PERSPECTIVE

AT WILDERNESS BISATE, NATURE'S MAGNIFICENCE MEETS ARCHITECTURAL BRILLIANCE DEEP IN THE LUSH RAINFOREST OF RWANDA.

- LYNETTE BOTHA

Locking eyes with a mountain gorilla in its natural habitat is an incomparable experience. In damp, humid surroundings, amid the greenery, time seems to stand still. Everything goes silent, apart from the soft rustle through the trees, the sharp inhale and exhale of breath, and the sound of your heart beating in your chest. And then, all too soon, you realise that it's over, as your guide signals that it's time to go...

"That fleeting connection with these great primates was the inspiration for Bisate," says architect Nick Plewman. His inimitable imagining of a luxury lodge deep in the Rwandan rainforest has won him plenty of praise - with good reason. Designed with an innate reverence for the environment, Wilderness Bisate seamlessly blends into the surrounding landscape, paying homage to traditional Rwandan architectural techniques while infusing contemporary elements. Six spacious bird's nest-like villas, each seemingly perched upon the trees, mimic the mighty volcanic peaks that stand majestically in the distance while also echoing Rwanda's thatched dome-shaped King's Palace.