Burigi-Chato
National Park · TANAPA
Lakes, wetland and savanna in the far north-west, gazetted in 2019.
- Area
- 4,707 km²
- Established
- 2019
- Region
- Kagera Region
- Best time
- June–October
Wildlife
- Hippo
- Buffalo
- Roan antelope
- Sitatunga
- Waterbirds
Burigi-Chato was upgraded from game reserve to national park in 2019, part of a group of gazettements that substantially enlarged Tanzania's park system in the west. At 4,707 square kilometres it is among the larger parks in the country, and among the least developed for tourism.
The landscape is a mix of savanna, acacia woodland, wetland and a chain of lakes near the Rwandan and Ugandan borders. Wildlife populations suffered badly during the regional conflicts of the 1990s, when the area absorbed enormous refugee movements, and the park's present purpose is as much recovery as tourism.
Infrastructure is limited and visitor numbers are very low. It is included here for completeness and because it is likely to change over the next decade — but anyone going now should treat it as an expedition rather than a safari.
Lake Burigi
The park's main water body, with hippo and extensive birdlife.
Recovering populations
Wildlife numbers rebuilding after decades of pressure.
Kagera's rolling country
Green, hilly and unlike anywhere else on this list.
Almost no infrastructure
Go prepared, or wait a few years.
By road from Bukoba or Mwanza in the Lake Zone. There are no scheduled flights into the park.
Driving in is not practical. Camps here run their own vehicles, and we arrange the flight and the game drives instead of a hire.