Skip to content
See You
Tanzania

Ibanda-Kyerwa

National Park · TANAPA

Savanna and river valleys on the Kagera, where Tanzania meets Rwanda and Uganda.

Edited by Kabeer Dalvi

Area
294 km²
Established
2019
Region
Kyerwa District, Kagera Region
Best time
July–September and December–February
01The park

Wildlife

  • Buffalo
  • Roan antelope
  • Topi
  • Eland
  • Waterbuck
  • Leopard
  • Hippo
  • Blue monkey
  • African fish eagle

Ibanda-Kyerwa, gazetted on 5 July 2019, covers 294 square kilometres in the far north-west corner of Tanzania. There the Kagera River forms the border with Rwanda to the west and Uganda to the north. On the Rwandan bank lies Akagera National Park. The park had been a game reserve since 1971.

The country is savanna, rolling hills, river valleys and woodland. TANAPA lists buffalo, roan, topi, eland, impala and waterbuck on the plains, leopard along the river, hippos in the Kagera, and blue monkeys in the forest. It records more than 200 bird species.

You see it on game drives and on foot. Facilities are few: a public campsite inside the park, and simple places to stay in Murongo, the border town.

02What to do

  • The Kagera River

    The border river that gives the park its shape, full of hippos.

  • Akagera across the water

    Rwanda's national park lies on the far bank.

  • Three countries

    Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda meet on the river here.

  • Walking safaris

    Guided on foot, in country almost nobody visits.

03Getting there

By road from Bukoba to Murongo (221 km), or from Uganda through the Kikagati–Murongo border post, about 4 km from the park gate. Light aircraft can fly from Bukoba or Chato to an airstrip in the park.

04On the Kagera River

The park's western and northern edges are the Kagera River. To the west it is the border with Rwanda, and it divides Ibanda-Kyerwa from Rwanda's Akagera National Park, which takes its name from the river. To the north it is the border with Uganda.

The Kagera is the biggest river flowing into Lake Victoria, bringing about 6.4 billion cubic metres of water a year. It carries water from the most distant sources of the Nile, in Rwanda and Burundi. From here it flows east along the Ugandan border to the lake. It also gives Kagera Region its name.

The country is part of the old Karagwe kingdom, and the home of the Nyambo people. For the kingdom's story, see Rumanyika-Karagwe, the nearby park named after its best-known king.

05What lives here

Mammals. TANAPA's brochure lists buffalo, roan antelope, topi, eland, impala, waterbuck and reedbuck on the savanna, leopards in the woodland along the river, hippos in the Kagera, and blue monkeys and other primates in the forest.

Birds. TANAPA records more than 200 species. Among those it names are the African fish eagle, African olive pigeon, augur buzzard, bar-tailed trogon, black saw-wing, cinnamon-chested bee-eater, Egyptian goose and great crested grebe.

06From game reserve to national park

TANAPA says the area was made a game reserve in 1971 and a national park on 5 July 2019, covering 294 km². Wikipedia gives 1974 and 200 km²; we use TANAPA's figures. It became a national park in the same year as Burigi-Chato and Rumanyika-Karagwe, the other two Kagera parks.

TANAPA's map shows gates at Mabare in the north and Kihinda in the east, a public campsite at Kihinda, two permanent tented camps at Kamwezi and Kichini, and an airstrip, Ibanda A, in the north.

07Getting in, what it costs, and when to go

Getting there. By road, it is 221 km from Bukoba to Murongo through Omurushaka, or 327 km from Biharamulo through Benako and Omurushaka. From Uganda, the Kikagati–Murongo border post is about 4 km from the park gate. By air, fly to Bukoba or Chato, then take a light aircraft to the Ihanda airstrip in Karagwe District or the airstrip inside the park. Rumanyika-Karagwe's Rugasha gate is about 8 km from the same border post, so the two parks fit on one trip.

What you do. Game drives through the savanna and along the Kagera, and walking safaris. The fee schedule also lists night game drives and sport fishing here.

Fees. Ibanda-Kyerwa is in TANAPA's lower band, with one rate all year: USD 30 per non-East African adult per day, USD 10 for children aged 5 to 15 and TZS 5,000 for East African citizens, all before 18 per cent VAT, so USD 35.40 in practice. Public camping is USD 30 per person per night. A walk is USD 20–25, a night game drive USD 50, sport fishing USD 25 a day and a park guide USD 20 per group per day.

Staying. The brochure lists a public campsite inside the park, where you bring your own camp, and affordable places to stay in Murongo.

When to go. TANAPA gives short rains in October and November and long rains from March to May. Its best times are July to September and December to February.

Fees are from TANAPA's own 2023/24 tariff schedule, the most recent it has published, and are quoted before 18 per cent VAT. They may have gone up since, so check them before you budget.

08Common questions
Where is Ibanda-Kyerwa National Park?
In Kyerwa District, Kagera Region, in the far north-west corner of Tanzania. The Kagera River is its border with Rwanda to the west and Uganda to the north.
Is Ibanda-Kyerwa next to Akagera National Park?
Yes. Rwanda's Akagera National Park is on the other bank of the Kagera River. The river is the border between them.
What animals live in Ibanda-Kyerwa?
Buffalo, roan antelope, topi, eland, impala, waterbuck, reedbuck, leopard, hippos in the Kagera, and blue monkeys. TANAPA records more than 200 bird species.
How do you get to Ibanda-Kyerwa?
By road from Bukoba to Murongo (221 km), or from Uganda through the Kikagati–Murongo border post, about 4 km from the park gate. Light aircraft can fly from Bukoba or Chato.
How much does it cost to visit Ibanda-Kyerwa?
TANAPA's 2023/24 schedule sets USD 30 per non-East African adult per day, the same all year, before 18 per cent VAT, so USD 35.40 in practice. Camping is USD 30 per person per night.
When is the best time to visit Ibanda-Kyerwa?
TANAPA recommends July to September and December to February. The long rains fall from March to May and the short rains in October and November.

Edited by Kabeer Dalvi

Checked against

The country around it
All the parks