Rwanda Birding Tours

Rwanda is one of the most biodiverse birding destinations in Africa. The country's position in the Albertine Rift — the western arm of the Great Rift Valley — gives it access to a suite of endemic species found nowhere else on earth. Combined with the savannah birds of Akagera and the waterbirds of Lake Kivu, a two-week tour can yield 400–500 species for a serious birder.

I am not a specialist birding guide, but I know Rwanda's key birding sites well. For dedicated birding tours I work with Rwanda's best specialist guides — people who have spent their lives in these forests and know the calls of every species. I lead the overall tour; they lead the birding.

Nyungwe Forest is the priority for most birders. The 29 Albertine Rift endemics include the African green broadbill, Grauer's swamp warbler, and Handsome Francolin — species that require the Albertine Rift habitat and are found nowhere else. The canopy walk gives access to the upper forest levels where turaco, sunbird, and weaver species are concentrated.

Akagera is exceptional for open-country and water birds. The papyrus swamps on the eastern lakes hold papyrus gonolek, white-winged warbler, and occasional shoebill. The savannah has martial eagle, bateleur, secretary bird, and all the oxpecker and hornbill species common to East African game parks.

Lake Kivu is excellent for waterbirds. Pied kingfisher, malachite kingfisher, African fish eagle, great white egret, open-billed stork, and various cormorant species are common along the shore. The lake also has some unusual high-altitude species adapted to the 1,460-metre elevation.