Animals in Burundi

Burundi is one of the smallest countries in Africa and one of the most crowded, a green land of hills where almost every slope is farmed. Most people live in the countryside rather than in cities, so wild animals are found mainly in a few protected forests, wetlands and along Lake Tanganyika, one of the deepest lakes in the world. In a short trip the land rises from the warm shores of the lake and the Rusizi plain to the cool mountain forests of the Congo Nile ridge, then drops to the rolling central plateau and the drier savanna of the east. Rain falls in two seasons, and the dry months from about June to August are easiest for travel.

Coffee, tea and small farms shape daily life, and the royal drum, now on the UNESCO list of intangible heritage, is the country's best known tradition. Because so much land is farmed, the national parks of Kibira, Ruvubu and Rusizi matter a lot: they protect the last mountain forest, open savanna and river delta habitats in the country. In the south, a small pyramid near Rutovu marks what Burundi presents as the southernmost source of the Nile.

Most visitors stay in Bujumbura, by the lake, and take day trips to Rusizi or longer drives into the hills. The wildlife follows these contrasts: apes and forest birds in the mountains, hippos and crocodiles in the lake and rivers, cranes and waterbirds in the marshes, and antelopes in the eastern savanna.

Most visitors to Burundi never face any danger from wild animals, but the lake and rivers deserve real care. Hippos and crocodiles are the main risks, as in much of Africa. Hippos graze on land at night and can attack if someone stands between them and the water, while Nile crocodiles hunt along the shores of Lake Tanganyika and the Rusizi River. Fishermen and people washing clothes or fetching water are the ones most at risk, and attacks are reported in some years. Swim only at beaches that locals use and that are known to be safe, keep away from reeds and river mouths, and never go near the water at night.

Buffalo can charge without warning in Ruvubu, so stay with your guide and keep a good distance. In Kibira, chimpanzees are wild and strong; never feed them or try to get close, and follow the guide's rules on distance. Leopards are rare and avoid people, and spotted hyenas may take livestock but keep away from humans.

Venomous snakes live in the warm lowlands and farm fields. Wear closed shoes, use a flashlight at night and look before you put your hands on wood piles or rocks. After any bite, go to a health center as fast as possible.

The chimpanzee is the animal that draws nature lovers to Burundi. Around two hundred live in Kibira National Park, a mountain rainforest in the northwest that joins Nyungwe in Rwanda, and smaller groups survive in the forests of the south, such as Bururi. Seeing them takes an early start, a local guide and some luck, since the forest is steep and the chimps move fast.

Hippos are much easier. In Rusizi National Park, just north of Bujumbura, they rest in the river mouth where it meets Lake Tanganyika, and boat trips can get close enough for good photos. Nile crocodiles share the same waters, and this area became famous for Gustave, a huge male said to be one of the largest crocodiles in Africa. Buffalo live in Ruvubu National Park, along the river of the same name in the east, together with warthogs and bushbuck in the open woodland and along the river.

Leopards still live in the forests and savannas, but they are rare and very hard to see. Spotted hyenas are more often heard than seen. Servals hunt in tall grass and marsh edges. The grey crowned crane is easy to spot in wetlands and farm fields, and the black mamba lives in the warm lowlands, though it avoids people.