Skip to content

Rwanda Positioning to Become Key Birding Destination

A bird standing in some water on the ground

Rwanda Positioning to Become Key Birding Destination

With over 700 species, Rwanda is quietly being promoted and discovered as a world class birding destination.

HIGHLIGHTS

New birding sites recently developed by RDB

RoutesLocationBird Species
Bugesera RouteEastern Province, 30 minutes by car south of Kigali.Over 360 birds species on this route, including the Red-faced Barbet, Lybius rubrifacies, Papyrus Gonolek, Laniarius mufumbiri, Calamonastides gracilirostris, White-winged SwampWarbler, B. carpalis, Carruthers’s Cisticola, Cisticola carruthersi, among others.
Nyabihu routeWestern provinceMore than 132 bird species, including the Little Grebe (Lake Nyirakigugu), and Red-knobbed Coot, Fulica cristata.
RugeziNorthern ProvinceMore than 141 birds species including some highland lift endemic birds such as Grauer’s Swamp Warbler, Bradypterus graueri, and others endemic to Lake Victoria, i.e. the Calamonastides gracilirostris, White-winged SwampWarbler, B. carpalis, Carruthers’s Cisticola, Cisticola carruthersi, Papyrus Canary, Dendrospiza koliensis, and others. 

A bird standing in some water on the ground

Grauer’s Swamp Warbler

A bird is sitting in the grass looking at something.

Papyrus Gonolek

A duck and two birds in the water.

Red-knobbed Coot

Other existing routes include: Nyungwe National Park, Akagera National Park and Volcanoes National Park.

Nyungwe National Park is especially known as a world class birding destination with over 280 bird species, including the Handsome Francolin, Ruwenzori Nightjar, Albertine Owlet, Ruwenzori Batis, Stripe-breasted Tit, Grauer’s Warbler, Neumann’s Warbler, Grauer’s Swamp Warbler, Ruwenzori Apalis, Red-collared Babbler, Kivu Ground Thrush, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Archer’s Ground Robin, Red-throated Alethe, Blue-headed Sunbird, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Ruwenzori Double-collared Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Rockefeller’s Sunbird, Strange Weaver, Dusky Crimsonwing, and Shelley’s Crimsonwing.

A map of the country with a pin point to the forest national park.

Location of Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda

Contact: Philibert Ndandali, Senior Promotion Officer, Rwanda Development Board (RDB). Cell: +44 788 684804 (Rwanda) or + 44 7572 091962 (UK) during the World Travel Market (Nov 7-11). Email: [email protected]