Gishwati mukura National park

 Gishwati Mukura National park

Gishwati mukura national park: Mukura National Park in Rwanda is the fourth national park that Rwanda currently boasts of, along with Volcanoes, Nyungwe Forest and Akagera National Parks. Rwanda, commonly known as the ‘Land of a thousand hills,’ is one of the top tourism destinations in East and Central Africa. The country is not only known for its clean streets in Kigali, but also for its fast growing economy.

Gishwati-Mukura National Park in Rwanda encompasses two forest reserves which are Gishwati and Mukura forests. Gishwati forest reserve is located near Lake Kivu, in the north-western part of Rwanda and connects to the Mukura forest reserve. The national park was opened to the general public later in 2019 by the government of Rwanda.

The park was formed in 2015 with the aim of increasing the number of trees in both Gishwati and Mukura forest reserves in order to improve the soil fertility and stabilize slopes of hills within the reserves, and also regulate the flow of water.

The history of both Gishwati and Mukura forest reserves date back to as far as the 1970s. Between 1978 and 1986, a large portion of the Gishwati forest reserve (about 80% of the reserve) was covered by forests, until 1994, when the Rwandan Genocide forced a large number of Rwandans to flee their homes and settle within the forest reserve. As a result of this, a large majority of the refugees begun to clear the forests to create room for the construction of their homes and farmlands. A huge chunk of the forest reserve was destroyed, along with the wildlife animals inhabiting the forests.

The Gishwati forest reserve previously used to extend west, as far a Lake Kivu and stretching into the tropical rain forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The southern part of Gishwati also stretched into Nyungwe Forest. By 2001, only a small portion of the Gishwati forest reserve was left, covering about 1,500 acres only, as compared to its original forest coverage of 250,000 acres. In addition to this, the area became to experience a tremendous amount of soil erosion, degradation and landslides. At present, large tea estates occupy the central and northern parts of the forest reserve.

However, in 2007, the Gishwati Area Conservation Program (GACP) was introduced in collaboration with government of Rwanda and Great Ape Trust. The main aim of this program was to create a national conservation park in order to protect the rich bio diversity of the Gishwati forest area. In 2011, the GACP was taken on by the Forest of Hope Association (FHA), a Rwandan non-governmental organization, currently managing the Gishwati area conservation program. This organization has been able to successfully restore 67% of the Gishwati Forest.

The new Park in Rwanda spans over a radius of 34 square kilometers, which makes it the smallest national park in the country. The new national park is strategically situated on the edge of the Congo Nile Basin, and is composed of 60 tree species including indigenous hardwoods and bamboo. The national park also shelters a group of 20 chimpanzees, as well as other primate species like golden monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys and Blue monkeys.

Gishwati-Mukura National Park also has about 395 species of birds to add to its list of attractions in the park. Of these, 232 bird species have been found in Gishwati forest and 163 species in Mukura forest reserve.

Activities carried out in Gishwati-Mukura National Park.

Visitors travelling to Gishwati-Mukura national park can take part in a few activities such as; golden monkey trekking, bird watching, chimpanzee tracking, hike to waterfalls, community visits and a guided nature walk.

Where to stay/accommodation in Gishwati-Mukura National Park.

Visitors travelling to this national park will be able to get accommodation in the newly constructed Gishwati Lodge. It is a simple and eco-friendly lodge, located within the Gishwati Forest Reserve. The newly constructed lodge has 6 cottages and able to accommodate a maximum of 12 guests.

How to access Gishwati-Mukura National Park in Rwanda.

Gishwati-Mukura National Park in Rwanda is located approximately 157 kilometers from Kigali City, which is about a 3 to 4 hours’ drive.

Visitors who wish to visit the Gishwati Forest Reserve can as well combine it with gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, a wildlife safari in Akagera National Park or chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe Forest National Park. There are plenty of attractions for tourists to see and do when visiting this forest reserve in the newly established Gishwati-Mukura national park.

Get in touch with us if you wish to boot a tour to Gishwati-Mukura National Park in Rwanda.