Wildlife in Burundi

Burundi’s small wildlife populations have a better chance of thriving if more visitors came to see them.

People on the shore of Lake Tanganyika live in fear of Gustave, a man-eating Nile crocodile so large and heavy that he’s unable to go after normal prey. Some estimate that he has eaten 300 people.

He is said to haunt the banks of the River Rusizi, which flows into Lake Tanganyika. Yet fishermen still venture out every morning, paddling their dugout canoes – often with bare hands.

There hasn’t been a proper sighting of Gustave in over 10 years. He’s presumed dead. Many have called into doubt his kill rate. But the rumour endures.

Legends form in deep waters. Lake Tanganyika is the second-largest and deepest freshwater lake in the world after Lake Baikal in Russia. As well as Nile crocodiles, the lake supports a wide range of cichlids (freshwater fish) – 98 percent of which are endemic. On the shore, as you keep eyes peeled for its quasi-mythical monster, you can enjoy fresh-fried mukeke – a type of perch – found only here, in abundance, and considered a local delicacy.

Gustave’s disappearance from Burundi is emblematic of its relationship to its wildlife. The country sits in the Great Rift Valley, between Africa’s Great Lakes region and East Africa, landlocked by its handsome neighbours. Above is Rwanda; to the east, it’s Tanzania; and the Democratic Republic of the Congo lies to the west. Burundi is close to the equator, its climate tempered by elevation, and it’s naturally forested. Looking at its neighbours, by any rights it should have wonderful wildlife. But it doesn’t. At least, not anymore. Burundi used to have gorillas – and wild dogs, and cheetahs. Its last elephant was shot in 2000.

Augustin Ndikuriyo works with our partner Undiscovered Destinations. He runs Augustine Tours, providing access for travellers who want to visit Burundi.

“Burundi is not a good destination for wildlife,” says Augustin. “I’ve been to Rwanda, I’ve been to Congo, I’ve been to Uganda, and I wouldn’t promise someone wildlife in Burundi.

“Before the war in 1993, people could see chimps but now it’s rare to see them as we don’t know where they are. Kibira National Park is very good for nature walks and it has a good views, as it’s surrounded by tea plantations. It is a great place, but not for animals. People who go there love the place… but not because of animals.

“Ruvubu National Park still has some animals, but not in the same way that people who have been in Uganda and Rwanda would expect.”

Burundi’s heavily farmed landscape lies like a green and brown quilt over its hills. This is one of Africa’s most densely populated nations. Some 90 percent of the population live rurally, relying on agriculture to survive. Burundi contains the third largest proportion of vegetarians of any country – not by choice – and malnutrition is the 9th leading cause of death. Subsistence farming is common, little fields climbing right up the steepest hillsides. It’s these problems that have had a knock-on effect for wildlife.

The forest has been stripped away for charcoal burning and farming. Most farms cannot afford to leave fields fallow and rotate their crops, so soil degrades and becomes unfarmable, and more trees must be cut down in new areas. Coffee production (one of Burundi’s main exports) has been reduced by two thirds over four decades because of worsening soil. Now only 10 percent of Burundi is forested.

Burundi’s small national parks are beset by problems. There are very few rangers policing them. Vyanda Natural Reserve, a forested park, had just seven eco-rangers until the Jane Goodall Institute and Burundi-based conservation organisation 3C funded three community eco guards. Desperate farmers encroach on the unguarded land, using bush fires to clear new farming areas, and wildlife is killed for food and for money, and to prevent it damaging crops. Many Burundi people live on less than £10 a month, but a poacher can get 10 million BIF for a crocodile (around £2,700).

When the needs of the population are so high, wildlife conservation cannot happen effectively. Tourism can bring new economic prospects to rural areas, and place a value on the land that doesn’t rely on extracting from it. However, at present, very few tourists come to Burundi – around 300,000 a year, mostly from neighbouring countries. The minister for tourism wants more to come, but the infrastructure is not always in place. Still, for the few who venture here, there are surprises in store.

Burundi isn’t a place for big, amazing wildlife, but it is a place for nature – for beautiful mountains and lush countryside. The climate – warm and never too hot – has two wet seasons keeping everything lush and green. Like neighbouring Rwanda, Burundi enforces regular communal tidy-ups – these occur every Saturday – and as a result the country is relatively clean.

A scene of peace steals over the landscape. It’s sunrise at Lake Rwihinda, the perfect time for birdwatching. The dugout canoe is just right for one, taking you so close to the water that you might almost forget the boat is there. The boat sidles close to floating peat islands, where migrant birds – cormorants and herons – have gathered. In the reeds, the bright red papyrus gonolek sneaks, eluding binoculars.

The lake – formerly known as Lac aux Oiseaux or Bird Lake – is one of a series of eight lakes close to the Rwanda border, where birdlife thrives. You’ll be one of very few exploring here. Burundi’s protected areas occupy strips and borders. Much of Burundi’s remaining biodiversity is found on the banks of its rivers and lakes. Here, hippo grass conceals hippos, as well as unusual sitatunga antelopes, which love the water.

A small wildlife reserve covers the delta of the Rusizi River, where the muddy, papyrus-fringed waters run into Lake Tanganyika. The reeds are thronged by heron and ibis, but visitors are keen to see something bigger; this park was once the haunt of Gustave the man-eating crocodile. The reserve’s largest animals remain its disconcerting numbers of Nile crocodiles and hippos.

Part of a chain of lakes near the Rwanda border, Lake Rwihinda Nature Reserve comprises the lake and surrounding swampland and it’s beloved by birds – so much so that the lake was formerly known as Lac aux Oiseaux, or Bird Lake. Flock sizes are not what they once were, yet visitors can still glide through greenish waters dappled by waterlily pads, accompanied by bright white egrets and pelicans, and statuesque black cormorants.

Considered part of a sacred forest where the kings of Burundi once hunted, the trees in Kibira National Park have survived intact to the present day and form the only montane forest in the country. The long strip of forest stretches upwards, eventually joining with Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda. It’s home to Burundi’s largest population of chimpanzees, who join colobus monkeys and baboons. There are also serval and African civet cats, and 200 species of bird – including the great blue turaco.

The largest park in Burundi, Ruvubu is a mix of forest and grassland, where you can go on walking safaris. There are Cape buffalo, antelope, crocodiles and hippos, panthers, jackals, and baboons, and over 300 bird species. Occasionally, lions stray into the park too, from neighbouring Tanzania. If you want to rest your legs, you could also take a boat along the park’s eponymous river, looking for its large numbers of water-loving birds, including pelicans, ibis, and stately grey crowned cranes.