Find places in Burundi

Must-Haves

• Saga Beach (Kinindo lakeshore)
  The city beach on Lake Tanganyika, with sand, palms and bars made for a long sunset.

Fun for Everyone

• Musée Vivant (Chaussée du Peuple Murundi)
  A small living museum with crocodiles, snakes, a reconstructed royal hut and drum shows.
• Bujumbura port and fish landing (Port area)
  Watch the catch come in and the ndagala laid out to dry.

Off the Beaten Path

• Fishermen's night lights on the lake (Lakeshore)
  Lantern-lit fishing boats spread across the water after dark, a magical sight from the shore.

Great for Date Night

• Cercle Nautique (Lakeshore, Chaussée du Peuple Murundi)
  A lakeside bar and restaurant where hippos often surface just beyond the terrace.
• Sunset drinks at Saga Beach (Kinindo lakeshore)
  Cocktails on the sand as the sky turns orange over the mountains of Congo.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Primus bars of Kinindo (Kinindo)
  Big bottles of Primus and Amstel in a neighbourhood bar is the true Bujumbura evening.

Off the Beaten Path

• Banana beer in Kamenge (Kamenge)
  Urwarwa, the traditional banana beer, shared in a local bar.

Must-Haves

• Hotel Club du Lac Tanganyika (Kinindo lakeshore)
  A long-running lakeside hotel with gardens, a pool and its own stretch of beach.
• Hotel Source du Nil (Chaussée Prince Louis Rwagasore)
  A large, well-known city hotel with a pool close to the centre.

Great for Date Night

• Hotel Botanika (Rohero)
  A small garden hotel with a calm courtyard and one of the city's better kitchens.

Fun for Everyone

• Roca Golf Hotel (Rohero)
  A central business hotel with a pool, handy for first nights and meetings.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Kiriri Garden Hotel (Kiriri hills)
  A hillside hotel with sweeping views over the city and the lake.

Must-Haves

• Chez André (Rohero)
  A Bujumbura institution for grilled fish, brochettes and long lunches in a leafy garden.

Great for Date Night

• Botanika Restaurant (Rohero)
  Candlelit garden dining with European and local dishes.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Lake fish grills at Saga Beach (Kinindo lakeshore)
  Whole grilled mukeke and ndagala with chips and pili pili, eaten with your toes in the sand.
• Brochette stalls of Buyenzi (Buyenzi)
  Goat brochettes and grilled plantain from the neighbourhood that never sleeps.

Fun for Everyone

• Zion Beach (Kinindo lakeshore)
  A relaxed beach bar and restaurant with music, sand and lake views.

Must-Haves

• Café Gourmand (Rohero)
  A popular café for pastries, coffee and light meals in the centre.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Burundian coffee at the central cafés (City centre)
  A chance to taste the country's fine arabica where it is grown.

Must-Haves

• Independence Monument (Place de l'Indépendance)
  The city's central square, a good start to a walking tour of the old colonial core.
• Prince Louis Rwagasore Mausoleum (Vugizo hill)
  The resting place of the independence hero, with views back over the city.

Off the Beaten Path

• Monument de l'Unité (Kiriri hills)
  A hilltop monument to national unity with one of the best views over Bujumbura.
• Islamic Cultural Centre (Rohero)
  The striking mosque and cultural centre near the city centre, a landmark of the skyline.

Fun for Everyone

• Regina Mundi Cathedral (City centre)
  The city's Catholic cathedral, lively and full of song on Sunday mornings.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Kinama market (Kinama)
  A busy neighbourhood market full of fruit, cassava and fabrics.
• Jabe market (Bwiza)
  Kitenge fabric, spices and everyday life in one of the city's oldest quarters.

Fun for Everyone

• Tailors of Bwiza (Bwiza)
  Pick a bright kitenge print and have a shirt or dress made within days.
• Coffee to take home (City centre)
  Bags of Burundian specialty coffee make the best gift.

Must-Haves

• Livingstone and Stanley Monument (Mugere, south of Bujumbura)
  A stone marking where the two explorers stopped in 1871, with lake views on the way.

Fun for Everyone

• Kinindo beaches (Kinindo lakeshore)
  A string of sandy beaches south of the city for swimming in shallow, guarded areas.

Off the Beaten Path

• Kiriri hills walk (Kiriri)
  Morning walks above the city with fresh air and a view of the whole lake shore.

Great for Date Night

• Sunset over Lake Tanganyika (Lakeshore)
  Every clear evening the sun drops behind the Congo mountains in a blaze of colour.

Must-Haves

• Independence Day, 1 July (Across the city)
  Parades, music and flags for the national day.

Fun for Everyone

• Sunday football at Intwari Stadium (Rohero)
  Local league matches in a stadium full of drums and song.

Off the Beaten Path

• Rwagasore Day, 13 October (Vugizo hill)
  Ceremonies honouring the prince who led Burundi to independence.

Must-Haves

• Gishora Drum Sanctuary (Gishora hill, near Gitega)
  The home of the royal drummers, where performances of the UNESCO listed ritual dance shake the ground.
• National Museum of Gitega (Town centre)
  The country's main museum of royal regalia, drums, tools and old photographs.

Fun for Everyone

• Christ the King Cathedral (Town centre)
  The large cathedral at the heart of the old royal capital.

Must-Haves

• Gitega Central Market (Town centre)
  Baskets, pottery, fruit and the bustle of the interior's biggest market town.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Brochette and beer spots in the centre (Town centre)
  Goat brochettes, grilled bananas and cold beer at simple local bars.

Fun for Everyone

• Gitega market food stalls (Central Market)
  Beans, cassava bread and fresh fruit straight from the farms.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Fresh milk bars (Town centre)
  Cups of fresh or fermented milk in the cattle country of the interior.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Mission guesthouses in Gitega (Town centre)
  Simple, clean church-run rooms that welcome travellers.

Must-Haves

• Source of the Nile at Rutovu (Rutovu, Bururi)
  The small spring and stone pyramid marking the southernmost source of the Nile, a short drive south.

Off the Beaten Path

• Ruvubu National Park (East of Gitega)
  Burundi's largest park, with hippos, buffalo and river forest far from any crowds.
• Nyakazu Fault (Rutana)
  A dramatic escarpment, the German Gap, with huge views east over the plains.

Fun for Everyone

• Karera Falls (Rutana)
  A series of waterfalls tumbling through green hills, good for a picnic.

Must-Haves

• Royal drum performances on national days (Gishora and Gitega)
  The drummers perform at celebrations, a sight never forgotten.

Fun for Everyone

• Sunday mass in Gitega (Christ the King Cathedral)
  Powerful choirs and a glimpse of community life.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Walk the hills around Gitega (Gitega hills)
  Footpaths between banana groves and homesteads show rural Burundi at its most beautiful.

Must-Haves

• Rumonge lake beaches (Rumonge)
  Golden sand and clear water far quieter than the city beaches.

Off the Beaten Path

• Kigwena Forest Reserve (North of Rumonge)
  A rare lowland forest by the lake with monkeys and birdlife.
• Nyanza-Lac beaches (Nyanza-Lac, south of Rumonge)
  Long, empty beaches near the Tanzanian border.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Rumonge fish market (Rumonge)
  Lake fish and ndagala landed and sold at dawn.

Off the Beaten Path

• Palm oil sellers of Rumonge (Rumonge)
  The region's red palm oil, central to Burundian cooking.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Grilled fish on the Rumonge shore (Rumonge)
  Fresh lake fish grilled within sight of the boats that caught it.

Off the Beaten Path

• Lakeside guesthouses in Rumonge (Rumonge)
  Simple rooms a few steps from the water.

Must-Haves

• Lake Tanganyika coast road (Bujumbura to Rumonge)
  One of the prettiest drives in the region, between mountains and water.

Off the Beaten Path

• Rumonge mosque and old town (Rumonge)
  A lake town shaped by Swahili traders, with a long Muslim heritage.

Fun for Everyone

• Market days in Rumonge (Rumonge)
  The town fills with traders from across the south.

Must-Haves

• Kibira rainforest walks (Teza and Rwegura sectors)
  Ancient montane rainforest with tree ferns, orchids and loud colobus monkeys.

Off the Beaten Path

• Chimpanzee tracking in Kibira (Kibira forest)
  Chimpanzees live here, though sightings are never guaranteed.
• Rwegura dam lake (Rwegura)
  A quiet reservoir surrounded by forest and tea.

Fun for Everyone

• Birdwatching on the Albertine Rift (Kibira forest)
  Rift endemics and turacos for keen birders.

Great for Date Night

• Mountain views on the Bugarama road (Bugarama)
  Cool air and dramatic ridges on the road up from Bujumbura.

Must-Haves

• Teza tea estate (Teza)
  Emerald tea terraces at the forest edge, beautiful in the morning mist.

Fun for Everyone

• Rwegura tea estate (Rwegura)
  Rolling tea fields and a factory on the northern edge of the forest.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Kayanza market (Kayanza)
  A big hill town market on the road north, full of produce and coffee.

Must-Haves

• Kayanza coffee cooperatives (Kayanza)
  The region grows some of Burundi's finest specialty coffee.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Bugarama roadside brochettes (Bugarama)
  The traditional stop for brochettes and grilled potatoes on the way north.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Kayanza guesthouses (Kayanza)
  Basic rooms in the hill town near the forest.

Must-Haves

• Rusizi delta hippo viewing (Rusizi delta sector)
  Hippos, crocodiles and pelicans where the river meets Lake Tanganyika.

Fun for Everyone

• Rusizi boat trip (Rusizi delta)
  A short boat ride to see hippos up close with park guides.

Off the Beaten Path

• La Palmeraie sector (Rusizi National Park)
  Groves of wild palms and quiet trails for birding.

Great for Date Night

• Rusizi sunset (Rusizi delta)
  Golden light over the delta with the city skyline behind.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Lakeshore beside the delta (Rusizi delta)
  A quiet strip of shore with fishermen mending nets.

Must-Haves

• Birdwatching in the delta (Rusizi delta)
  Herons, kingfishers and migrant birds in their hundreds.

Fun for Everyone

• Park entrance and guided walk (Rusizi delta entrance)
  Guides lead short walks along the river channels.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Morning wildlife drive from Bujumbura (Rusizi National Park)
  Close enough for an early trip before the heat builds.

Fun for Everyone

• Stay in Bujumbura for Rusizi (Bujumbura lakeshore)
  The park is a short drive from the city hotels.