When to visit Gishwati Mukura national park

When to visit Gishwati Mukura national park in Rwanda? Gishwati Mukura national park is one of the 4 national parks that are found in Rwanda. The park was gazetted in 2015 which makes it one of the newest national parks in the country. Gishwati Mukura national park is located in the southeastern part of the country and is home to a certain population of chimpanzees in Rwanda. Visiting Gishwati-Mukura national park can be done at any time of the year but the best time to visit Gishwati Mukura national park is the dry season which happens from June to September and December to February. During these months there is little or less rainfall, the roads leading to the park are passable and the trails are less muddy and slippery. Gishwati-Mukura national park can also be visited in the rainy season and during this season the trekking takes a few hours because chimpanzees don’t go too far in the forest to search for food because it’s plenty everywhere.

Chimpanzee trekking is the most done activity in Gishwati-Mukura national park but during trekking activities, you have chances of seeing different park animals such as baboons, golden monkeys, reptiles, small mammals, blue monkeys, L’Hoests monkeys, vervet monkeys, black and white colobuses among others. You will also spot different birds in the park such as Grauer’s swamp warbler, Regal Sunbird, Ruwenzori Batis, Woodhoopoe, Ruwenzori Turaco, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Strange weave, Grey Crowned Crane, Dusky Crimsonwing, Martial Eagle, Mountain Yellow Warblers, Red-throated alethe, etc.

Trekking chimpanzees in Gishwati Mukura national park starts with a briefing after which the trekkers are led into the jungle by ranger guides to search for these gentle apes. After several hours of searching, the chimpanzees will be found and a maximum of 1 hour is given to them to learn about their habits, watch them play, and take photos.

What to do in Gishwati-Mukura national park Rwanda

After understanding the best time when to visit Gishwati Mukura national park; you need to continue planning for the best safari activities to do in the park. Gishwati Mukura national park has a number of tourism activities ranging from chimpanzee trekking, Golden monkey trekking, waterfalls hike, birds watching to guided nature walks.

Primate tracking in Gishwati-Mukura national park

Apart from chimpanzees, there are other primates in the park so while on a safari to the park you can track golden monkeys, blue monkeys, L’Hoest’s monkeys, baboons. Primate trekking in this park starts with a briefing at the park offices where rangers teach trekkers about the rules and regulations of the activity. After the briefing, ranger guides lead the trekkers into the jungle to search for different primate species. During the trekking, you will have opportunities of seeing some of the park mammals, birds, and different tree species.

Bird watching in Gishwati-Mukura national park

Gishwati-Mukura national park is home to over 232 bird species which makes it one of the best birding places in Rwanda. If you are a bird lover you need to come along with a birding book and a pair of binoculars in order to enjoy your birding in Gishwati-Mukura national park. the birding in this park is led by a birder guide who takes you around the forest searching for different bird species and some of them include Honeyguide, Grey Crowned Crane, Albertine owlet, Martial Eagle, Mountain Yellow Warblers, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Red-throated Alethe, Regal Sunbird, Ruwenzori Batis, Ruwenzori Turaco, Weaver birds, papyrus gonolek, Wood hoopoes, African jacana, Strange weavers, Stripe-breasted Tit, dusky Crimsonwing, red-faced barbet, handsome francolin, and dimorphic egret.

Nature walks in Gishwati-Mukura national park

Nature walks are one of the interesting things you shouldn’t miss out on while on a safari in Gishwati Mukura national park in Rwanda. The nature walks in Gishwati-Mukura national park are led by well-trained armed guides who have enough knowledge above the different park trails, animals, trees, and birds. Nature walks in Gishwati-Mukura national park give you an opportunity of spotting different bird species, mammals, primates, butterflies, chameleons, and different tree species.

Biking or cycling through the Congo Nile Trail

The Congo Nail Trail is one of the trails that provide the best biking experiences in East Africa. The Congo Nie trail was designed to pass along the shores of Lake Kivu through Nyungwe forest national park. Tourists in Gishwati-Makura national park can do the Congo Nile trail to have opportunities of exploring the rural areas of Rwanda.

How to access Gishwati-Mukura national park

Gishwati-mukura national park can be accessed in so many ways and these are air transport and road transport.

By road transport: travelers can access Gishwati Mukura national park can be accessed from Rubavu-Kivu-Karongi-Rusizi-Gishwati-Mukura national park taking only 2 hours. From Rwanda, the park can be accessed in 2 hours. From Kampala, you can drive to Kabale and cross to Rwanda and drive to Gishwati-Mukura national park taking about 11 hours.

By air transport: luxury travelers can board chartered flights from Kigali international airport to Gisenyi airport to Gishwati Mukura national park.

Accommodation in Gishwati Mukura national park

Gishwati-Mukura national park is a newly established park in Rwanda which means it doesn’t have a lot of accommodation facilities where travelers can stay while on a safari in the park. The park has only 1 lodge and that is Gishwato lodge inside the forest. Since the park is near Nyungwe forest national park then you can use accommodation facilities for that Nyungwe such as Emeraude Kivu Resort, Nyungwe Top View Hotel, Peace Guest Hotel, Golden monkey Hotels, Comoran Lodge, Uwinka Campsite, and Gisakura Family Hostel among others.

What to book with Africa Adventure Vacations?

Africa adventure vacations is a tour company based in Uganda licensed by the Uganda Tourism Board and a member of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators. Booking with Africa adventure vacations provides you safety and confidence during your safari courtesy of well-trained safari driver guides who are well conversant with all routes and tourism destinations in Africa. You can book with us any of the activities you want to do in Africa such as mountain gorilla trekking, mountain gorilla habituation, birding, game drives, hiking, nature walks, and community tours among others. Booking can be done at any time of the year. Get in touch with our expert on when to visit Gishwati Mukura national park and other destinations in Rwanda and East African region.