Hotspots

The best birding in the Albertine Rift in Rwanda is to be had in Nyungwe Forest Reserve. 25 Albertine Rift endemics have been recorded here. This reserve adjoins the Kibira National Park in Burundi to protect one of the largest areas of montane forest in Africa. The tar road from Butare to Cyangugu on the DRC border runs through the heart of the forest. The site has regular public transport, a camp site (at the summit of the pass, in the centre of the forest) and inexpensive guest house (on the western edge of the forest).

Rwanda’s Akagera National Park, a savanna-dominated area in the north-east of the country that lies in the Victoria Basin, is still its largest, but has been reduced in size by over 60% in the last 10 years.This area holds an interesting selection of species associated with a diversity of habitats: wetlands, woodlands, grasslands, riparian forest and bush country. Indeed, Akagera has one of the longest species lists for any conservation area in Africa: over 525 species have been recorded. There is accommodation at the very smart and recently rebuilt Akagera Game Lodge as well as a number of other hotels and camping possibilities less than one hour’s drive from the reserve.

The final component of Rwanda that is of particular interest to birders is the number of wetlands, which occupy almost 10% of the country. Three of these are IBAs and the main wetlands are: Akanyaru and Nyabarongo on the southern border with Burundi, Rugezi in the north near the Ugandan border, Mugesera-Rugwero in the south-east and Kagera along the eastern border with Tanzania. Little information exists as to how these wetlands can be visited.

Further information about the species which can be found at these sites is contained in the introduction section and information about most of them can be found at BirdLife International.