Fun things to do in Burundi

We past this building on the corner of the major road that goes in to Bujumburra from near where our guest house was located - so its quite a way out of the city centre but apart from 2 flags out the front how to know if and when this 'office' is open?

Would certainly be good to have maps and tourist information - though we were given some info before leaving London on a few of the sights to see around Burundi and it would for sure be an interesting and attractive place to get out of the city and see more of.

We drove 2 hours to a village where people of a Twa tribe lived - and it was picturesque countryside along the way.

The Post Office in Bujumburra downtown had a good range of interesting postcards with good photos of wildlife and scenes from around Burundi - along with stamps and philatelic items.

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The Royal Drummers of Burundi are a percussion ensemble from Burundi and a famed part of Burundi culture and tradition.

Drums are regarded as sacred in Burundi and the traditions and techniques remain unchanged and passed down through the generations from father to sons apparently for generations. Performances have been an important part of births, funerals and coronations of kings.

The ensemble is made up of a leading central drum, drums that provide a continuous beat and drums that follow the rhythm of the lead drum. All members take turns playing the central drum, dancing, resting and playing the other drums and rotating through the performance without interuption.

I love hearing and seeing the music of the culture of the place that I visit and when we found out about Burundis famed music/drummers we hoped to be able to fit a performance into the groups schedule - this eventually couldnt happen....but on the last morning I went into town with our host to go to the Post office...which had collectors stamp sheets of the Royal Drummers for sale...and then the incredible blessing to me and the musical and arty friend that came with me that just around the corner were the Royal drummers playing outside the town hall!! Amazing!

and what a must-do tip this is if you are in Burundi or if you have the chance to see a group touring near you (eg they came to London last year)

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Ive been collecting stamps since I was a child and I recall getting stamps from Burundi in the standing order collections that came - and then on through the years when getting quality philatelic stamp orders - I recall them being interesting stamps particularly with politics or colourful flowers and animals as most stamps generally are known for from around the African countries.

Ive avidly obtained stamps and postcards from the countries Ive visited - to post to friends and family and myself! - and thankfully I was taken to the postoffice in Bujumburra by my host on our last morning to buy stamps and postcards to get written and posted before we flew out that afternooon.

So when I was in the Post office I was able to take note of what was available philately wise - lo and behold was an old Princess Diana special stamp sheet that I was able to get for only about £2! and Royal Burundi drummer stamps....as we had wanted to go see them as a famed and notable must-do when visiting Burundi but we had been unable to fit them into our schedule....but little did I know what was around the corner...as per other tip and travelogue here on my page!!

Anyway - so postcards are available here in the post office, so are stamps and so are philatelic items.

A philatelic blog that Ive been reading has pointed out that high value denomination stamps become much more valuable whereas the lower values are never worth much...but that fairly stands to reason...but if you are collector than its the complete set that generally creates the value in your collection.

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Not just a shopping tip but an opportunity to take when in Burundi - the colours, patterns and designs on the fabrics and ready made oufits here are beautiful and all the African women in our group had high priority plans to go shopping when we had the chance!

Even I bought an African dress - in my favourite colour green! and back in London other African friends have remarked on the quality...we paid about £35 for sets with a dress, wrap underskirt and headband - in lovely designs and workmanship.

We went to several shops/stalls to compare prices, qualities and designs but the ladies didnt really have to go far to be looking and choosing items that they liked and were happy with - we did a bit of bargaining but they were basically very happy with the prices we were getting.

The markets we went to in the middle of Bujumburra were huge - inside huge warehouse type corrugated iron roofed sheds - I took my camera of course and thought Id be fine....it became clear people particularly did not want their photos taken, and security wise there were just too many people in the market with only narrow tracks between stalls and hanging garments and so on....I packed my camera into my racksack which I kept in front of me.. I had nothing of valuable in the front zip pocket on my rucksack that was to my front but the zip was unzipped as I walked along soooo many times!!!

so a big warning....absolutely dont take your valuables and what you do take of value such as your money to shop with then keep it absolutely safe under anything that will prevent pickpockets from getting access as they are rife and ready and very swifty!

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Lake Tanganyika is a huge lake bordered by Burundi and the Congo - actually it is the second largest freshwater lake in the world!

We went to several places to look for hippos that live here and apparently often come into the shallower waters along the shores - crocodiles do too apparently! - both are known for being extremely dangerous creatures but for photo opportunities for our visit to an African country it was unfortunate that we didnt see any!

There were quite a number of guys in the water either fishing or swimming or even washing their bicycles.

On the way back from our visit to a village of Twa people we stopped in at Club Tanganyika beside the lake to also see if we could spot any wildlife still to no avail - the shore here is covered in lovely soft sand and waves were crashing like being beside the sea and we got nice views though across the lake to Bujumburra and to Congo on the other side.

...but no hippo or crocodile sightings :(

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Lake Tanganyika, is a large fresh water lake, part of the Rift Valley system.
It is pleasant to stroll along at the water's edge and see the pier and people enjoying themselves in the water. The lake plays an integral role in the life of the country with regards to transport , navigation, leisure activities, as well as being the source of the water supply.
Even away from the Lake itself, it can be seen in the distance from elevated points oer high buildings.

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You could call this place either completely crazy or even fun. Either way you will never see a zoo like this one. The Musée Vivant was once a full zoo before the civil war and many of its prized animals disappeared. It still has some interesting collections. When I arrived I was ushered in a by my friendly guide and the first building we came to contained fish tanks with no lights, making the fish very hard to see. There was also a large cage with Guinea Pigs inside. When I asked about the Guinea Pigs they explained they were there to feed the crocodiles and alligators. Next stop was a crocodile. Well 2 eyes sticking out of the water anyway. When I walked around the other side of the enclosure the crocodile came completely out of the water. “You want to feed him a Guinea Pig now?” I was asked. Next I was taken over to the Chimpanzees who seemed to have a lot of cigarette ends around their cage. Yes, they do smoke if given cigarettes. I was advised not to get too close as they had a habit of grabbing visitors and ripping their clothes. Then on to see a Dik-Dik and a Klipspriner you can actually pet. Next was the Snake House. When I asked about the Cobra, my guide said “I will make him angry so you can see him better”. He then duly began to hit the underside of the cage and Mr. Cobra did get angry. This cage hitting continued at several other cages. Then on past some enclosures that are now empty and on to the young Leopard in a cage. After that it’s on to some life-size models of a King’s home. And then the tour was over.

This is the only remotely Tourist thing to do in Bujumbura, but its definitely interactive. So if you want to feed Crocodiles and Alligators, definitely visit!

Admission is 5000 BFr, opening hours are ‘flexible’.

When visiting Burundi you should not miss the lake Tanganyika valley and the highlands in the north. When you arrive from the north towards Bujumbura you pass by a spot in the outskirts of Bujumbura from where there is a spectacular view overlooking the city down in the valley and the Tanganyika lake.