Welcome to Rumanyika-Karagwe National Park: Once an 800-square-kilometer game reserve Due to human encroachment, Rumanyika-Karagwe’s had fallen to 247 sq. km as of July 2019, yet it is still a stunning place with a lot of promise for photographic tourism. It has a moderate climate, but the elevation has a significant impact on temperature variation.
The rest of the year can have rain, some of it very heavy, with up to 1,300 mm in the western areas of the park. The dry season lasts from June to October. Yet, a large portion of the park is well-drained, making the majority of its areas accessible year-round.
The area’s main feature is a rather deep valley with a slow-moving river at its foot that divides into lakes and bogs. Tallgrass savanna, wooded areas, and dense brush make up the lower slopes of the valley. A montane forest covers several of the hills’ higher slopes. The expansive, beautiful, Acacia-tall grass woodlands are maintained relatively open by controlled seasonal burns.
A visitor to Rumanyika National Park can take advantage of the park’s many activities, including day and night game drives, camping, bush meals, bird viewing, and beautiful landscapes.
Visit the park to witness the wildlife that calls Rumanyika-Karagwe home and to support the park. Supporting local economies and preserving biodiversity for future generations are two benefits of visiting parks.
Visitors to Rumanyika-Karagwe National Park can observe giraffes, buffalo, impalas, waterbucks, leopards, zebras, bushbucks, and baboons, which is one of the park’s unique features.
CLIMATIC CONDITIONS
Mountains that divide at their bases into swampy lowlands define the Karagwe district. Its altitude varies between 1500 and 1800 meters above sea level. Its wetlands are located between 1150 and 1450 meters above sea level. The national park of Rumanyika-Karagwe has a tropical high climate. The average yearly temperature is 26 degrees Celsius. From March through May and September through December, it rains. Rumanyika-Karagwe National Park receives 1,277mm of precipitation annually.
VEGETATION DISTRIBUTION
It has a sub-humid, semi-arid savannah with four-meter-tall trees. The majority of deciduous and broad-leaved species, including the Acacia Combretum, can be found in the woodland savannah. Since the Rumanyika-Karagwe National Park is surrounded by a river and has a water drainage pattern, it is a water-based forest.
WILDLIFE
Although there are currently no significant game viewing trails, once they are built, visitors will be able to see a wide range of species, including elephants, buffalo, sitatunga, waterbuck, leopard, duiker, monkeys, and baboons, as well as a wide variety of birds.
Chimpanzees and gorillas are being assessed by TANAPA to determine whether they are present in the area. If and when this occurs, people will be able to enjoy viewing these giant apes in a very wild environment.
THE ATTRACTIONS FOUND IN RUMANYIKA-KARAGWE NATIONAL PARK
Tourists can explore a variety of attractions in the park, usually for their inherent or shown natural or cultural value, historical significance, or natural or manmade beauty, which offers leisure, adventure, and delight.
Wild creatures. Visitors to Rumanyika-Karagwe National Park can view giraffe, buffalo, impala, waterbuck, leopard, zebra, bushbuck, and baboons, which is one of the park’s unique features. It’s challenging to visit this lovely park and not be awestruck by the quantity and variety of birds you observe. This is facilitated by the wide variety of vegetation types and altitudes.
TOURISM ACTIVITIES
- When visiting Rumanyika National Park, a visitor can enjoy various activities in the park, such as:
- Activities
- Game driving
- Walking safaris
- Bird watching
- Camping
- Picnicking
- Canoeing
- Sport fishing
- Boat excursion
ACCOMMODATION
You can currently set up your own camp and stay in the park. There are initiatives underway to promote year-round camping as well as permanent campgrounds and hotels. The closest town with lodging is Morongo, which is located in Kayanga Bukoba.
GETTING THERE
By Air: There are airports at Chato and Bukoba from which light aircraft can fly to the Ibanda-Kyerwa airstrip.
By Road: The distances between Bukoba Town and Murongo are 220 km and 327 km, respectively. Murongo is reachable by road from Uganda and Rwanda via the Kikagati border, or from Rwanda via the Rusumo border via Karagwe.
SAFARI IDEAS
Together, Rumanyika Karagwe and Ibanda make up a safari destination, with Rumanyika Karagwe serving as a place to observe chimpanzees or gorillas and Ibanda providing open savannas with plains game and the possibility of spotting leopards as well as hippo and crocodiles in lakes and the Kagera River. Travelers from Rwanda and Uganda will also enjoy visiting these two national parks.
