Gorillas of Rwanda

Known locally as “Kandt House,” this museum celebrates the work of Dr. Richard Kandt, a German physician and explorer who embarked on an exploration of Rwanda in 1897, searching for the source of the Nile River. A rich showcase of Rwanda’s natural treasures, the museum includes artifacts from Dr. Kandt’s expedition and also a ship that was sunk off the shores of Lake Kivu during the German troops’ surrender to the Belgian Army in World War I.

This museum is open every day from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. On Umuganda [community work] Day, which is the last Saturday of every month, the museum opens at 12:00 a.m. On 7th April, all museums are closed.

Established in 2007 by 18 women living in Nyamirambo, Kigali, the NWC examines Rwanda’s unfortunate history of violence, inequality and discrimination towards women. Today, the Center’s mission is to provide education and vocational training to disadvantaged women so that they can gain better opportunities for employment.

Located ten minutes from the city centre, the Kigali Genocide Memorial offers guided tours of the exhibits and gardens commemorating the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. Visitors can choose to be guided by one of the staff, many of whom are survivors of the genocide, or purchase the KGM digital guide, which provides an audiovisual tour.

This collective of Rwandan creative artists showcases local works in contemporary African arts, crafts, music and dance. In addition to exhibiting paintings, sculptures and mixed media expressions, the center conducts programs, projects and initiatives designed to expand the creative arts in Rwanda.

The legendary Virunga Mountains in the north-east are home to volcanoes, swathes of cloud forest and half the world’s total population of endangered mountain gorillas. The primates of Rwanda are unparalleled, and Wilderness Bisate is the perfect base for mountain gorilla trekking. This thrilling excursion takes place from Volcanoes National Park headquarters where guests are allocated to one of the twelve habituated gorilla families for a one-hour awe-inspiring encounter.

* Gorilla Trekking Permits, per person, at an additional cost.

View this beautifully-coloured primate, which is endemic to the area and lives in groups of between 30 to 80 individuals in the Park’s bamboo forest.

Set on the edge of Volcanoes National Park, and an easy drive to the park gate, Wilderness Bisate is located in a vantage point that feels part of the park, offering breathtaking views of six volcanoes, including Bisoke, Karisimbi and Mikeno.

A full-day guided hike to the summit of Mount Bisoke (3 711 metres) can be strenuous, however, is well worth the effort, offering sweeping views of the rainforest and crater lake. Explore the diversity of habitats, and visibly discover the flourishing wildlife.

One of the Wilderness Bisate agronomists will show you around the tree nursery and help you plant a sapling as part of our visionary reforestation project. Includes a visit to the Bamboo Greenhouse to see our greater indigenous tree nursery efforts.

Guided visit to the nearby community and members of the cooperative, including the farmers who cultivate and sell their vegetables to Wilderness Bisate.

A spectacular, challenging hike to Dian Fossey’s burial site and the ruins of her Karisoke Research Centre, set in the saddle of Bisoke and Karisimbi volcanoes at an elevation of some 3 000 metres.

Bisate Kwanda accommodates early arrivals and later departures, providing more flexibility with transfers in and out of the lodge. Further enhancing our guest experience, the offering at Bisate Kwanda will allow guests to shower, change, have a light meal, visit the Wilderness Bisate Boutique stocked with items from Rwanda (purchases at an additional cost), have a massage (treatments at an additional cost), or simply relax in the informal lounge with fireplace, while enjoying the sweeping views overlooking the organic vegetable garden and the reforestation efforts towards Volcanoes National Park.

Kwanda is a Kinyarwanda word meaning growth or expansion; a place to gather; a gift – all three of which perfectly sum up the day lounge’s unique offering. Located close to the main lodge, tucked out of sight, Bisate Kwanda has local craftspeople to thank for its uniquely Rwandan flavour. From hand-tooled wooden utensils and food boards to delicate crockery, striking entrance floors and hallways, volcanic rock walls and facings, hand-woven baskets and placemats, and garden pots, everything has been designed and hand-crafted by Rwandans to create a truly authentic ambience.

* All Volcanoes National Park activities require permits (per person) at additional cost. The private gorilla trek is at a further additional cost.

Established in 1967, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund works to protect and study gorillas, and their habitats, as well as to empower people who live near their forest home. With a team of hundreds working in Rwanda and the DRC, the Fossey Fund is the world’s longest-running and largest organisation dedicated entirely to gorilla conservation.

In 2022, the organisation moved to its first permanent, purpose built home, the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. Nestled in a beautiful, reforested landscape near the Volcanoes National Park it is worth visiting, with a stop at the campus easy to add during a stay at Wilderness Bisate or Wilderness Sabyinyo.

https://gorillafund.org/ellencampus/

* No additional costs besides the entrance fee, and may be experienced either on arrival or departure, or in the afternoon after gorilla trekking.