Gishwati-Mukura National Park

Gishwati-Mukura is Rwanda's fourth and newest national park, made up of two separate forests — the larger Gishwati and the smaller Mukura — on the ridge that divides the Congo and Nile watersheds. Together they cover about 34 square kilometres inside a protective buffer zone, in one of the most biodiverse corridors in Africa.

Why visit

Gishwati shelters a small community of chimpanzees alongside golden, L'Hoest's and blue monkeys, and birders have recorded more than 230 species in Gishwati and 160 in Mukura, including rare Albertine Rift endemics. Since opening to visitors in 2019 the park has offered guided nature walks, chimp and monkey tracking, birding and waterfall hikes. What makes it different is the community around it: farm stays, tea plantation visits, beekeeping, craft workshops and sessions with traditional healers who still use the forest's medicinal plants.

Getting there and getting around

The park sits between Musanze and Rubavu, about three hours from Kigali or an hour from Lake Kivu at Rubavu, which makes it an easy addition to a northern or Kivu itinerary. Roads to the forest edge are murram; a 4x4 is the sensible choice.

Practical notes

Gishwati-Mukura was heavily degraded by farming, mining and resettlement before its designation in 2015; restoration is ongoing and visitor numbers are small. Come for the quiet, the community experiences and the chance to see a forest being brought back.