Sustainable Travel · Burundi
Eco-Friendly Hotels in Kibira — Your 2026 Guide to Sustainable Stays
Kibira National Park is Burundi's emerald crown: a 40,000-hectare stretch of montane rainforest along the crest of the Congo–Nile Divide, where the country's tallest peaks rise to 2,666 metres and the forest holds chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, and an extraordinary bird community. The park is the southern extension of the great Albertine Rift rainforest that reaches up into Rwanda's Nyungwe Forest, and it protects the headwaters of the Nile's western branch — streams that feed the Congo River. Its name means 'big forest', and it delivers: misty trails through giant tree ferns and orchids, tea plantations at the forest edge, and some of the most reliable chimpanzee tracking in East Africa outside the big-ticket parks. Best of all, Kibira is almost empty of tourists. Every IMPT booking removes 1 tonne of CO₂ at the same rate as Booking.com.
Where to Stay in Kibira
Bujumbura Base Hotels
Burundi's capital, Bujumbura, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, is the main base — about 2.5 hours from the park's southern sector at Teza. The city has a growing selection of hotels from simple guesthouses to comfortable lakeside stays, all at low rates, with good food and reliable power. IMPT lists the full range, all at the same rate as Booking.com, and the 1-tonne carbon removal applies to every booking.
Teza & Rwegura Park Gate Lodges
The park has two main entry points with basic tourism infrastructure: Teza in the south, famous for its tea plantation and forest-edge lodge, and Rwegura in the north, with a simple guesthouse overlooking a reservoir and the forest. Both offer ranger-guided walks and chimp tracking permits. Facilities are modest — think simple rooms, generator power, and hearty local meals — but you sleep inside the rainforest belt.
Kayanza & Muramvya Guesthouses
The towns of Kayanza (north) and Muramvya (south, a UNESCO-listed cultural landscape) offer simple guesthouses for travellers who want slightly more comfort than the park gates provide. Muramvya is particularly pleasant — a hilltop town of colonial-era buildings and eucalyptus groves, 45 minutes from Teza. Both towns give easy access to the park's forest trails.
Every Kibira-area booking on IMPT retires 1 tonne of verified carbon credits on-chain — funded from our commission, never added to your rate. Search Kibira hotels now →
Chimpanzees, Colobus, and the Congo–Nile Crest
Kibira's star attraction is its chimpanzee population — estimated at 200–400 individuals, the country's largest — tracked on ranger-led walks from both Teza and Rwegura. Tracking is more rustic than in Rwanda or Uganda: no radio collars, so success depends on rangers reading the forest, and walks can be steep and wet. But when you find a group — and visitors often do within a day or two — the experience is intimate and untouristed. The park is also home to troops of black-and-white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, and the rare golden monkey at higher altitudes, plus forest elephants are occasionally reported from the northern sector.
For birders, Kibira is exceptional: over 200 species including the Albertine Rift endemics — the great blue turaco, Rwenzori turaco, handsome francolin, and the striking purple-breasted sunbird. The park's altitude range, from 1,100 metres at the forest edge to 2,666 metres at Mount Teza, creates distinct habitat bands, from lowland rainforest to bamboo and montane heath. The Congo–Nile Divide itself — the watershed between the two great African river systems — is a memorable hike. Book your Burundi hotels through IMPT and every night removes 1 tonne of CO₂.
How IMPT Makes Your Kibira Stay Carbon-Negative
Here's the maths. An average hotel night produces roughly 35 kg of CO₂ — from air conditioning, laundry, lighting, and food service. When you book any Kibira hotel through IMPT, we retire 1,000 kg of UN-verified carbon removal credits. That's 28 times what your stay produces. Not carbon-neutral — carbon-negative.
The cost to you? Zero. IMPT funds the removal from its booking commission. You pay the standard nightly rate — in fact, IMPT offers the same rate as Booking.com on the same room, with carbon removal built in. The carbon credits are tokenised on Ethereum, retired against a named project, with a public retire code anyone can verify. No double-counting. No greenwashing. Just verified carbon removal, every night.
- €5 free credit when you sign up — applied to your first Kibira booking
- 5% back on every stay — 3% funds carbon projects, 2% as travel credit
- 8M+ hotels worldwide, 195 countries — Kibira is just the start
- Free cancellation on most rates, typically up to 48 hours before check-in
Beyond Hotels — More Ways IMPT Works in Kibira
Shop through IMPT's 25,000+ retail partners for cashback on purchases that also offset carbon. Send someone a trip credit gift to visit Kibira — IMPT plants trees with named farmers, GPS-tagged and photo-verified.
For business travel, IMPT's B2B Corporate Travel platform gives you exclusive rates, automatic ESG reporting, and a single dashboard tracking every booking's carbon impact. Companies with CSRD compliance needs get automated sustainability reporting out of the box.
Interested in running IMPT in Burundi? Country Ownership offers 50% revenue share on every transaction from Burundi-registered users, with 8% APY staking yield. Book a call →
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get to Kibira National Park?
Kibira is in northwest Burundi. From Bujumbura, the Teza gate is about 2.5 hours by car (via Muramvya), and the Rwegura gate about 3 hours (via Kayanza). Roads are paved most of the way with good gravel to the gates. A 4WD is recommended in the wet season; permits and guides are arranged at the gates or through the national parks office (OBPE) in Bujumbura.
Can I see chimpanzees at Kibira?
Yes — Kibira holds Burundi's largest chimpanzee population, and ranger-guided tracking operates from both Teza and Rwegura. Tracking is not guaranteed (no habituated groups with fixed locations), so allow at least a full day and be prepared for steep, wet forest walking. Sightings are reported most days by early starters.
When is the best time to visit Kibira?
The drier seasons (June–September and December–February) are best — tracks are less muddy, and chimps and birds are more active. The park is misty and cool year-round (10–20°C), so bring warm layers and waterproofs regardless of season.
Is Kibira safe to visit?
Yes. The park is well-managed by OBPE with ranger guides, and Burundi has been peaceful and welcoming to tourists since the 2015–2017 unrest settled. As with any remote forest, travel with a guide, use a trusted driver, and check current advice before travelling.
What else is there to do around Kibira?
The tea plantations at Teza are beautiful and photogenic; Muramvya is a UNESCO-listed cultural landscape with royal sites and colonial architecture; and Bujumbura offers Lake Tanganyika beaches, the Rusizi delta, and the source of the Nile marker. A Kibira–Bujumbura–Rusizi loop makes a great 4–5 day itinerary.
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