Bird watching Rwanda with Bird Uganda Safaris- 11 Days

 Introduction

Rwanda is a small, landlocked country in the centre of the African continent. Despite its size (which is about 250km east-west by 150km north-south); it has a bird list of over 650 species, and supports a higher number of Albertine Rift Endemics.

After the horrors of the mid 90's, Rwanda is rebuilding, has excellent roads, clean and good-value accommodation, and is peaceful and calm. The aftermath of the 90's has meant that several birding sites have reduced in size, due to resettlement of refugees.

At the beginning of 2006, Bird Safaris Ltd won a bid by Office Rwandaise du Tourisme et des Parcs Nationaux (ORTPN) to conduct a bird guides training course in Rwanda. Guides were chosen from the main conservation areas of the country. The course was conducted at Akagera National Park. During the training, we were able to visit the best birding sites in Rwanda. At the end of the course, we were able to identify the best bird guides for the any possible Rwanda birding tour. We have therefore developed itineraries for Rwanda birding tours. We have included Gorilla tracking on our Birding Rwanda tours.

Based on the information gathered during the bird guides training in Rwanda by Bird Uganda Safaris Limited, we designed a Birding tour to Rwanda as below. We included gorilla and Chimp tracking.

Day 1

Arrival at Kigali Airport

Bird watching in Rwanda starts at the Airport. Birds of Rwanda are among the welcoming biodiversity. Bird along the road and check in at Mille Collines Hotel.

Day 2

Travel to Akagera NP

Akagera National Park - Rwanda

This park is Rwanda’s hot Birding  spot in the savannah. Have a whole day birding Rwanda in this open savannah. Set at a relatively low altitude on the border with Tanzania, Akagera National Park could scarcely be more different in mood to the breezy cultivated hills that characterise much of Rwanda. Dominated scenically by the labyrinth of swamps and lakes that follow the meandering course of the Akagera River, the most remote source of the Nile, this is archetypal African savannah landscape of tangled acacia woodland interspersed with open grassland.. 

We shall stay at Akagera Hotel This hotel has one of the best panoramic views known in East Africa overlooking the River Akagera meanders.

Day 3

Akagera National Park

After breakfast, enjoy Birdwatching in Rwanda  the whole day in the park.

Magically, the air is torn apart by the unforgettable high duetting of a pair of Fish eagles, asserting their status as the avian monarchs of Africa's waterways. Lining the lakes are some of the continent’s densest concentrations of waterbirds, while the connecting marshes are the haunt of the endangered and exquisite Papyrus gonolek, and the Bizarre Shoebill - the latter perhaps the most eagerly sought of all African birds.

Day 4 

Birding to Nyungwe National Park

Nyungwe Forest - Rwanda

This is Rwandas birding haven. Extending for 1,000 square kilometres across the majestic hills of southeast Rwanda, Nyungwe forested National Park is the largest block of montane forest in East or Central Africa, and one of the most ancient, dating back to before the last Ice Age. A uniquely rich centre of floral diversity, the forest has more than 200 different types of tree, and a myriad of flowering plants including the other-worldly giant lobelia and a host of colourful orchids.

It is the most outstanding birding site in Rwanda harboring almost 300 bird species of which two dozen are restricted to a handful of montane forests on the Albertine Rift. The avian highlights of Nyungwe are the Great-blue Turaco, Red and Green bird which streams from tree to tree like a procession of streamlined psychedelic turkeys.

Stay at Gisakura Guest House for 3 nights.

Day 5

 Nyungwe National Park: Chimp tracking and birdwatching

The Forest inhabits humankind’s closest living relative, the chimpanzee, as well as the handsome L’Hoest’s monkey and hundred-strong troops of the delightfully acrobatic Angola colobus.

We shall wake up very early in the morning and prepare for Chimp tracking and seeing several varieties of smaller primates in the morning, and there after continue exploring the avifauna of the montane Forest later in the afternoon.

Day 6

Nyungwe National Park: All-day Birding

Today we shall start early and have another try through the extensive network of well-maintained walking trails leading through the forest to various waterfalls and viewing points.

Late in the evening , we return to the  Guesthouse for overnight stay.

Day 8

Trasfer to Ruhengeri;

The bustling market town of Ruhengeri has a memorable setting at the base of the Virungas. On the outskirts of town, the natural bridge at Musanze - a solidified lava flow - is a fascinating relic of the volcanic activity that shaped this scenic area.

Parc National des Volcans

Situated in the far northwest of Rwanda, the  protects the steep slopes of this magnificent mountain range - home of the rare Mountain Gorilla - and the rich mosaic of montane. It harbours the great, old volcanoes towering up almost 15,000 feet, and nearly covered with rich, green rainforest - the Virugas, ecosystems, which embrace evergreen and bamboo forest, open grassland, swamp and heath.

Early arrivals will give a chance  to bird the main trail of the park 

Stay at Gorilla Nest Hotel.

Day 9

Parc National des Volcans: Gorilla Tracking and birding

This morning after an early breakfast, visit the most thrilling experience in Rwanda, gorilla tracking.

Later in the day, we shall follow an exhilarating trek through the cultivated foothills of the Virungas for stirring views in all directions. We shall be  immersed in the mysterious intimacy of the rainforest, alive with the calls of colourful birds and chattering of the rare golden monkey, and littered with fresh spoor of the mountains’ elusive populations of Buffalo and Elephant. Through gaps in the forest canopy, the magnificent peaks are glimpsed, easily accessible and among the highest in Africa, beckoning an ascent.

Day 10

After Breakfast, resume enjoy your last day of birding in Rwanda as you drive back to Kigali in the evening for overnight stay at Mille Collines Hotel.

Day 11

End of Safari / Departure.

Contact us for the prices of this safari