After a day spent gorilla trekking in Africa, you may need a moment to unwind.
At least, that’s what luxury travel operator Wilderness is banking on. The company has just unveiled plans for its new wellness center in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park (a prime spot for seeking out primates), open to guests of its Wilderness Bisate and Bisate Reserve properties. Fittingly named the Sanctuary at Bisate, the spot is set to open this December.
The new locale is all about communing with nature, offering up plenty of spaces for guests to immerse themselves even further in the volcanic highlands. That includes meditation pods dotting the property for a moment of stillness; curated soundscapes and signatures scents meant to help you unwind; and a heated saltwater indoor lap pool, which overlooking the lush landscape with a cozy fire pit nearby.
The indoor, heated lap pool, overlooking the landscape.
Wilderness
Elsewhere, you’ll find a steam room, an ice bath, and treatment rooms offering an array of massages and treatments. If you’re looking for a bit more movement, head to the fully equipped gym and yoga area. The wellness hub takes its design cues from its environs, too, using natural materials throughout.
A second Wilderness Sanctuary is also heading to the Wilderness Mombo property in Botswana.
“At Wilderness, wellness is not an added layer defined by trends or treatments, but a natural extension of place—an invitation to pause, reconnect, and rediscover the restorative power of nature,” Alexandra Margull, the brand’s COO, said in a statement.
A rendering of the property’s gym.
Wilderness
Bisate Reserve opened its doors in the fall of 2024, offering up 2,200-square-foot thatched-roof villas for guests to enjoy. Volcanoes National Park is home to 12 mountain gorilla families (with only about 1,000 left on Earth), according to Visit Rwanda, making Bisate Reserve a perfect perch for seeing the endangered animals and head out on safari. Wilderness has also made it its mission to conserve the lands it sits upon and beyond; to date, the operator has protected over 5.6 million acres across the globe.
The team at Wilderness has other projects in the pipeline, too: It plans to open a property called Magashi Peninsula, an exclusive eight-bed safari camp, in Akagera National Park, known for its black and white rhinos, giraffes, and lions. Those accommodations are set to open its doors this year.
