Bird Watching in Kigali
Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda is ranked the greenest city in Africa which makes it a haven for birds. With the environmental protection policies and laws whereby wetlands and other natural reserves have been repossessed from other activities like agriculture, farming and construction to serve as tourism reserves; this has made Kigali a good place for bird watching. The cleanliness of Kigali, the security and easy accessibility of different places, makes Kigali a good birding choice. Various places have been presented as spots for bird watching in Kigali. If you are in Kigali and birding is among your hobbies, we are bringing here a list of birding spots including wetlands, forests, swamps, rivers/lakes and grasslands. You can have a simple trip to one of the spots or you can have an itinerary that combines many spots in one or two days.
Umusambi Village
Umusambi village as one of the bird watching spots in Kigali, is a beautiful restored wetland of 21 hectares reserve purposely restored to accommodate grey crown cranes and offer occasions for visitors who like birding to visit Umusambi Village to enjoy the walking trails and learning the conservation ways of protecting the environment. The grey crowned cranes are birds with a very good looking that attracts people with their good coloring and good at seeing. As these birds have been disabled as a result of captivity they are no longer flying and only stay moving in the same place which gives occasion to visitors to see them easily.
Nyabarongo River
Nyabarongoriver and its extended swap is also convenient for bird watching in Kigali. This river can be accessed from different spots either from Mount Kigali or from the main road to southern province via Nyabugogo suburb and/or to Eastern Province via Kicukiro District. Various bird species can be recorded including polican, common moorhen, african jacana. many water birds like Spur-winged Geese, Great White Egret, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Squacco Heron, African Openbill, Yellow-billed Stork, Grey Heron, Black-headed Heron, Great Swamp Warbler, White-winged Warbler, Long-toed Lapwing, Yellow Wagtail, Common Snipe, African Marsh Harrier, African Jacana, Papyrus Gonolek, Black-headed Gonolek, Goliath Heron.
Nyarutarama Lake
Nyarutarama lake located near the Kigali Golf Club, is also listed a touristic activity in Kigali list as a bird watching spot in addition to Nyabarongo River. On a small artificial lake and a small acacia woodland in its surrounding, various bird species are available for viewing in addition to the nature walk that is also done at this lake. Birds you will see here include: Yellow-billed Duck, Squacco Heron, White-faced Whistling Duck, Hottentot Teal, Red-billed Teal, African Spoonbill, Spur-winged Geese, Little Grebe, Common Moorhen, Hadada Ibis, Black Crake, Black Egret, Cater Egret, and Black-headed Heron among others.
Mount Kigali
Mount Kigali is the largest hill in the neighborhood of Kigali at its southern part. Being covered by a forest which accommodates various bird species makes it a good choice for bird watching in Kigali. The birds found in Mount Kigali include African Paradise Flycatcher, White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher, Southern Black Flycatcher, Red-chested Cuckoo, Green-backed Camaroptera, Thick-billed Seedeater, Tropical Boubou, Northern Puffback, Common Bulbul, Bronze Mannikin, Yellow-fronted Canary, etc.
If you plan to visit Kigali and you are interested in bird watching, all you need is to approach a professional tour operator to help you design a suitable itinerary to your interests. Send a request to Rwanda Eco Company, we will cater for every single detail to make your tour a memorable one.
