Gishwati Mukura National Park is located in the Ngororero and Rutisiro districts in the western province of Rwanda. The park covers an area of about 3558 hectares of land hence the smallest in Rwanda.
It’s a newly launched National Park in Rwanda making the fourth in Rwanda. The originally known three parks in Rwanda include Akagera National Park, Nyungwe National Park, and Volcanoes National Park. Gishwati Mukura National Park is made up of two separate forests namely Gishwati (the large forest) and Mukura (the small forest).
The forests sit at a ridge that separates Congo and the Nile water catchment area with over 60 tree species. Gishwati forest is home to a group of 20 chimpanzees which also exits with Colobus monkeys, Golden Monkeys, L’Hoest’s, and Blue Monkeys. Other small mammals include black-fronted duikers, Hyrax, Mongoose, and so on. Birds are well represented too, 232 species have been seen at Gishwati and 163 at Mukura, among them Albertine Rift Endemic species and forest specialists.
Gishwati Mukura National Park was nearly depleted due to mass settlement during the 1994 Rwanda Genocide. People decided to go near the Congo border to secure their lives and in the process, the forests were put under much pressure due to a large number of people.
Official tourism here started on 1st December 2020 with Chimpanzee trekking, Monkey trekking, bird watching and nature walks to the falls among others.
Best time to visit Gishwati – Mukura National Park
It’s all year round visit but the dry season is the best; June to September and from December to February.
How to reach Gishwati – Mukura National Park
It’s a 2-3hrs drive from Kigali city to the park. For smooth travel, we recommend a 4×4 vehicle.
Where to stay while in Gishwati- Mukura National Park
There are few safari Lodges around but the popular ones include Gishwati Lodge, Forest of Hope Guest House, Kivu Paradis Resort, Inzu Lodge, Emeraude Kivu Resort, Nyungwe Hill Top View Hotel, Golde Monkey Hotels, and so on.
