Burigi Chato National Park Tanzania

Burigi Chato National Park – The National Park is situated close to the border of Lake Victoria border of Rwanda and is surrounded by the wondrous waters of the Kagera River and Lake Burigi

One of the special features about the wildlife of this park is that one of the largest antelopes of the world the statuesque Cape eland is found here.

Burigi Chato National Park the typical grasslands of the African Savannah. Burigi-Chato National Park also involves the other Ecosystems like Akagera National Park and Uganda’s Kikati game reserve, rangeland are to the north of the Katonga River and the Lake Mburo national park.

This National Park is set among the pictorial beauty of the lakes and the riverside which is a delight for the eyes of any tourist.

The National Park has a wide collection of wildlife and some of them are elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, lions, leopards, zebras, and giraffes.

Burigi Game Reserve supports a variety of wildlife species such as the Hippos, Elephants, Sitatunga, Impalas, lions, Roan antelopes, Elands, Oribis, Defassa waterbucks, Sable antelopes, and bushbucks among others in addition to over 28 bird species including the Saddle bill stork, African fish eagles, Senegal Lapwing, shoebill storks, wattled lapwings, wattled cranes, village weaver, Red-necked francolin, cattle egrets, white-browed Coucal and many others. One outstanding thing about this area is that there is a migratory path between Moyowosi and Burigi Game Reserves, especially for the elephants.

However, illegal activities such as hunting, poaching, and invasive fishing practices within the Protected Area have diversely affected the population of the wildlife species especially the elephants, and worse still, there is a large portion of the Lakeshore that is not protected by the Game Reserve which could affect the breeding of aquatic bird species especially the shoebill storks.

Size of Burigi Chato National Park

The Burigi – Chato National Park has more than 2,200 square kilometers making it the third National Park in Tanzania after Ruaha and Serengeti National Parks which ranks number one and two respectively in terms of size.

Location of Burigi Chato National Park

The Burigi Chato National Park is a savannah grasslands area of African situated close to Lake Victoria on the border of Rwanda and is surrounded by the wondrous waters of the Kagera River and Lake Burigi.

How to get to Burigi Chato National Park

Burigi – Chato National Park one may fly from Dar es Salaam to either Bukoba Airport then drive to Burigi or fly from Dar es Salaam to Chato Airport then drive to Burigi – Chato National Park. Alternatively, one can drive from Serengeti to Burigi – Chato National Park through Mwanza. However, given the distance from Dar es Salaam to Burigi – Chato National Park (more than 1000 km) it is advisable to fly than to drive unless you wish to explore and get an experience a road trip in Tanzania.

Things to do in Burigi Chato National Park

Burigi Game Reserve can be visited for a number of activities such as bird watching, game drives and nature walks to explore the exceptional attractions that are found within the area.

Wildlife and Birds of Burigi Chato National park

wildlife including Hippos, Elephants, Sitatunga, Impalas, lions, Roan antelopes, Elands, Oribis, Defassa waterbucks, Sable antelopes, and many others as well as bird species such as the Saddle bill stork, African fish eagles, Senegal Lapwing, shoebill storks, wattled lapwings, wattled cranes, village weaver, Red-necked francolin and many others worth exploring during a safari in Tanzania.

When to visit Burigi Chato National Park

The park is open all year round for visiting tourists but the dry season from June to September is favorable for visiting the site especially when it comes to game viewing while the wet months of March to May and November to December are ideal for the birding experience!