Burundi Top Things To See & Do

• Go to the capital port-city of Bujumbura, a bustling town with a population of some 200,000 inhabitants. The area was colonised by Germany at the end of the 19th century, and there is still architecture dating from that period, including the Postmaster’s House. Other attractions include three museums (including the museé vivant, a reconstructed open-air village displaying Burundian culture) and the Islamic Cultural Centre. There is also an excellent market.

• Around 10km (6 miles) south of Bujumbura is a stone that marks the historic meeting-place of Stanley and Livingstone in 1871.

• Gaze upon the monument near Rutovu, in Bururi Province, which marks Burundi’s claim to the source of the Nile.

• Stare at a beautiful vista of central plains and the expanse of the former royal city, Gitega, from the mountaintops of the Congo Nile range. Gitega has an exquisite charm of its own, from the Chutes de la Kagera waterfall to its National Museum.

• Study the arts and crafts of the Burundians: leather, ceramics, ivory and wood-carvings in the Craftwares Village at Giheta, plus sculptures, wickerware and paintings in the town's Art School.

• Admire the country's diverse flora and fauna, from savannah to steppers, mountain forests to blooming fields.

• Be seduced by the scenic and fun pleasures of Lake Tanganyika, where (in normal circumstances) cafes and restaurants line the lake. Here, there are some opportunities for watersports, including sailing, waterskiing and fishing.

• Compete in the ancient game of urubugu (also known as mancala). It is played with pebbles or seashells on hollows scooped out on the ground, or with seeds on expensive, elaborately carved wooden boards.

• In Kirundo, in the far north of Burundi and with its three lakes of Cohoha, Rweru and Rwihinda, settle down for some bird-watching: the third lake, Rwihinda, is even nicknamed 'Birds Lake' because of the sheer quantity of birds (around 20 different species) that settle there. A large amount of birds can also be viewed in Kibira Natonal Park.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.