Burundi is one of those small countries that many people know very little about. For those who have heard of it, the country’s long history of civil war, political instability, poverty, and armed conflict has often dominated its reputation.
I had actually known about Burundi since my early travel days. In 1999, while traveling in Tanzania, I met someone who knew the country and described the civil war taking place there. Years later, Burundi caught my attention again when I saw it ranked at the very bottom of an international happiness survey.
By the time I finally traveled there, I was prepared for the worst in almost every category.
Instead, Burundi surprised me. I found friendly people, better roads than I expected, beautiful scenery around Lake Tanganyika, and even some surprisingly upscale places around the capital. The country certainly had serious problems, but the Burundi I experienced was more complicated than the image I had formed before arriving.
Explore Bujumbura
Bujumbura sits along the shores of Lake Tanganyika and was Burundi’s capital when I visited. After years of civil war and militant attacks, parts of the city were experiencing a period of relative stability and development. Along the lake I found beaches and newer developments, while the hills above the city had some of Bujumbura’s nicer restaurants, reminders of the civil war, and excellent views across the city and Lake Tanganyika.
Explore Rusizi National Park
Just outside Bujumbura, Rusizi National Park was one of the easiest places for me to experience Burundi’s wildlife. The park protects wetlands and habitat around the Rusizi River as it approaches Lake Tanganyika, and hippos were among the animals I came to see. The region is also associated with Gustave, the enormous Nile crocodile that became famous through stories claiming he had killed hundreds of people.
