Burigi – Chato National Park

Burigi-Chato National Park is a large piece of wild country stretching from Lake Victoria in the East to the Rwandan boundary in the West, encompassing fresh water lakes, long hills, rocky crags along escarpments, deeply set valleys lined with forest, open plains, swamps, rivers, flood plains and hundreds of square kilometres of medium and tall grass wooded savanna – mostly known as Miombo woodlands. The Burigi Chato National Park is a typical savannah grasslands area situated close to Lake Victoria in the Tanzanian side and borders Rwanda and is surrounded by the wondrous waters of the Kagera River and Lake Burigi. It was gazetted as a National Park in 2019 Burigi Chato covers 4,707 sq. km making it the 4th largest National Park in Tanzania.

The National Park is home to Lake Burigi, the 3rd largest lake in the Tanzania and is the main draw of tourists here. Lake Burigi is a long lake with a number of islands, inlets, and bays along its length, some of which is swampy and is home to the rare sitatunga antelope, and possibly also the even rarer shoebill stork. Safaris to this safari park will grant you opportunities to spot some of the rare African species like the sitatunga.  The lakesare situated along a winding valley that is covered in trees and sporadic palms. They are tranquil and beautiful and provide wonderful opportunities for boating and water-borne game viewing, as well as sites for camps and small lodges. There is an atmosphere here of untouched remote wilderness, and that a exploring it would not reveal all its corners and treasures.

Burigi-Chato National Park has an ecosystem that is interconnected with other ecosystems of Rwanda Akagera National Park and Uganda’s Kikati game reserve, rangeland are to the north of the Katungo River and the lake Mburo National park in Uganda.

Wildlife in Burigi – Chato National Park

Burigi-Chato National Park 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-Chato National Park, especially for the elephants.

The commonly spotted wildlife species during safaris here include; elephant, buffaloes, antelopes, lions, leopards, zebras, giraffes, chimpanzees, and chimpanzees. For bird lovers, you will grab a chance to spot some of the rare bird species including; the fish eagles, papyrus ganolek, and bizarre shoebill stork.

Best time to Visit Burigi – Chato National Park

The park is open all year round to tourists, but the dry season, which lasts from June to September, is best for visiting, especially if you want to see wildlife, while the wet months, which last from March to May and from November to December, are perfect for bird watching!

Getting to Burigi – Chato National Park

Burigi – Chato National Park can be reached either by flight or by road. 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 of a road trip in Tanzania.

Seasons in Burigi – Chato National Park

There are two rainfall peaks in this region of East Africa. The rain seasons are two which occurs in November/December, and the other in March/April and from June to October, there is dry weather with little rains.

The temperatures during the dry seasons are lovely, with mild nights and warm days. Since the weather is dry from June to October, wildlife will be increasingly more concentrated around the lakes and the numerous freshwater springs scattered across the Park. The most preferable season for game viewing is during the dry season.