Tourist Places to Visit in Rutana, Burundi, South Africa, Africa

Tourist Places to Visit in Rutana, Burundi, South Africa, Africa

Rutana is a town and the administrative centre of Rutana Province in the southern part of Burundi, situated at an elevation of 1,719 meters. It is well known for its nearness with the two famous natural tourist attractions, the Mount Kikizi and Chutes de la Kagera (Kagera Falls).

Lying between latitude 3°55′ in the south and longitude 30°00′ in the west, Rutana is located around 130 km southeast of the national capital, Bujumbura. The province of Rutana is divided into 6 communes which covers a total area of 1,959.45 sq. km.

Connectivity to Rutana:

The major closest airport to Rutana is Bujumbura International Airport, situated around 140 km away from the heart of the city of Rutana. The airport is served by Air Burundi, Kenya Airways and many other African airlines with scheduled flights from Kilimanjaro, Kigoma, Dar es Salaam, Entebbe, Brussels, Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Entebbe and Kigali.

Buses are not regular between Rutana and Bujumbura, so it would be better using pre-booked private transfers or airport taxis.

To get around Rutana, minibuses and mopeds are useful.

Food and Shopping in Rutana:

Rutana houses all sorts of shops including cloth and shoe shops, grocery store and handicraft shops.

There is probably no international food chain but one can find many traditional food corners all around the town.

What to do in Rutana?

Exploring waterfalls
Village tours
Hiking

Tourist Attractions in Rutana:

Chutes de la Kagera:

The Chutes de la Kagera or Kagera Falls is one of the top tourist attractions of Burundi, situated to the south of the city of Rutana. This series of striking waterfalls covers an area of 142 hectares, featuring six branches, which together with the Nyakazu Fault was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, added to its Tentative List on May 9, 2007. Don’t miss it.

Mount Kikizi:

Standing between the towns of Rutana and Kinyinya, the Mount Kikizi is one of the highest mountains of Burundi reaching a height up to 2,145 meters from sea level. It is popular among both nature lovers and adventure sport lovers.

Bururi Nature Reserve:

Established in 1951, the Bururi Nature Reserve is located to the west of Rutana near the town of Bururi. This winsome nature reserve is spread over an area of 15.35 km². It can be reached vehicle from Rutana.

Gitega:

Gitega is a city and the former capital of Burundi, situated around 65 km north of Rutana. The city features many specialties showcasing its culture, history and environmental features such as the Royal Palace of Gitega, the Drum Sanctuary, Burundi National Museum and Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gitega.

List of other places of interest in and around Rutana includes:

Burundi National Museum
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gitega
The Royal Palace of Gitega
Drum Sanctuary in Gitega
The Chutes de la Kalera
Gitega Art School of ceramics
Karera Beach
Burundi Geological Museum
Musee Vivant
Kibira National Park
Burundi Museum of Life
Livingstone–Stanley Monument
Ruvubu National Park
Lake Tanganyika
Rusizi National Park

Best time to visit Rutana:

The best time to visit Rutana to explore its natural attractions is from May to September when the weather remains dry and supportive for outdoor activities.

Accommodation options in Rutana:

It would be difficult to find modernized hotels Rutana, so here provided is the list of tourist favor upgraded hotels around Rutana, in Gitega (around 65 km) and Bujumbura (130 km):