Rusizi National Park

Rusizi National Park lies just 15 kilometres north of Bujumbura and makes an easy half-day excursion from the city. The park protects the Rusizi River delta, where the river fans out through papyrus wetlands before reaching Lake Tanganyika. Boat trips through the channels are the main attraction — the hippo population is substantial and the encounters are close and extraordinary.

The park also has good birdwatching, with African fish eagles, malachite kingfishers, and numerous heron and stork species in the wetlands. Crocodiles are present. Guided boat trips can be arranged at the park gate, and the trip there and back by taxi from Bujumbura takes only 20 minutes each way.

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A story
The Rusizi River delta, which feeds into Lake Tanganyika just north of Bujumbura, is one of the most important hippo habitats in Central Africa. There are an estimated 300 hippos in the park — a density that makes boat trips through the papyrus channels an almost guaranteed encounter. The hippos are wild and can be dangerous; the guides know where to position the boats, but close encounters are the norm, not the exception.