Bururi Forest Nature Reserve- Travel Tips
What to See, How to Plan & Tours- Natural Scenery
- 5 Reviews
Reviews of Bururi
Robin Sauvadé - 5
The day before, you must pay the entrance fee to the Office (prices displayed). Departure early in the morning at 6 a.m. From experience, we can highly recommend the Dieudonné guide. You don't always see chimpanzees there, so you have to insist on walking around anyway. If you see chimpanzees there, then the experience is magnificent :)
Jogchem de Groot - 5
I can only highly recommend a visit to the Bururi forest, as not only is it a beautiful area of primary forest, a biodiversity hotspot and an important birding area, it also offers some of the best opportunities to see chimpanzees in this part of Africa. This would be a great alternative to the hugely overpriced chimp tracking options in Rwanda. The operations are very professional organised and coordinated by Jérome, the director of the forest reserve (who speaks English). They use professional trackers that monitor and habituate the chimps every day from 6am until 6pm. Some of the trackers/rangers, such as Dieudonné and Claude speak English as well, and will be able to explain with enthusiasm about the chimpanzees and what they do. On my morning I was picked up by two guides from my hotel at 6am and we quickly moved into the forest (it's a bit of a climb as it's on top of the hills). Soon enough my guides started to receive messages by the trackers about where they had located the chimpanzees and we quickly made our way in that direction. Initially on roads and trails, but later we cut through dense and beautiful forest. When we arrived, we joined two trackers there that were immediately able to point me to a group of chimps. Initially high in the trees, but when they later came down a bit and moved around the trees, they were quite easy to see and photograph. Based on the calls and behaviour of the chimps, the trackers predicted that this group would soon be joined by some more individuals, and we waited for that. And indeed about 30-40 minutes later a few more individuals joined the group, leading to a lot of chimp excitement, and some excellent video footage for me. We then made out way back to my hotel, returning around 11am. Some practicalities: - To organise a tracking activity, you need to contact the forest office (on Google Maps as 'Bururi forest reserve offices INECN' or 'Bureau INCN (OBPE) Bururi', 3J79+GR7, Bururi, Burundi). - The director, Jérome, can be contacted on phone or whatsapp to organise your visit. - The best time to track is early in the morning, followed by late afternoon. It would be advisable to stay the night in Bururi. - The forest office director and some trackers speak English, making this easy to organise for non-French speakers. - The fee is USD 20 per person for foreigners, payable the day before if you want to do the early morning tracking. This is excellent value versus Chimpanzee tracking in Rwanda which will cost you over tenfold. - There are no additional guiding fees, but please tip your guides / trackers. - Bring hiking shoes and protective clothing, you may have to hike a (variable) few kilometres through the forest to reach the chimpanzees as they move around on a daily base. - The guides and trackers will make sure that you get as close as safely possible to the chimps without disturbing them. Please follow their instructions. - Chimp sightings are never guaranteed, but due to how they track the chimps, you have a good chance of seeing them. Increase your chances by planning for more time in Bururi. - The forest is also open for researchers in different domains.
Ben Henry - 5
Underrated located in Burundi. The forest is relatively small but unique in its distinctive ecosystem for hiking. The biggest highlight is the chance to spot the chimpanzees local to the forest! There are park guides that track the families with decent luck at finding them. Some hotels in the town of Bururi close by with additional options of day excursions from Rumonge. However, if you want to look for chimpanzees, is advisable to start your trek at the break of dawn. So I recommend looking for accomodation in Bururi.
Othéka Sauna - 5
Wild place still preserved from the detritus of modernity. Very beautiful flowers. A beautiful variety of trees in different greens.
Nkunda Nkud77 - 5
This reserve is located on the extension of the ridge separating the basin of the Congo River and that of the Nile River. The ridge in question runs from northwest Burundi to the south. It is home to so many natural forests which differ in their names depending on the name of the region or province where you arrive. The Bururi nature reserve is located opposite the capital of the province of Bururi. A number of animal species are found there, including monkeys. It is also said that there is a rare species of frog found only in this reserve.
