National Parks Packages/Deals & Travel Agents Near Me

Overview

Introduction

There are national parks besides Virunga and Kahuzi-Biega, but we're not that keen on any of them—what they offer is better managed in other countries. Among the country's other parks are the following:

Garamba National Park—A large park in the northeast (on the Sudan border) filled with giraffes, elephants and the world's last remaining herd of northern white rhinoceros. (Even the rhinos have suffered during the civil war—with much of the area under rebel control, there are no police to protect them from poachers.) Visitors can view the game while sitting on the back of trained elephants.

Parc-Central Rwindi—Lake Edward and the territory around it make up this park. Lots of hippos splash in the lake, and there's a wide variety of birds.

Kundelungu National Park—Kundelungu is home to lowland gorillas and the rare okapi, but because you'll probably never see an okapi and the gorillas aren't as interesting as the mountain gorillas, we'd pass it by. A side trip from the park may be taken to see Africa's tallest waterfall (Lofoi Falls, 1,115 ft/340 m straight down).

Upemba National Park—This southern park near the town of Kamina has many antelope and zebras, but it doesn't come close to any park in Kenya or Tanzania.

Overview

Introduction

There are two national parks and a handful of nature reserves that are worth visiting, though they offer only the most basic services.

Ruvubu National Park encompasses the Ruvubu River east of Gitega. A rustic lodge and camping facilities are available. A four-wheel-drive vehicle is essential for visiting the area.

Kibira National Park includes the mountain range northeast of Bujumbura and has a number of marked trails and campsites in the Teza and Rwegura regions. Ten species of monkeys and chimpanzees inhabit this mountainous tropical rain forest, as do a very rich assortment of forest birds. The Ruzizi Nature Reserve, an area just west of Bujumbura along the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is a good spot for viewing hippos, crocodiles and birds.

Kigwena Nature Reserve is also worth a visit if you are in the Rumonge area. Lodging is available in or near Rumonge. Lac aux Oiseaux (The Lake of Birds), in far-northern Burundi, is famous for its variety of aquatic birds, which are attracted by three lakes in the area—Cohoa, Riveru and Rwihinda. Most visitors stay in the village of Kirundo, near Lake Rwihinda.