Rwanda Birding Safaris, Best Bird Watching Tours & Bird Species

Book the best Rwanda birding safaris to explore diverse bird species with an expert. Over 703 species of birds live in Rwanda, making it an outstanding birding safari destination. It is also most popular for Albertine and vulnerable species of birds.

Top Albertine Rift Endemic Bird  Species of Rwanda

The Rwanda birding safaris offer birders a unique opportunity to explore a range of Albertine Rift endemic species of birds. The Albertine rift endemic birds in Rwanda: Archer’s robin-chat, Dusky crimsonwing, Rwenzori turacos, handsome francolins, Lagden’s bush-shrikes, and Grauer’s swamp warblers.

Rwanda is also popular for Albertine Rift endemic birds such as the regal sunbirds, Rwenzori, Mountain masked, and Kungwe apalis; Kivu ground thrush, purple-breasted sunbirds, Shelley’s crimsonwing, and red-throated alethe.

Expect to also find Albertine Rift endemic birds like the Rwenzori turacos, Neumann’s warblers, Congo bay-owl, Albertine boubou, and Albertine owlets. Other notable birds in Rwanda include Rwenzori batis, strange weaver birds, Willard’s sooty boubou, yellow-eyed black flycatchers, blue-headed sunbirds, and Schouteden’s swift.

Best Rwanda Birding Safari & Tour Destinations

The Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Rwanda comprise the 4 National Parks, Ramsar Sites, and forests. The main National Parks in Rwanda are located in the Eastern, Northern, and Western regions.

Rwanda Birding Safaris in Nyungwe National Park

Birding in Nyungwe involves searching for Albertine and resident bird species. Over 310 species of birds reside in Nyungwe Forest, together with more than 13 species of primates. The birds of Nyungwe Forest National Park include the Rockell’s sunbirds, Kungwe apalis, Congo bay owl, Shelley’s crimsonwing, Willard’s sooty boubou, red-collared babblers, Kivu ground thrush, and handsome francolins.

Other birds in Nyungwe National Park include red-chested owlet, Doherty’s bush-shrikes, stripped-breasted tit, and slender-billed starling,
Nyungwe also holds birds such as short-tailed warblers, the grey crested Kakamega bird, yellow-eyed black flycatchers, and Rockefeller’s sunbirds. Nyungwe’s birding trails include Bigugu, Karamba, Gisakura, and Kamiranzovu.

Primates to see in Nyungwe beyond birds include chimpanzees, golden monkeys, hamlyn’s or owl-faced monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, silver monkeys, Dent’s Mona monkeys, blue monkeys, and l’hoest monkeys. Nyungwe also supports primates like the olive baboons, grey-cheeked mangabeys, and colobus monkeys.

To experience the best Nyungwe birding tour, you can embark on an independent bird-watching tour or combine it with other activities. The popular tourism activities to indulge in Nyungwe include chimpanzee tracking, canopy walk, and forest or nature walks.

Where to Stay in Nyungwe before/after Rwanda Birding Safaris

The main accommodation options to stay in and around Nyungwe include Chimpanzee Lodge, Nyungwe Nziza Ecolodge, and Gisakura Guesthouse. The park also features accommodation options like Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel, Nyungwe Forest Lodge, and Munazi Ecolodge.

Getting to Nyungwe for Birding Safaris

Nyungwe National Park can be reached for Rwanda birding safaris in about 7-8 hours. Drive through the Butare/Huye route in the Southern Province of Rwanda. Visitors can also cut short their long road trip hours by embarking on the helicopter flight starting from Kigali.

Volcanoes National Park –Best Spot in Rwanda for Birding Safaris

Up to 200 species of birds call Volcanoes National Park home. They comprise several Albertine rift endemic species and resident avifauna. The birds in Volcanoes National Park include the lesser honey guide, Rwenzori turacos, brown-backed honey-birds, Rwenzori batis, black cuckoo-shrikes, Rwenzori double-collared sunbirds, bat hawks, and Archer’s robin-chats.

Volcanoes National Park is also home to birds such as cinnamon-chested bee-eaters, baglafetch weavers, Narina trogons, grey-headed bush shrikes, malachite sunbirds, olive-bellied sunbirds, scarlet-tufted sunbird, black-crowned waxbill, common stonechat, and African swamphen.

Additional bird species to locate in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda, include palm-nut vulture, Kivu ground thrush, bronzy sunbird, African goshawks, and more.

Where to stay during Birding Safaris in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

Available lodges to stay during bird-watching in Volcanoes include One&Only Gorilla’s Nest Lodge, & Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge. Other lodges; Tiloreza Eco Lodge, LeBambou Gorilla Lodge, Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, and Amakoro Songa Lodge. Other accommodation facilities include Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel, Singita Kwitonda Lodge, Bisate Lodge, and Kinigi Guesthouse.

Getting there (Volcanoes National Park) for Birding Safaris

Volcanoes can be accessed in just a 2-3-hour drive starting from Kigali. Connectivity to Volcanoes National Park is also possible from Kabale/Kisoro (Bwindi National Park or Mgahinga National Park) through Chanika (Cyanika)/Katuna border crossing.

In Rwanda, visitors can also depart from Nyungwe Forest National Park and access Volcanoes National Park in Musanze. By air, you can fly from Kigali to Musanze/Ruhengeri Airport and be transferred to the Volcanoes National Park for birding tours or gorilla safaris.

Birding Safaris in Akagera –Eastern circuit

Located in the Eastern circuit of Rwanda, Akagera National Park is home to more than 500 species of birds. The scenic Akagera was created in 1934 and is sitting on the area of 1122 sq. km. Akagera’s bird species include, among others, the red-faced barbets, yellow-throated leaf-love, pied crows, Viellot’s black weaver birds, pennant-winged nightjars, sacred ibis, shoebill storks, grey-backed fiscals, Augur buzzards, long-toed birds, and fish eagles.

Additional birds include black-crowned night-herons, hadada ibis, grasshopper buzzards, marsh tchagra, Ruaha chat, and slate-colored boubou.

Where to stay in Akagera during birding safaris

The accommodation options to consider booking for an overnight stay during birding safaris in Akagera include Akagera Rhino Lodge, Akagera Game Lodge, Ihema Lodge, Akagera Park Inn, Ruzizi Tented Lodge, and Magashi Camp.

Rwanda Birding Safaris in Gishwati Mukura Game Park

Established in 2015, Gishwati-Mukura National Park shelters over 230 bird species, which include many Albertine rift endemic species. A birding tour in Gishwati- Mukura allows you spot birds such as Grauer’s swamp warblers, Rwenzori double-collared sunbirds, Kivu ground thrush, scaly-throated honey guide, Archer’s robin-chat, and Narina trogons.

Gishwati-Mukura National Park also supports birds such as blue-headed sunbirds, red-chested flufftail, handsome francolin, Rwenzori turacos, and African hill babblers.

Birding Safaris in Ramsar Sites

Rwanda holds a great number of Ramsar sites, each endowed with amazing birds. The prime Ramsar sites to explore during the Rwanda birding safaris include Ngabarongo Swamp/Wetland.

This swamp is comprised of birds such as rock pigeon, yellow-billed ducks, common sandpipers, emerald-spotted wood-doves, Ross’s turacos, dideric cuckoos, African open-bills, and laughing doves.

It also features birds such as gray apalis, white-winged warblers, cardinal woodpeckers, buff-bellied warblers, singing cisticola, greater swamp warblers, and more.

Lake Kivu Birds

Visit the stunning Lake Kivu to explore diverse bird species. Get a chance to spot birds such as papyrus gonoleks, pied kingfishers, double-tooth barbets, blue-napped mousebirds, Lesser jacanas, and osprey, etc.

Birding in Kigali

Kigali is not just a city but also an amazing birding safari site. The birds to find in Kigali include Narina trogon, palm-nut vulture, white-collared olive back, bronzy sunbird, grey-backed fiscal, and lesser honey guide, African goshawks, and bat hawks. During birding safaris in Kigali, expect to explore Umusambi Village, one of the restored sites in Rwanda.

Best Time to go for Rwanda Birding Safaris

Want to enjoy excellent birding safari experiences in Rwanda? Then consider booking your Rwanda birding safaris from October to April. These are the best months to find the majority of the migratory birds. Most of the birding sites in Rwanda can also be visited anytime around the peak dry season (June-September | December-February).

Packing Right for Rwanda Birding Safaris

Key things to carry for your Rwanda bird-watching tours include a pair of binoculars, a guidebook, drinking water, a portable voice recorder, a daypack, a camera, and snacks.

In conclusion, Rwanda birding safaris are a great way to explore some of the amazing birds in Africa. Book your Rwanda bird-watching tour with Flawless Adventure Planners Ltd for you to explore your favorite birds.