary. With fewer than 700 of these species left, tourists can catch a rare glimpse of the gorillas as they can nowhere else in the world. Beyond gorilla trekking in Rwanda, the park is also able to offer some of the country’s most spectacular scenery and diverse vegetation. It is part of the Virunga Conservation Area and covers more than 125km2, including five extinct volcanoes: Muhabura, Sabyinyo, Gahinga, Karisimbi and Bisoke. The latter two can be climbed during one or two-day treks.

Against this backdrop, tourists can hike through the lush bamboo and Hygenia rainforest, open grassland and swamp of Volcanoes National Park to discover golden monkeys, bush duiker, buffalo and spotted hyenas. You will not have to listen too hard before you hear one of the 178 recorded bird species in the park. Look through the gaps in the dense forest canopy and you will also see the breathtaking peaks of the volcanoes standing tall at over 4,500m.