Gishwati Mukura National Park
Introducing
Gishwati Mukura National Park
Rwanda’s fourth national park, Gishwati Mukura is made up of two separate forests – the larger Gishwati and small Mukura, forming a total of 34 square kilometres plus a buffer zone. The forests sit on the ridge which divides the Congo and Nile water catchment areas, along the incredibly biodiverse Albertine Rift in the west of the country. It is made up of 60 species of tree, including indigenous hardwoods and bamboo.
Gishwati is home to a group of 20 chimpanzees which live alongside golden monkeys, L’Hoest’s and Blue Monkeys. Birds are well represented too, 232 species have been seen at Gishwati and 163 at Mukura, among them Albertine Rift Endemic species and forest specialists. Activities in the park started in 2019 and include a guided nature hike, guided chimp and monkey tracking, bird watching and a visit to the waterfalls.
Highlights
Gishwati Mukura National Park is made up of two separate forests – the larger Gishwati and small Mukura, forming a total of 34 square kilometres plus a buffer zone
Gishwati Mukura National Park is is made up of 60 species of tree, including indigenous hardwoods and bamboo
The park is home to a group of 20 chimpanzees which live alongside golden monkeys, L’Hoest’s and Blue Monkeys.
Gishwati is best known for its chimpanzee population. Other primate species can also be spotted, including the endangered golden monkey, the blue monkey, and the L’Hoest’s monkey
Wildlife Viewing:
Gishwati Mukura National Park
Gishwati Mukura National Park will offer incredible biodiversity, providing a corridor for free movement of primates. The park includes a lot of animal species, around 293 reptile species, and around 1000 bird species. It is also home to 5,793 plant species , 60 tree species, including indigenous hardwoods and bamboo. Wildlife sightseeing is possible as they support various wildlife animals, some of them that you can see are southern tree hyrax, black-fronted duikers, Red River hogs, besides chimpanzee and other animals such as the mountain monkey, golden monkey, black and white colobus monkeys, and the blue monkeys.
Best time to visit:
Gishwati Mukura National Park
Visits to Gishwati-Mukura can be done all-year-round, considering its favorable weather and climatic conditions. The most ideal time is during the dry season; June to September noted to be the long dry spell and short dry months run from December to February.
How to get to:
Gishwati Mukura National Park
By road travel; getting to Gishwati-Mukura is possible within 2 to 3 hours’ drive from Kigali. For a smooth road travel, we recommend a 4×4 drive vehicle.
