Burundi Safari Guide – National parks & Things to do: Car Rental Burundi.
Burundi is Often called “the heart of Africa,” Burundi covers an area of 27,834 square kilometers and lies between 2º30’ and 4º30’ latitude South and between 28º50’ and 30º53’30’ longitude East. Bounded to the North by Rwanda, to the West by the Democratic Republic of Congo, and to the East and South by Tanzania, Burundi is part of East-Central Africa. It is part of the region of great lakes and rift valleys, which extends through Central Africa from the Red Sea to Lake Malawi through Ethiopia.
Burundi is a landlocked country
Distances as the crow flies:
From Bujumbura to the Indian ocean Port:1,100 km
From Bujumbura to the Atlantic ocean Port: 1,900 km
Surface distances:
Dar-es-Salaam to Kigoma: 1,250 km by rail
Kigoma to Bujumbura: 176 km by navigating: crossing Lake Tanganika
Mombasa to Kampala to Kigali to Bujumbura: 2,200 km.
LandScapes of Burundi.
The Rusizi plain, where the climate is tropical
The Congo-Nile Ridge, where the climate is mild and temperate; this area includes the great secondary forest of Kibira
The central plateau, featuring rolling hills
The depressions of the East and North-East, featuring tree-dotted savanna
Climate
Burundi has a “moderate” tropical climate with average temperatures between 23 and 24ºC. This is a gift from nature to have such an average near the Equatorial area known for its heat and humidity. In Bujumbura city where it is hotter, average temperatures are about 25ºC. The country has two important seasons: the dry season from June to September and the rainy season from February to May. The remaining time is made up of middle seasons- half-dry and half-rainy-with a short rainy season between September and December and a short dry season between January and February. The vegetation is lush and agriculture important.
Hydrography
The originality of Burundi’s hydrography lies in the role played by the Congo Nile Ridge in the division of the catchment basins. There are two basins: The basin of the River Congo, comprising all the rivers to the West of the ridge and the Kumoso, a tributary of the Maragarazi river. The Nile basin, comprising all the tributaries of the Ruvubu and the Kanyaru. With this basin, Burundi can claim to possess the Southernmost source of the Nile River, located near Rutovu commune, where a pyramid was erected in 1938. In addition to Lake Tanganyika, there are many inland lakes commonly known as the “bird lakes” in the North-East of the country; among them are lakes Rwihinda, Cohoha, Rweru, and Kanzigiri.
