Kibira National Park

Along the Congo-Nile divide, Kibira drapes Burundi's largest montane rainforest across the ridgetops - the southern continuation of Rwanda's Nyungwe, and the same kind of place: mossy giants and tree ferns in the mist, chimpanzees calling across valleys, black-and-white colobus exploding through the canopy in troops dozens strong, and a bird list rich in Albertine Rift endemics. Guided walks run from the park posts along old crest tracks, tea plantations green the approaches, and the forest's role as the country's watershed - feeding both the Congo and the Nile - gives the walking its quiet significance.

History

Until 1933 the forest was a hunting reserve of the kings of Burundi, and local people treated it with respect, crediting it with magical power, which helped to keep it intact; they kept rights to graze cattle and gather forest products. From 1933 to 1980 it was the Congo-Nile Ridge Forest Reserve, first under Belgian rule and then after independence in July 1962, with only the cutting of valuable timber controlled, before it became a national park (Wikipedia, Kibira National Park).

The landscape

• The colobus troops - black-and-white acrobatics in the high canopy.
• Chimpanzee valleys - calls at dawn, sightings with luck and guides.
• The crest walks - mossy forest tracks along the divide.
• The tea edges - plantation green meeting old-growth dark.

When to go

June to September gives the driest trails - mist is permanent decor regardless; chimp activity favours early starts from the posts. The rains turn tracks to streams.

Before you go

Kibira is authentic and lightly developed: basic posts, guides of varying English, and wildlife that must be earned in mist and mud - the forest itself is the guaranteed reward. Arrange through Bujumbura operators or the park service.

Nearby

The tea country of Teza, the crest road viewpoints and Bujumbura below.

Key facts