Wilderness Safaris to Build Two New Lodges in Rwanda

Rwanda, situated as it is along the Western, or Albertine Rift, is one of Africa's most biodiverse regions. It is a haven of rainforest endemism and its most celebrated wild mammal is the iconic mountain gorilla of the Virunga Massif. The country's forests are also home to another of Africa's great apes, the chimpanzee, as well as a multitude of other primates including the striking golden monkey, a little-known but magnificent inhabitant of the bamboo forest.

It is around these rare and threatened great ape and primate species that Wilderness Safaris will build its new lodge circuit in Rwanda. "The opportunity to use the Wilderness Safaris model of responsible ecotourism to contribute to positive conservation and community empowerment in such a unique and exciting environment is exactly why we do what we do," said Keith Vincent, CEO of Wilderness Safaris. "We have found the Rwanda government, ecotourism industry and conservation community to be nothing but welcoming and hospitable in partnering with us to pioneer a new kind of ecotourism in this inspirational country."

Bisate Lodge, a 12-room sanctuary adjacent to the Volcanoes National Park, will boast spectacular views of the brooding Bisoke, Karisimbi and Mikeno Volcanoes. Setting a new standard of luxury for lodges in the area and offering the perfect base for mountain gorilla trekking, Bisate Lodge will also be a visionary conservation and community project with its first phase focusing on indigenous reforestation of a core 64 acre site. This reforestation will be executed in close partnership with the newly constituted 320-member Tuzamurana Cooperative. The lodge, situated within the natural amphitheatre of an extinct volcanic cone, is a new addition to Wilderness Collection and will officially open to guests in mid-2016.

"Wilderness Safaris is also in discussions with the Rwanda Development Board to develop a lodge in the nearby Gishwati-Mukura National Park just 15-minutes away by helicopter south which will be even more ambitious in the scope of its vision to use responsible ecotourism to effect far-reaching and positive environmental change," continued Vincent.

Six rustic forest cottages can host 12 guests at a time that will have exclusive access to the habituated chimpanzee and golden monkey communities of Gishwati Forest. All revenues generated from these forest activities will go towards the conservation of the brand-new Gishwati-Mukura National Park and the establishment of a connecting forest corridor between the two little-known forests of Gishwati and Mukura. By linking the two, which are 8 miles away from each other, a combined area of nearly 14,827 acres of Albertine Rift forest and a host of endemic mammals, birds, insects, and plants will be protected. This effort will more than triple chimpanzee habitat and allow the population of this vulnerable great ape to grow.

Like Bisate Lodge, Gishwati will also open to guests in mid-2016 and will fall into the Adventures category of Wilderness Safaris camps. Itineraries combining the two camps over five to six nights will be the perfect way for guests to enjoy privileged interactions with two of Africa's great ape species and can easily be broadened to enjoy the myriad other attractions in Rwanda.

Visit website: www.wilderness-safaris.com