Visit Bururi Forest Nature Reserve In Burundi — Kubwa Five Safaris

Overview of Bururi Forest Nature Reserve

Bururi Forest Nature Reserve is situated on the extreme southern edge of the Congo-Nile divide and is a small patch of forest lying immediately west of the town of Bururi in south-western Burundi. Although the reserve is 3,300 hectares, the remaining semi-evergreen forest covers only some 1,600 ha. At least 93 tree species occur, with Strombosia and Myrianthus spp. dominant and Tabernaemontana, Newtonia and Entandrophragma spp. also common. The area is situated at a biogeographic crossroads such that, in addition to holding many plant and animal species of the montane forests of the Congo-Nile divide, it contains elements associated with the Zambezian region to the south, the drier savanna areas of the east and even the lowland evergreen forests of DR Congo. Annual rainfall varies from 1,200 mm to 2,400 mm.

Attractions:

The natural vegetation, which occupies about 2600 ha, is very diverse. The floral composition of the RNFB comprises 268 species (Havyarimana 2015). Although small in size, the plant diversity of the RNFB represents about 9% of that of the country, considered a great wealth.

The most abundant plant species belong to the families of Asteraceae, Rubiaceae, Fabaceae, Poaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Lamiaceae. The different biodiversity indices calculated on this reserve show that plant diversity is moderately high.

The forest is also very rich in endemic species. Bururi Forest Nature Reserve includes five out of the 20 endemic plant species inventoried in Burundi. The Bururi Forest Nature Reserve contributes to the conservation of endangered plant species in Burundi.

The mammalian fauna comprises about 22 species including five species of primates and six species of carnivores. The most common primates are the common chimpanzee Pan troglodytes schweinfurti , the Cercopithecus mitis, and the ascacus monkey Cercopithecus ascanius. A few locals are reported to have seen a leopard but the reserve managers have no evidence of their presence in the area.

Wildlife:

It still shelters a small population of chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes, a species of great primates already in danger throughout Africa. Because of the isolation of this reserve from other similar forests, research into the speciation process may also prove fruitful, especially with insects, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals and birds (Kakunze, 2014).

Birding;

There are also 205 bird species, of which the most noteworthy are the ross touraco ( Musophaga rossae), the gray-cheeked hornbill ( Bycanistes subcylindricus) and many other forest birds. Its ornithological wealth has allowed BirdLife International to classify it as an important bird conservation area. This forest is home to many species of amphibians, including a very rare species, the small long finger frog Cardioglossa cyaneospila rediscovered in 2011 by a recent mission of the Universities of Texas and California after its first discovery in this forest in 1949.

It is home to an important avifauna, including rare and endemic species in the Albertine Rift region, namely Zoothera tanganyicae and Apalis argentea.

Where To Stay: Bururi, Burundi

There are various hotel in ;

• Tanganyika Blue Bay Resort
• Goodlife Residence
• Hotel Club du Lac Tanganyika
• Mountain’s View Hotel
• Martha Hotel
• Breakfast included
• Hotel Belair Residence

Originally published at https://kubwafive-safaris.com.