Gishwati Mukura National Park: Rwanda also known as the ‘Republic of Rwanda’ or ‘the Land of a Thousand Hills’ is endowed with natural beauty and ecological richness. Indeed, while the majority of tourists have heard about Rwanda’s much-celebrated Volcanoes National Park, which has the critical habitat of the world’s most threatened large mammal – the gorilla, Gishwati-Mukura National Park remains fairly unknown. Although it is amongst the recently protected areas in Rwanda, it is, therefore, less crowded than other renowned national parks. In this piece, we bring you all the information you require on Gishwati-Mukura National Park – from its diverse flora and fauna to the nuts and bolts of visiting the park.
A Brief History of Gishwati-Mukura National Park
Gishwati-Mukura National Park was gazetted in 2015, and it is one of the youngest national parks in Rwanda. The park consists of two contiguous forests, Gishwati and Mukura that are found in the western part of Rwanda, close to Lake Kivu. Such forests were once forming part of the Albertine montane forest biome that has been gradually being converted to bare lands through deforestation, agriculture and settlements.
The creation of the park was therefore a major development in Rwanda’s policies and measures towards the conservation of the natural resources. It sought to conserve and preserve whatever was left of such forest in the region, which harbored diverse plant and animal life, many of which were inhabitants only of the area. The park also acts as a corridor since the larger Nyungwe National Park depends on volcanoes National park to allow animals to interbreed.
Biodiversity and Wildlife
Gishwati Mukura National Park is a center in the conservation of this country’s bio-diversity with diverse vegetation and animal species. The park provides an anchor for so many primate types such as the eastern chimpanzee which is an endangered species, golden monkeys, blue monkeys, and the L’Hoest’s monkeys. These are some of the many primates that visitors can readily see in the park, and following their every move through the forest is something several people always look forward to.
Apart from the primates, this park is a birding paradise with recorded over 230 bird species of which 14 are endemics of Albertine Rift. Other avian specials available include the Rwenzori turaco, the yellow-spectacle-crowned mountain yellow warbler, and the endangered Grauer’s swamp warbler. The terrain of this park has a variety of microclimates which include montane forests, bamboo, and wetlands; these habitats offer the necessary niches for these birds.
The park also sponsors a host of other wild animals such as duikers, bushbucks, civets, genets, and many more. The minister itself is filled with vegetation, numerous types of trees and tree ferns, and a wide variety of flowering plants. Soil conservation and water regulation are key functions that are offered to the neighboring communities by the park through a flowering plant.
Conservation and Community Involvement
It is, therefore, an undertaking of a conservation program by the Rwandan government, local communities, and international organizations. Its establishment was a part of Rwanda’s effort to rehabilitate degraded land and for sustainable land management. After it was founded, considerable processes of afforestation, combating unlawful actions, developing possibilities of tourist attractiveness and oriented at organic integration of economic needs of the local population were initiated.
Community involvement is one of the main priorities of the park’s approaches to managing the resource. Local people have sounded the cornerstone of park protection and several activities and measures have been taken in order to ensure that they are also benefited from the conservation measures to be undertaken. Such as revenue-sharing schemes in which a portion of tourism revenue collected from the park is turned into PFM for financing community welfare projects like schools, clinics as well as water systems.
People of the local areas are also associated with reforestation and agroforestry which not only aim to rehabilitate the degraded areas but also to find out the source of income. Through supporting sustainable and environmentally friendly farming techniques, such as those that support agro-tourism, food production and sales, families and communities that border the park stand to support the sustainable use of the park’s resources and man’s harmonious interaction with them.
Exploring Gishwati-Mukura National Park
Visitors to Gishwati-Mukura National Park will find it different for many tourists do not prefer visiting such parks. Due to its small size and relatively young age, the park receives fewer people than many other similar parks; which makes this park great for getting a more close-up and less stressful experience with nature.
Safari is one of the dominant activities that are central to the park, especially primate tracking. Tours where one is taken around the forest, to view and also to have chances of seeing chimpanzees, golden monkeys, and other primates as well. Stalking is usually difficult but very exciting affair especially so for the natural reserve which is densely wooded and has variable terrains.
Another main interest in the park is bird watching and there are guided Tours to enable visitors to view some of the rare and endemic bird species. The avian species that inhabit the area, and the presence of the prominent forested hills make bird watching a supreme activity in Gishwati-Mukura forest.
For those people who have a special interest in the plants in the park, there are botanical walks, which involve taking the clients around the park while being introduced to the various plant species and their uses in the ecosystem. These walks also educate the visitors on the current restoration of the park and the efforts in terms of re-afforestation and the hardships of restoring a disturbed ecosystem.
Practical Information for Visitors
– Getting There: Gishwati Mukura National Park is found in the western region of Rwanda it is 70 Km from Rubavu Gisenyi and 150 Km from the capital city of Kigali. The park can be accessed by road at a distance of about three hours’ drive from Kigali. The roads are reasonably well maintained and a 4-wheel drive vehicle may be considered for the last part of the park.
– Accommodation: In this park, there are no facilities for accommodation but short and long-term accommodation facilities are available about this park in the towns of Rubavu and Karongi. These include luxury lodges and guest houses to budget accommodation and cheaper guest houses. For those who want to lodge closer to the park, accommodation within the community is there which is more authentic.
– Best Time to Visit: The place is best to visit Gishwati-Mukura National Park during the dry seasons of June to September and December to February. These are the months when the weather is more predictable and the thousands of trails are much easier to traverse. But it is open all year round and thus the two wet seasons are interesting with dense vegetation and a very rich avifauna.
– Park Fees and Permits: Acces fees for the park are fairly reasonable for several activities like primate tracking, one can acquire a permit from the Rwanda Development Board or Licensed tour operators. One must be recommended to secure the permits way before in preparation for the busy periods of the year with many tourists.
Conclusion
Gishwati-Mukura National Park is a little-known, yet undiscovered natural treasure in Rwanda. Due to its terrain that represents the diverse, rich, and rash of fauna and flora, culturally friendly attractions, and a record of successful conservation, it is a recommended destination for tourists, specifically those interested in environmental conservation. If one is out to follow chimps in the forest, seeking to view and or photograph birds or is keen on participating in the community reward incentivized conservation monitoring, a trip to Gishwati-Mukura is sure to be a fulfilling and memorable one. Therefore, for those people who want to get acquainted with the not-very popular part of Rwanda, Gishwati-Mukura National Park must be included in the list of attractions.
