Mukura forest is among the few remaining Afro- mountain forest in Rwanda. It is located in the western of Rwanda and it is a reliable natural source that serves the great lakes areas as well as the international society. This forest is just 3 hours from Kigali and was once part of Gishwati and Nyungwe forest before it became an independent forest reserve in 1951 covering a space of about 30000 hectares. Unfortunately almost 50% of this forest has been cleared by people searching land for their human activities and this has led to the loss of great biodiversity.
The Numerous Colorful Birds
The forest is a home to about 134 of bird species, 14 species are Albertine endemic and 2 other species, the Grauer’s rush warbler and Kivu ground thrush are listed among the threaten species. This is a beautiful place worth visiting on your Safari in Rwanda
The Different Tree Species
Besides the birds, this forest is also a home to about 402 different species of mammals, there are different reptiles species and amphibians, lots of different insects as well as 60 different tree species. The largest part of this forest is covered with softwood plantation like the Pinus, callitris, there are cupressus, among so many others but there is also the hard wood like the bamboo
Primate Watching
You can go for a nature walk and during this nature walk, you can expect to see the chimpanzees, golden monkeys, vevert monkeys, other small animals and rodents, there are the white and black colobus monkeys, mammals include the red river hogs, the black-fronted duiker, the tree hyrax, to mention but a few. You can also get to see all these attractions by going for a bird watching adventure, primate trekking following the already set up trekking trails in the forest.
Community visits
a rewarding activity especially for those that are interested in interacting with the locals. The communities close to this park has very friendly people who have also responded positively to the existence of this park. They are engaged in income generating activities like making crafts which they sell to the visitors as souvenirs. They make items like the hand woven baskets, there are mats, do woodcarvings and others are part of the dance and drama troops which entertain tourists when they visit their communities at a small fee. This kind of cultural tourism can be inspiration to both the tourists and the locals and enables both parties have a wide range of cultural experiences, they can always learn something new from one another during this interaction.
Following the massive destruction of the forest, the government of Rwanda is working together with the locals and other responsible bodies to ensure that they restore and protect this forest. The existence of this forest is so useful in a sense that it can be helpful in case of disasters like floods and also protect the different vegetation from extinction.
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