Gishwati-Mukura Nationa Park

Explore the new and unique national park that is situated with in Rwanda. In the land of thousand hills, lies the new one of the great national parks called Gishwati Mukura National Park and it was gazetted in 2015.

Gishwati Mukura national park is situated in the western parts of Rwanda and covers an area of 13.2 square km.

The park spans a variety of districts such as Rubavu, Rutsiro, Ngororero and Nyabihu district. Rwanda is not only famous for its clean capital and mountain gorillas, its rugged hills and landscapes but also its fast-growing economy and its enriching tourism. On the growing activities of the country, they have added Gishwati-Mukura which formed by composing two forests that is Gishwati and Mukura.

The park is a home to many primate species such as the Chimpanzees, golden monkeys, baboons, vervet monkeys, and many more.

ATTRACTIONS WITH IN GISHWATI MUKURA NATIONAL PARK

Gishwati Mukura national park is filled with a variety of various tourism attractions. The park is home to various wildlife, primates and bird species.

Wildlife

The most popular wildlife at Gishwati Mukura national park are the primates which are the endemic of these two combined forests. Some of the primates to look out for include the L ‘Hoest  monkeys, blue monkeys, vervet monkeys, baboons, golden monkeys, chimpanzees, and some small mammals such as mongoose, hyrax, and many more.

BIRDS

Gishwati Mukura is one of the best birding destinations with in Rwanda. The park harbors over 232 bird species including the Albertine rift valley endemics and others are migratory.

Activities to do with in Gishwati Mukura national park

Birding

The park is a birding paradise to all bird enthusiasts with over 83 bird species. A variety of birds can be spotted with in Gishwati Mukura national park such as martial eagle, mountain yellow warblers, regal sun bird, woodpeckers, Ruwenzori Turaco, wood hopes, strange weavers and many more thus offering fantastic bird watching opportunities to tourists.

Chimpanzee trekking

This is one of the most thrilling and notable activity to carry out with in Gishwati Mukura national park. Chimpanzee trekking in the park opens with a briefing that gives you detailed information about the rules and regulations to follow while you are in the forest. After the briefing, a group of tourists will go in the forest to track the chimpanzees.

Trekking chimps in Gishwati mukura national park is indeed an exciting activity since it gives you an opportunity to trek the chimps as you view different monkey species such as the blue monkeys, red tailed monkeys and different bird species.

Upon encountering these great apes, you will be given one to spend with these chimps in their natural habitats. Chimpanzees trekking can also be done at Nyungwe national park in Rwanda. The price for trekking chimpanzee is 250 dollars including the park entrance and it is paid to Rwanda development board. The body responsible to all tour activity in the country.

For those interested in spending more time with the chimpanzee in their natural habitats, you can opt to go for chimpanzee habituation at Gishwati Mukura which ill take over 4 hours while interacting with these human relatives in their natural habitats.

For the luxury travelers, you can opt for exclusive chimpanzee trekking available at 2000 dollars and you will be able to trek the chimps only with your relatives and friends.

Primate watching

This is another exciting activity carried out by tourists with in Gishwati Mukura national park. Primate tracking with in this park gives you a chance to see many primates for instance golden monkeys, blue monkeys, L Hoests’s monkeys, baboons and many more.

Primate watching like any other activity it opens up with a briefing, where you are told about, he dos and don’ts while in the forest.

After the briefing, you will head to the forest where you will go to encounter with the primates. You will be able to learn more about these primates, take photos and many more.

Hiking the waterfalls

There is a lot to discover while in the park. The park is home to one of the outstanding and stunning waterfalls called (Kazaneza waterfall). The waterfalls are in the middle of the park. There are a variety of things to do at this waterfall for instance swimming, hike up wards as you enjoy the serene beauty of the surrounding.

Nature walks

This is one of the main tourism activities to carry out with in the park. Tourists have a chance to appreciate the natural beauty of the forests and its creatures. A variety of attractions will be identified for instance butterflies, bird species, insect species and many more. Even those that can be missed during the game drive will be discovered during this natural walk

During your nature walk, you will be able to see a lot of tree species such as the bamboos, mahogany, orchids and many others.

Biking/ cycling through the Congo Nile trail

This is one the remarkable and adventurous activity to carry out with in the park.  The trail helps you to see the stunning landscapes of Rwanda, and the eastern side of lake Kivu.  Biking /cycling involves you driving around the surrounding as you view the rolling hills of Rwanda, the tea plantations plus the serene waters of lake Kivu. Adding to that you can still interact with the locals see them carry pout different activities and also appreciate Rwanda’s natural beauty.

Cultural experiences

Rwanda is a small country but with rich and unique cultures that tourists should not miss discovering while on a safari in the land of thousand hills. Visiting Gishwati Mukura national park gives you an opportunity to meet and interact with the local tribes around the park.

The local people are very welcoming, and upon visiting them they will immerse you into their rich cultures for example they will offer you different traditional and cultural performances through dance, music and story telling.

Furthermore, you can still carry out community walks where you can either visit local villages or farms. You can visit a particular family that will teach you a lot of things for instance cooking their staple foods, and many others.

HOW TO ACCESS GISHWATI MUKURA NATIONAL PARK?

Accessing Gishwati Mukura national park is very simple since it only takes 2 to 3 hours from Rwanda’s capital (Kigali) by road. The park is situated in the Northwestern parts of Rwanda between volcanoes and Nyungwe forest national parks.

The park is just approximately 28km from Volcanoes national park. This means you can access it while you are with in Volcanoes national park. Think of joining visiting this after or before your gorilla trekking safari at volcanoes national park

BEST TIME TO VISIT GISKWATI MUKURA NATIONAL PARK

Gishwati Mukura national park is an all-year-round destination, and it can be accessed at any time of the year. The best time of visiting this park is generally the dry season, though visiting will depend on a particular activity to carry out and personal desire and interests.

The dry season from December to February and June to September and coincide with the peak tourism season of Rwanda. This is because trekking is very easy since the trails are not slippery thus easy movements of tourists. Furthermore, during the dry season the vegetations are lush and clear thus easy spotting of wildlife.

On the other hand, tourists can still visit during the rainy season from October to December and from march to may. The rainy season is the best time for bird enthusiasts and during this time chimpanzee trekking is not as hectic as during dry season due to the availability of a lot of food for chimps

WHERE TO STAY WHILE IN GISHWATI MUKURA NATIONAL PARK?

You should note that Gishwati Mukura national park is a new park and with less accommodations apart from Gishwati lodge.  However, tourists can get lodges near volcanoes and Nyungwe since Gishwati Mukura is very near to these parks. Some tourists can resort to camping since the park has many camping sites.

A trip to the new national park is one of the memorable experiences since it gets you close with the primate species, the bird species and its rich wildlife.

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