WILDERNESS SAFARIS | RWANDA

How it all began

Wilderness Safaris was established in 1983 with a dream: to share some of the most remote areas on the African sub-continent with guests from all over the world, in a way that lightly touched the environment—but left a big imprint on the soul.

Now with over 40 luxury camps across seven countries on the continent, Wilderness Safaris offers unforgettable high-end adventures that preserve biodiversity, conserve wildlife, and uplift local communities.

Recently, Wilderness Safaris invited Photographer Andrew Ling to document Africa through his lens.

The journey began with Magashi, a lakeside camp in the rolling savannah of Akagera National Park, followed by Bisate Lodge overlooking the misty Volcanoes National Park—home to many of the only wild Mountain Gorillas left in the world.

Nighttime view of trees on a hillside with illuminated huts and buildings among the foliage. Bisate, Rwanda.

Close-up black and white photograph of two gorillas, with one clearly visible on the right and the other blurred on the left, both facing forward. Bisate, Rwanda.

Bisate Lodge, Volcanoes National Park

Bisate Lodge perches dramatically on the edge of Volcanoes National Park in north-west Rwanda – one of the most thrilling safari destinations in Africa.
Since opening in 2017, Bisate has racked up 34 awards and continues to inspire superlatives. Six en-suite Forest Villas embody Rwanda’s rich culture. Edifying cultural interactions, sophisticated, health-conscious dining, and exuberant hospitality all make your stay superior.
From your sumptuous villa on the slopes of an eroded volcanic crater, designed in the traditions of Rwandan royalty, gaze through a curtain of mist at two extinct volcanoes, Bisoke and Karisimbi. Where primatologist Dian Fossey ran her research station, Karisoke, dedicated to saving mountain gorillas from extinction. Hike through verdant rainforest, up to nearly 3 000 metres, to visit Karisoke’s haunting ruins and Fossey’s grave, next to her beloved gorilla, Digit. Here, gorillas, now numbering more than 1 000 throughout the Virunga massif, await you. For one precious hour, your allocated family may deliver your life’s most astonishing encounter.

A wooden deck with black and white patterned chairs, surrounded by lush green trees, illuminated by outdoor lighting at night. Bisate, Rwanda

“As a commercial photographer, a lot of my work is tied into ‘selling’ products, services, etc., but over the years I’ve learned that doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. The best type of business is win-win, where both parties leave happy. That’s sustainability, and those are the stories I’m in love with sharing. When someone travels with Wilderness Safaris, they get to see and experience some of the most special moments we can have as human beings. It’s good for them, it’s good for the animals, and the environment. It’s good for everyone”.

- Andrew Ling

A bowl of cooked food featuring two pieces of roasted chicken, rice, and roasted yellow bell peppers, garnished with fresh cilantro.

Two male chefs standing indoors, smiling, wearing white chefs' uniforms and vibrant green patterned aprons. The chef on the left is holding a large metal bowl with a green onion and herbs. The chef on the right is holding a colander. Large windows wi

Cozy living room with a large stone fireplace, wicker chairs with blankets, a wooden coffee table, and holiday stockings hanging over the fireplace

A cozy tent interior with a bed and sitting area, seen through a black mesh screen, next to outdoor chairs on a wooden deck surrounded by green trees.

Interior of a cozy, rustic-style lounge with wooden vaulted ceiling, a stone fireplace, cushioned seating with decorative pillows, and a cowhide rug. There are coffee tables with candles and books, and modern hanging lights.

A man wearing a white shirt and hat is harvesting or tending to plants in a garden with various vegetables and flowers, with a mountain in the background.

Interior of a spacious, open-concept living room with large sliding glass doors opening to a deck and greenery outside. The room features a gray sofa, black leather armchairs, wooden coffee tables, woven poufs, and a small decorated Christmas tree. C

A cozy room with two patterned armchairs facing each other near a glass door leading to a balcony with green trees outside. The room features wooden flooring, a cowhide rug, and a bed with pillows in the background.

A bowl of Caesar salad with romaine lettuce, shaved Parmesan cheese, and croutons, on a wooden table with silverware and glasses nearby.

Cozy living room with a curved stone fireplace, wooden arched ceiling, and comfortable seating, decorated for Christmas.

Cozy, well-lit living room with wooden furniture, leather sofa, decorative items, and a small Christmas tree at night.

A person's hand reaching into a garden with orange and yellow flowers, possibly marigolds or calendulas.

Living room with hanging woven lampshades, leather sofas, wooden tables, and large windows showing greenery outside.

A bowl of vegetable soup with corn, carrots, and herbs, served on a colorful plate and placed on a woven placemat.

Close-up of a serving of lasagna on a white plate, garnished with basil and grated cheese.

Interior of a cozy, warmly lit bedroom with a four-poster bed draped with pink and purple fabric, two pink armchairs, a cowhide rug, and wooden floors and walls.

Luxurious bathroom with exposed brick and wood walls, featuring a black bathtub, a green ceramic side table, and a wooden chair. Includes hanging lights, round mirrors, and a walk-in shower with glass door.

Interior of a rustic room with wooden and brick walls, a fireplace with a fire burning, and a black bathtub with a towel draped over its edge. Large sliding glass doors open to a balcony with woven railing, and curtains hang beside them. There is a g

Two pieces of cooked beef steak on a black plate with green beans and a sprig of rosemary.

Close-up of a food plate with broccoli, cheese, bacon, and cilantro, with a blurred background of a bowl with avocado salad. A hand is seen in the background serving salad.

Grilled meat skewer topped with shredded cheese, garnished with a sprig of rosemary, and served on a textured green plate.

Magashi Camp, Akagera National Park

Magashi’s home is 6 000 exclusive-use hectares of Akagera National Park, like Rwanda itself, a miraculous story of survival and regeneration. Located in the country’s north-east, Akagera was devastated by the 1994 genocide and its aftermath, with a rise in poaching and returnees settling with their cattle on park land. Over the last ten years, the park has been significantly rehabilitated and today offers one of the most thrilling safari experiences in Africa.
Six luxury tents perch like butterflies on the shore of Lake Rwanyakazinga. Approaching by boat, you soon ease into the camp’s intimate, relaxed atmosphere – most welcome after a stay in the bustling capital, Kigali, or after a vigorous gorilla trek in Volcanoes National Park. Earthy tones with hints of pink prevail, as does genuine Rwandan hospitality. Magashi’s warm and welcoming staff love sharing their traditional Kugisha supper with guests, accompanied by cattle-herding songs and stories. As you’ll discover, they have many to tell.
Witness a national park coming back to life, home again to lions, rhinos, and an abundance of plains game roaming over its gently rolling hills and open savannah. Watch elephants submerge in silver-blue Lake Rwanyakazinga, raising their trunks like periscopes for air. Monitor lions, leopards, and black rhinos, learning the latest in monitoring technology. Safari by boat on the lake, and perhaps enjoy catch-and-release fishing. Drive across one of the most lovely, calming landscapes imaginable, for up-close-and-personal wildlife encounters – many predators; buffalo, zebra and antelope herds; a journey of giraffes; a plethora of birds.

Close-up of a lion's face with golden fur and piercing yellow eyes.

Black and white photo of an elephant standing on grass in a forested area.

Interior of a spacious, cozy lounge with wooden floors and a cream-colored tent ceiling, decorated with large hanging lamps and ceiling fans. The room features a leather sofa, wooden coffee tables with candles, and various textured seating options, w

A view from inside a safari vehicle showing five zebras walking across a grassy plains landscape.

View from inside a helicopter cockpit showing gauges and instruments, with a landscape of lakes and hills, and a mountain in the distance under a partly cloudy sky.

A green hillside with scattered trees and seven elephants grazing among the shrubs.

A person standing on a dirt path in a rural landscape with trees and hills in the background, next to an open-back Toyota safari vehicle with a spare tire attached.

A safari scene with a grey open-air vehicle parked on green grass near a river, with a small white table and people nearby, and a group of birds seen in the distance among trees under a cloudy sky.

A safari scene with a Toyota vehicle and an elephant walking along a dirt path, surrounded by trees and bushes.

Close-up of an antelope with large, curved horns, in black and white.

A jaguar lying in grass and foliage at night, illuminated by red light, with trees in the background.

Two people are standing next to an open safari vehicle in a grassy plain, with a distant mountain range in the background.

A vervet monkey clings to a tree branch in a forested area, looking directly at the camera.

A black and white photo of a leopard walking through tall grass at night with a tree in the background.

Two zebras standing in tall grass under a tree in a savannah with green foliage and distant trees.

Group of zebras standing in a grassy field with trees and hills in the background, black and white photograph.

A herd of impalas standing in green grassy area with trees in the background.

Three hippopotamuses partially submerged in water, with one of them spouting water from its nose, in a green, forested area

Close-up of a large elephant's face, showing details of its textured skin, trunk, and tusks, in black and white.

Perched on a bare, weathered tree branch, a bird of prey with gray feathers and yellow eyes looks into the distance against a light sky.

A man driving a vehicle through a rural landscape, wearing a cap and jacket, seen from the back in black and white.

A small open-air vehicle with seating for passengers, traveling across a dirt road in a rural landscape with grass and sparse bushes, under a cloudy sky.

An alligator lying on the grass near a body of water with a grassy and muddy landscape in the background.

A person in outdoor gear kneeling on the ground and examining animal bones on the soil, with a landscape and hills in the background.

Close-up of a human footprint in sandy soil.

A leopard lying amidst tall grass at night, partially obscured by trees, in a dark forest setting.

A man sitting on a fallen log outdoors, smiling, wearing a gray jacket, green shirt, green pants, and black rubber boots, with chopped logs and greenery in the background.

Two deer standing in a grassy field, one sitting and one standing behind, with a blurred green background.

Black and white photo of an adult elephant walking outdoors.

A herd of elephants, including adult and baby elephants, standing on grass with green trees in the background.

2022 Africa in Focus Photo Competition. Celebrating Iconic African Photography.

We further partnered with Wilderness Safaris beyond the trip, to guest judge and help promote (on our channel @andrewling) their highly anticipated annual photo competition. Non-profit organization Children in the Wilderness (CITW) was the beneficiary of the 2022 competition. Together we raised a new record high R300,000 (ZAR) for CITW, as well as a new record high for number of entries (increase of 15% YoY).

Two zebras standing in a grassy savannah with bushes and trees in the background.

A baby black gorilla lying on green foliage, looking towards the camera with a curious expression.

Laptop screen displaying a webpage about Africa travel photography, with a woman in winter clothing on a landscape background at sunset.

A webpage displayed on a laptop screen showcasing a travel blog about an African adventure, featuring an image of a person sitting outside a safari tent with a camera on a tripod, surrounded by lush greenery.

Laptop screen displaying a wildlife safari blog with an image of a leopard walking through grass at night.

Screenshot of a website titled "Wilderness Safaris" with a blog post about Rwanda, showing an aerial view of a person in a muddy area with green vegetation.

A laptop displaying the Wilderness Safaris website with a banner of elephants walking on a beach, and a section about judges featuring black and white portraits of three people.

Laptop screen displaying a website about Africa's wilderness, with sections on tribes, Communities, and conservation, featuring black-and-white images of an African girl and natural scenery.

Little Kulala | Sossusvlei, Namibia

Peace and privacy can be found in all spaces at Wilderness Little Kulala. Tucked away in the 37,000-hectare private Kulala Wilderness Reserve, Little Kulala treats guests to unmatched desert luxury. Sossusvlei entices with its adventures, its landscapes, its tranquility. An exclusive-use gate provides direct access to the renowned dunes of Sossusvlei and the evocative panoramas of Dead Vlei.
Accommodation is provided by 11 climate-controlled villas, which blend in seamlessly with their surroundings. Each thatched villa has a private deck complete with its own plunge pool, as well as both indoor and outdoor showers. The interior decor of natural fabrics and textures allow guests to truly experience the serenity of the area.
Spot desert-adapted wildlife such as ostriches, springbok, gemsbok, black-backed jackals, bat-eared foxes, perhaps an aardwolf, or Namibia’s endemic dune lark. Stargaze in one of the darkest places on Earth, contemplating space, and your place in it. You can’t get much closer to the renowned dunes of Sossusvlei and the evocative panoramas of Dead Vlei than Little Kulala.

Night scene featuring a thatched-roof building with lights on, situated on sand dunes. The pathway leading to the building is illuminated with candles or lanterns, and a star-filled sky is visible above.

Two dead, leafless trees in a barren desert with sand dunes in the background, black and white.

A black suitcase standing on a carpeted floor inside a room, with a sliding glass door leading to an outdoor patio with a table and chairs. The patio overlooks a desert landscape.

Silhouettes of seven hikers walking along a sloped hill, casting long shadows, under a clear sky.

Sand dunes in a desert with curving shapes and soft colors, and a flat, textured ground in the foreground.

A woman sitting on a bed outdoors at night under a starry sky, surrounded by a wooden fence and a bamboo structure.

Interior of a cozy living room with stone and wood walls, a large hanging woven light fixture, white curved sofa, round pillows, natural woven and ceramic decor, and a rock fireplace.

A person holding a spoon over a bowl of green soup on a woven placemat, with a rustic wooden table, bread, butter, and beverages in the background.

A hot air balloon basket is firing flames into the dark night sky, with crew members nearby in a desert landscape. The scene is illuminated by the flames, with mountains visible in the background.

A woman in a wide-brimmed hat and white clothes standing in a desert with bare trees and a large sand dune in the background.

Two hot air balloons floating over a desert landscape with mountains in the background and a vehicle trail visible on the ground.

A desert landscape with a cluster of buildings, including a large thatched-roof structure, and leafless trees in the foreground. Mountain ranges are visible in the background under a clear sky.

A mountain with rocky terrain and sand dunes in the foreground, under a clear sky.

Damaraland Camp | Namibia

Discover pure freedom in this astonishing mountainous landscape reminiscent of the American Southwest—or Mars. Where it seems impossible for life to thrive, but life there is. Feel the thrill of seeing desert elephants, or fall asleep under a canopy of stars in a stellar sleepout experience.
Ten elevated adobe-style thatched suites celebrate the expansive Namib Desert with unimpeded vistas across the extraordinary plains. Cool off in the pool, enjoy a spectacular breakfast stop in the desert, or relish a fireside boma evening of cultural cuisine, song and dance, canopied by countless stars.
Feel like a first-time explorer in a thrilling adventure in this vast and ancient landscape carved out by time. Walk among gigantic fossilised trees in the Petrified Forest, dating back 280 million years. Marvel at 6,000 year-old San rock art. Marvel at astounding wildlife like the Critically Endangered black rhino, living here against all odds.