As Rwanda’s borders opened up to international travellers at the beginning of August, Wilderness Safaris Rwanda was delighted to start welcoming guests again to Bisate Lodge at Volcanoes National Park, with Magashi Camp set to reopen in Akagera National Park by the end of September.

“Our experienced teams at both Bisate and Magashi are thrilled to be welcoming guests back to these extraordinary locations once again, and to offer life-changing experiences – from the minute guests arrive in Rwanda until they return safely home”, notes Wilderness Safaris Rwanda MD, Rob Baas.

“As people rethink how they travel going forward, we strongly believe that the luxury of space and the ability to explore pristine wilderness areas in relative privacy, makes journeys to Bisate and Magashi some of the most appealing options for travel during this time. Furthermore, it is through these journeys to Rwanda’s pristine wilderness areas that we are able to continue conserving precious intact ecosystems and biodiversity, while supporting local communities at the same time”, Rob adds.

By managing the whole journey, Wilderness Safaris and its local ground-handler partner, Thousand Hills Africa, will ensure that guests are taken care of every step of the way, in line with Wilderness Safaris’ stringent health and cleanliness standards. The small size of Bisate, with only six rooms, and Magashi, just six airy tented suites, makes them ideal for physical distancing, while transfers with a private guide and vehicle reduces contact with others.

Following the Rwandan government’s guidelines to ensure a safe destination for guests, all Wilderness Safaris staff working at Bisate and Magashi will be tested for COVID-19 every two weeks. Only staff with a negative test result are on the premises, and will remain at the lodge and camp for the two weeks that their test is valid.

“It is exciting to have resumed operations and to have already received such positive feedback from our guests at Bisate. It is not only great news for our staff to start working again, but also positive for our neighbouring communities, who largely rely on the tourism industry. We are so grateful for the assistance from our past guests and partners who have helped us provide several tons of essential supplies to our Bisate village partners over the past few months – these handovers have helped hundreds of vulnerable families meet their basic food and hygiene needs, and we couldn’t have done it without this ongoing support”, Rob adds.

Being able to host guests once again at Bisate and Magashi will help Wilderness Safaris continue its community support, as well as its reforestation efforts at Bisate, and its protection and wildlife monitoring programmes in Akagera, that have remained a key focus for the company during this time.

“We understand that some guests may feel apprehensive about travel right now, but we have taken great care to enhance all of our health and cleanliness standards, in line with the World Health Organisation’s protocols. This situation has also given us a renewed appreciation of the impact ecotourism has on the lives of so many people, and we certainly look forward to creating life-changing journeys once again – journeys that enable us to continue making a positive difference”, concludes Rob.

For more information or to enquire about a reservation, please visit http://www.wilderness-safaris.com.