Attractions & Natural Wonders · Burundi

Burundi: Six Attractions and Natural Wonders

Sandy beaches on one of the world's deepest lakes, hippos in a river-mouth reserve, a curtain of waterfalls on the eastern plateau, and mountain rainforest along the Congo-Nile divide

By Worldlore Editorial · 9 September 2026

A wide blue lake meeting green hills, a low city spread along the near shore
Lake Tanganyika at Bujumbura — the second-deepest and second-oldest freshwater lake in the world. (Andreas31 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0)

A small country on a great lake

Burundi is a small, hilly, densely populated country in the African Great Lakes region, wedged between Rwanda, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is one of the poorest countries in the world, has almost no tourism infrastructure, and has seen recurring political violence — Western governments advise caution and check the current situation before any visit. Its appeal is low-key and natural: the lakeshore, a few national parks, and a strong musical tradition.

The six below are what a visitor realistically sees, most within reach of the main city, Bujumbura, or the political capital, Gitega. The dry seasons (roughly June–September and December–January) are the most comfortable.

1. The beaches of Lake Tanganyika

A sandy lake beach with palm-thatch shades and calm water, hills across the lake
A beach on Lake Tanganyika just south of Bujumbura — the city's weekend escape. (Macabe5387 / Wikimedia Commons)

Lake Tanganyika is vast — 1,470 metres deep, second only to Baikal, and holding around 16 percent of the world's available fresh surface water — and Burundi has its northeastern tip. Just south of Bujumbura, a string of sandy beaches (Saga, formerly "Plage des Cocotiers", and others) have bars, loungers, and safe swimming away from the river mouths, with the mountains of the Congo rising across the water.

The lake's endemic cichlid fish make for good snorkelling in the clear water off the rockier stretches.

2. Rusizi National Park

A hippopotamus in shallow water among reeds and papyrus
A hippo in the Rusizi National Park, on the delta where the Rusizi river enters Lake Tanganyika. (Irangabiye / Wikimedia Commons)

Just northwest of Bujumbura, the Rusizi (Ruzizi) river spreads into a delta of papyrus swamp and gallery forest before reaching the lake, and it is protected as a small national park. It is the easiest wildlife outing in the country: boat and vehicle trips to see hippos, crocodiles (the park was once home to a famous giant crocodile, "Gustave"), sitatunga antelope, and many waterbirds.

It makes a half-day trip from the city.

3. The Karera Falls

Several tall waterfalls dropping through dense green forest over dark rock
The Karera Falls in Rutana province, a group of waterfalls in a pocket of forest on the eastern plateau. (Kibengado / Wikimedia Commons)

On the drier eastern plateau, in Rutana province, the Karera river drops through a small protected forest in a set of four waterfalls, the tallest around 80 metres, linked by short footpaths and viewpoints. It is one of Burundi's designated natural monuments and a popular domestic day trip.

Nearby is the Nyakazu "German Fault", a dramatic cleft in the escarpment with wide views east toward Tanzania.

4. Kibira National Park

Steep hills covered in dense montane rainforest under a cloudy sky
Kibira National Park, mountain rainforest along the crest that divides the Congo and Nile watersheds. (KUBWIMANA Bienvenu / Wikimedia Commons)

Kibira, in the northwest, protects Burundi's largest block of montane rainforest, running along the Congo-Nile divide and continuous with Rwanda's Nyungwe forest. It shelters chimpanzees, several monkey species, and many birds; a few marked trails and a former royal hunting reserve lie within it, reached from the Bujumbura–Kayanza road.

It is the wettest and greenest part of the country, and the source of several of its rivers.

5. Ruvubu National Park

Rolling grassland and wooded valleys along a winding river under a big sky
Ruvubu National Park in the east, the largest protected area in Burundi, along the Ruvubu river valley. (IRAKOZE Juliette / Wikimedia Commons)

Ruvubu (Rurubu) follows the river of the same name — one of the most remote headstreams of the Nile — through savannah and gallery forest in the east of the country. It is Burundi's biggest national park and its best chance of open-country wildlife: buffalo, hippo, antelope, and a long bird list, though animal numbers are low and facilities minimal.

It is visited mostly by researchers and the occasional adventurous traveller with a vehicle and a park guide.

6. Bujumbura, Gitega, and the drummers

Drummers in traditional dress performing with large drums balanced on their heads
The Royal Drummers of Burundi performing at Gishora, their thunderous, choreographed drumming a UNESCO-recognised cultural tradition. (Jordan jetski / Wikimedia Commons)

Bujumbura is a low, hot lakeside city of wide avenues, markets, and a modest colonial-era core, with the lakeshore beaches and Rusizi park on its doorstep. Inland and higher, Gitega — the official capital since 2019 — has the national museum and is close to Gishora, the sanctuary of Burundi's royal drummers.

The Royal Drummers of Burundi, whose thunderous, choreographed performance on tall wooden drums carried on the head is on UNESCO's list of intangible heritage, are the country's best-known cultural export, and can sometimes be seen at Gishora or by arrangement.

Burundi has very little tourism and a difficult recent history; anyone considering a visit should get current, specific security advice first. For most, it is a place to know about rather than to travel to right now.

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