Chimpanzee Trek Tours In Kibira Forest National Park, Burundi Wildlife and Cultural Safaris
Chimpanzee trekking at Kibira National Park is the number one and best activity to do in Burundi. This offers a lifetime opportunity of getting up close with creatures that share 99 percent of our human DNA thrilling visitors from around the world and there is no better place than Kibira National Park Burundi.
Adventures into Burundi's Kibira rainforests to trek chimpanzees in the wild is genuinely an extraordinary experience every nature traveler should have at least once in their lifetime. Tourists spend hours a day observing human-habituated chimpanzee troops in large swathes of the Kibira Forest National Park of Burundi and it's one of the more accessible destinations of in East Africa and Africa at large.
The Kibira National Park is located in northwestern Burundi covering over 400 km2 (150 sq. mi), it lies atop the mountains of the Congo-Nile divide and is contiguous with the Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda, and there are over 400 Chimps. Formerly a sacred hunting reserve for the kings of Burundi, today it is habitat to some 98 mammal species, a dozen primates, and some 200 species of birdlife.
The Chimpanzee, generally regarded as a chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa. It’s close relative with Bonobo popularly known as the pygmy chimpanzee. It weighs between 40–70 kgs for males and between 27–50 kgs for females and stands over 120 to 150 cm tall.
Chimpanzees live in troops ranging from 30 to 80 individuals, though lesser groups can be seen on the move feeding during the day. The males dominate group hierarchy and disputes are always settled with no violence. Chimps spend equal time in trees and on land and an adult Chimp always has a special chimp friend with whom it spends more time.
Almost all chimpanzees have been found using tools, rocks, grass, and leaves for hunting and getting honey, termites, ants, nuts, and water as well as sticks found to spear small mammals. Their gestation period is eight months, giving birth to just one baby and the mother takes responsibility for the young.
The trekking journey typically lasts between 4-8 hours, most of which is spent hiking through thick bamboo forests and vegetation where guides will lead you and get a chance to spot Chimps from a distance and you will spend an hour observing the creatures as they eat, care for their babies, and interact with one another.
One also gets to enjoy beautiful flora, fauna, and other wildlife along the way including birds such as the great blue turaco, mountain buzzard, grey parrot, bar-tailed trogon, and hornbills and mammals such as blue-tailed and red-tailed colobus monkeys.
Chimpanzee trekking in Burundi is a safe activity. The Chimps are apathetic to their human visitors. Armed guides, keep guests safe from potential dangers, making the experience one you will never forget and always want to repeat at any time.
Other Things To Do in Kibira National Forest Park:
Birding Watching:
Birding is among the very prominent activities to do in Kibira Forest with over 250 different bird species and some of the most famously spotted include the great blue turaco, mountain buzzard, white-spotted fluff-tail, grey parrot, bar-tailed trogon, and the black-and-white-squeaked hornbill among others.
Wildlife Viewing:
The park habits about 98 different species of mammals and these include primates like chimpanzees and black and white Colobus monkeys which inhabit the thick vegetation forest
Forest walks:
With the exceptional rivers, walks are really special in the forest and it’s just that feeling once need of true nature and wild sounds in the low land-dense forest.
Pygmy community visits:
Clients can also visit the pygmy villages and share their traditions with the once-forest dwellers and they can happily share their past way of living though they have significantly been affected by the increasing development.
Tea plantation walks:
Guided walks can be arranged to see the abundant tea fields and also share the experience of tea extraction and how it has affected the likelihood of the people living near the Kibira Forest National Park
Access to Kibira Forest National Park:
Kibira National Park is accessible by road from Burundi’s main capital Bujumbura. The drive from Bujumbura towards northwestern Burundi will take you about 2 hours and you will cover approximately 70 kilometers on pretty accessible road conditions
Visitors/ tourists can get to the Park by navigating through the tourist pygmies’ village called Busekera which is also a prime attraction as well as the hydroelectric dam of Rwegura or Entering through the vast tea plantations of Teza and Rwegura which are a major attraction in this place.
Best time to Visit Kibira Forest:
The Park can be visited all year round, however, the best time to do so is during the short rainy season in September to November and the short dry season in December to January.
Where to Stay:
There are different accommodations ranging from basic to luxurious, and these include;
Hotel Club Du Lac Tanganyika:
Situated in Bujumbura, Hotel Club Du Lac Tanganyika is a beachfront hotel located at the airport and close to Saga Beach offering accommodation to all travelers around the world. This is also close at a distance of 6 mi (10 km) to Bujumbura Central Market and Musee Vivant as well as the U.S Embassy and Prince Louis Rwagasore Stadium in a distance of about 6 mi (10 km). There are about 110 rooms at the hotel and these feature free Wi-Fi, furnished decks, TVs with satellite channels, refrigerators, room service, and premium bedding.
Best Outlook Hotel:
Best Outlook Hotel is a hotel situated in the middle of Bujumbura within 3 mi (5 km) of Prince Louis Rwagasore Stadium, the Bujumbura Central Market, and the U.S. Embassy. The Musee Vivant is 2.9 mi (4.6 km) away. There are 21 rooms at the hotel and these feature a fireplace, deep soaking tubs, free Wi-Fi access, free wired internet, TVs with satellite channels, kitchens, balconies, and living rooms.
Arrange with ULTIMATE WILD SAFARIS for this once-in-a-lifetime experience in the African wilderness of Kibira Forest National Park, Burundi.
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