Gishwati Mukura National Park is one of the youngest national parks in Africa. On 1st of December 2020, Gishwati-Mukura National Park officially opened its doors to the public. Gishwati Mukura is now a National Park which means that parts of the vast montane forest that once stretched across much of central Africa now has permanent protection. The journey to save one of the last remaining central African montane rain forests of Gishwati Mukura has not come easy and there has been a long and hard journey leading up to the official opening of Gishwati Mukura National Park. Finally, visitors can now come and experience the forest the way it has been for thousands of years.
Gishwati-Mukura National Park is the 4th and Rwanda’s newest National Park; famously known for its diverse plant species; over 60 species of trees like the bamboo and wood and a big number of Rwanda safari wildlife species; around 84 bird species. It is located in Ngororero and Rutsiro districts in the country’s Western province; covering an area of about 3,558 hectares. This park would have run extinct since during the 1994 genocide whereby most people left the country others went to the borders of the country; hence some ended up occupying the Gishwati and Mukura areas; they carried out farming, deforestation and illegal mining. Gishwati and Mukura are forests. In September 2015 a law was passed to have a joint National Park, hence the Gishwati-Mukura National Park.
The forests of Gishwati Mukura National park is a fragmented montane rainforest located in Rwanda’s Kivu Belt region. It is part of the Congo-Nile divide forest which originally stretched over the entire mountain range which divides the Congo Water Basin from the Nile Water Basin all the way from Congo to Burundi. Today’s remainders of these forest complex include Gishwati Forest, Mukura Forest and Nyungwe Forest National Park in Rwanda and Kibira National Park in Burundi.
Even though Gishwati and Mukura forests are part of the same national park, they are fragmented and divided by around 50 kms. The entire area between them have been set aside for conservation as a National Park and there is a plan to reforest the entire area into one complete forest which would then cover an area almost as large as Nyungwe Forest. Discussions are also being held over how to connect Gishwati and Mukura forests to Nyungwe Forest through a rainforest corridor.
The two forests of Gishwati-Mukura National Park are similar but suitable for different activities. Mukura Forests is less “developed” than Gishwati forest. At the moment there are no hiking trails in Mukura forests, but the Rwandan government is currently developing a plan and securing funding to develop hiking trails and activities in the park. Very little is known about the wildlife situation in Mukura Forest as it has been shut of to the public for many years with very few studies done. In Gishwati forest there are well developed hiking trails, waterfalls and the forest is home to a large group of the elusive eastern chimpanzee.
Gishwati Mukura National Park opened for visitors on the 1st of December 2020. At the moment, only Gishwati Forest can be visited as Mukura Forest has no infrastructure or hiking trails guides to be able to receive visitors.
Gishwati Forest has several newly constructed hiking trails and all visits to the park need to follow these. Since Gishwati Forest is a national park, all activities need to be arranged and booked with the park office. The brand-new park office can be found next to the main road at the edge of the forest in the end closest to Rubavu. Since the current management of Gishwati Forest is a collaboration between Rwanda Development Board, Forest of Hope Association and Wilderness Safaris, no visits to the park are allowed without a stay at the Forest of Hope Guest House. Contact Wilderness Safaris, the Park office or the Forest of Hope Guest House for more information. But if Gishwati Lodge is fully booked, you could also consider staying in the nearby Kivu, Rubavu or Volcanoes National Park, as they are only a 30-minute drive from the Park.
Things to See in Gishwati Mukura
Gazetted in 2015, Gishwati-Mukura National Park is a home to diverse animal species and they are of main interest for visitors on Rwanda safari. Gishwati Mukura N/P is compact and truly a hidden gem. The 34sq.kms protected area is composed of 2 scenic rainforests- Gishwati (large in size) and Mukura Forest Reserves. Its forests serve as the main water catchment areas and it is found along the Albertine rift making it a home to most of the endemic Albertine rift species.
Wildlife/animals of Gishwati-Mukura N. Park
The largest animal or wildlife population in Gishwati-Mukura comprise of primates. The popular primates to explore while at this park include l’hoest monkeys, blue monkeys, the vervet monkeys, baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, golden monkeys and chimpanzees. There are also many small mammals and they include the black fronted duikers, hyrax, mongoose, and many others.
Birds of Gishwati Mukura N/P
232 bird species live in Gishwati Mukura and these include about 10 Albertine rift species and about 163 of them exist at Mukura Forest. The bird species to expect to see include the mountain yellow warblers, Rwenzori batis, grauer’s swamp, regal sunbird, Rwenzori turacos, martial eagle, purple breasted sunbird, dusky crimson wing, strange weavers, and many others.
Visits to Gishwati-Mukura can be done all-year-round, considering its favorable weather and climatic conditions. The most ideal time is during the dry season; June to September noted to be the long dry spell and short dry months run from December to February.