Featuring over 750 species of birds the small country Rwanda is a heaven for birders. The country contains the highest concentration of birds per square kilometer in Africa. Birding tours in Rwanda rewards a lot of bird species by spending a short time out on the birding trail. The country also offers an opportunity to spot some of the rare and hard-to-spot bird species.
Best time for going in a birding tour:
Birding Tour to Rwanda is great for all year round. However, if we will be specific about spotting the most unique and high concentration of bird then December to February is the best season as this is the migrant bird season. In these months you can spot various migrated birds along with the residential ones.
Best places for bird-watching:
Kigali city is one of the prime attractions for a bird-watching safari where you can spot a number of renowned birding spots within the city.
The Albertine Eco-region: Holding a chain of mountains that were formed through the upliftment and volcanic activity, The Albertine region stretches across the western half of Rwanda offers exceptional faunal and floral endemism including over 40 bird species.
Volcanoes National Park: Protecting the Virunga mountain range, the park boasts of about 165 bird species, 17 endemics to the area.
Nyungwe National Park: This tropical rain forest national park is the region’s largest montane rainforest and is home to 310 species of bird.
Akagera National Park: The rolling grasslands, acacia woodland, and chunk savannah of Akagera National Park host 525 bird species including the rare Red-faced Barbet, Sousa’s Shrike, White-collared Olive back.
Rwanda Birding Tours
Rwanda birding tours are amazing adventures leading travelers to the rich birdlife inside the iconic sites of Nyungwe National Park , Akagera National Park, Volcanoes National Park, and other remote areas. The land of a thousand hills is a rich bird paradise attracting a vibrant home for birds living in the lush green environment, thick vegetation, tropical rainforests and Lake Kivu and this make Rwanda one of the best places to host birding safari in East Africa. Although the country is the best gorilla trekking destination, it is worthy being considered by birders who are interested in unique bird species that cannot be seen elsewhere in Africa. The Rwanda wildlife safari/ Rwanda Holiday Tours are the perfect introduction to the 760 species that graze the skies with cheerful sounds and eye-catching sights.
During the Rwanda birding safari experience in Nyungwe National Park, Volcanoes National Park and other homes of creatures, the usual sightings made in the open savannahs and rainforests include; the Maccoa duck, Green-winged teal, Northern pintail, Red-billed duck, African black duck, Garganey, Spur-winged goose, Egyptian goose, White-faced whistling-duck, Fulvous whistling-duck, Yellow-billed duck among others. Rwanda also boasts a number species birds of East Africa like Albertine rift species seen in the prominent national parks of Kenya & Tanzania.
The richness of this country portrayed during the Rwanda birding tours is mainly due to the pristine world around the homes of birds like Kigali City which hosts these creatures around the Lake Nyaruntarama and Nyabarongo wetaland. Nyungwe National Park is one of the top bird sanctuaries with about 300 species of birds. The shimmering forests and the rift valley lakes are ideal sites for breeding and thus numerous species both migratory and endemics are recorded during the awesome birding adventures in East Africa’s bird capital.
Where to find birds in Rwanda- The birding areas
Kigali City
One of the best sites adored by birders in East Africa is the urban center around Kigali City. Despite it being a predominantly modern world with a lot of man-made features and direct human interference, this city is blessed with about 300-400 species of birds that visitors can watch while relaxing on the balconies around their hotels and lodges. In addition to the intimate bird viewing in Rwanda while at the lodges and hotels, there are unique green Eco-parks like Nyandungu Eco-Park, Umusambi Village and the Bugesera wetlands where alone 415 species can be found.
Akagera National Park
Akagera National Park is the home of Big Five animals in Rwanda where many admirers of the creatures have enjoyed their time during Rwanda safari. However, it is a good place to indulge in an awesome birding adventure in the rich bird world of the land of a thousand hills. In this national park alone, recordings of 500 birds have been made. These include the waterbirds around the prominent Lake Ihema which also hosts the shoebills, a rare species of Central Africa.
Nyungwe National Park
Nyungwe National Park is the talk of all those wishing to engage in East Africa wildlife tours. The site suites an authentic Rwanda safari due to the abundant species of primates and birds that can seen during the nature walks and chimpanzee trekking adventure. Nyungwe is a leading destination to find at least 300 bird species roaming in its rainforests. The common birds to see include the Chapin’s Flycatcher, Rockefeller’s Sunbird among others.
The best to go for Rwanda Birding Tours-When to go for a birding safari
The best time recommendable for birding in East Africa and Rwanda is the period between June-September and December- February. This is normally the period of the year when it is easier to move through the jungles and there less foliage on the trees for easy viewing of your favorite birds. However other months and periods in the year especially the wet season can also be considered depending on the schedule of travelers.