Giswhwati Mukura National Park is Rwanda’s fourth national park. Gazetted in 2016, this forest park is most popular for chimpanzee tracking. It is located between the Volcanoes National Park and the Nyungwe Forest National Park. The park is one of the the World Network of Biosphere Reserves by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Gishwati-Mukura National Park is a wonderful park with diverse plant and animal species including over 84 bird species and over 5 species of primates such as chimpanzees, blue monkeys, L’Hoest’s monkeys, black and white colobus, baboons, golden monkeys and other animals like the Red river hogs, bush bucks among others, also butterflies can be found in this park. Formed in 2015 after joining two forests Gishwati and Mukura covering an area of about 34.3 Sq km. A number of activities can be done while there such as nature walks/hikes, cultural encounters, bird watching and Chimpanzee tracking hence Gishwati-Mukura is a place not to miss out while on a Rwandan safari.
In the far north of Rwanda, Gishwati Forest once had a flourishing eco-system, extending all the way up to the Volcanoes National park. Following the tragic events of the 1994 genocide, large numbers of the population flowed back into the country from across the border and spread out over the land, many heading towards these forested areas to set up new farms and homes for their families. Part of the forest was cut down, natural resources extracted, and exotic species introduced – all shrinking the forested areas, pushing them beyond their means and threatening their survival. In 2007 an American research facility stepped in with the aim of saving a small population of fewer than 20 chimpanzees who had somehow managed to survive in a diminishing forest. They had tremendous success and quickly the protected area increased, the forest began to flourish once more, and the local communities began to live in harmony with their environment.
Further south, Mukura Forest has had a “reserve” status for the past 60 years or so – however during those years, its size has reduced by almost 50% – partly due to the population pressures which affected the Gishwati Forest, but also due to illegal mining which has been taking place.
The newly created Gishwati-Mukura National Park gives both these areas official protected status, and a wildlife corridor has been established, linking Gishwati Forest to Mukura Forest and down to Nyungwe Forest. This protected area offers incredible biodiversity – Presently, it is known for a wide range of fauna, including four species of primates: the eastern chimpanzee, the golden monkey, the blue monkey, and the l’hoest’s monkey (also known as mountain monkey); more than a dozen species of East African chimpanzees; mammals such as red river hog, the black-fronted duiker, the southern tree hyrax, among others.
Popular Things to Do in Gishwati Mukura
There are special tourist activities worth undertaking while at Gishwati-Mukura and they get you exposed to the park’s wildlife species. They include;
Chimpanzee tracking
Chimpanzee tracking is the most enjoyed primate trekking adventure in Gishwati-Mukura National Park. This is a guided on-foot-walk experience introducing visitors into the Gishwati-Mukura Forest to search for the common/eastern chimpanzees. This primate adventure allows you to enjoy not only a close encounter with chimpanzees, but also to explore in depth about their daily behaviors while in their natural habitat, and not to forget taking pictures.
Gishwati-Mukura National Park is a home to estimated population of about 20 chimpanzees and other primates. Besides, chimpanzees, there are higher chances of sighting other park’s primates including the olive baboons, vervet monkeys, blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys.
Birding
Birding in Gishwati-Mukura comes with great sightings of forest and Albertine rift endemic birds. Over 232 bird species are supported within the forest of Gishwati-Mukura National Park and they include the red-throated alethe, martial eagle, the grauer’s warblers, purple breasted sunbird, grey crowned cranes, and many others.
Nature walks
A nature walk takes you through a close interaction with nature and at Gishwati-Mukura National Park, you will be introduced to different trails rich with wildlife, flora, birds etc. The park is endowed with interesting primates such as olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, vervet monkeys, and birds like the purple sunbird, red throated alethe, etc.
Getting There
By road:
The most accessible route to Gishwati-Mukura National Park is the Rubavu-Kivu-Goma-Karongi-Rusizi route. This is approximately 2 hours’ drive or you can drive from Kigali city, about 3 hours. For road travel, we recommend that you use a full time 4×4 drive vehicle and we have all categories of rental cars in Rwanda to ensure that you get to your dream destination.