Kibira National Park

Northwestern Burundi, Burundi

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Kibira National Park is a large montane rainforest reserve in northwestern Burundi, spread across about 400 square kilometers and overlapping four provinces along the mountains of the Congo‑Nile Divide. It lies roughly 48 kilometers northwest of Bujumbura and stretches from the town of Muramvya almost to the Rwandan border, where it connects with Rwanda’s Nyungwe National Park to form a continuous block of highland forest. The park is the only place in Burundi with significant areas of primary montane rainforest, with dense vegetation, bamboo stands, and montane bogs that support more than 500 plant species, around 98 mammal species, and over 200 bird species, including chimpanzees, black‑and‑white colobus monkeys, and a diverse array of forest birds. It also serves as a critical water source for the region, feeding rivers that flow into both the Congo and Nile basins, and receives some of the highest rainfall in the country, helping maintain its lush, cool, cloud‑forest environment. Today Kibira is a key destination for chimpanzee trekking, birdwatching, and guided hikes, offering relatively off‑the‑beaten‑path eco‑tourism in one of East Africa’s most important forest corridors.