Burundi is a beautiful small country with rolling plateau, and lovely lakeside communities. It is known for beautiful handicraft and basketry and wide bird species and breath taking waterfalls in the south east. Though landlocked it has some of the finest inland beaches in the continent.

Capital city

The steamy capital is Bujumbura located in the beautiful shores of Lake Tanganyika. It has a range of attractive restaurants and interesting local cuisine.

Attractions
Key attractions are the national parks Kibira National park and Ruvubu National Park with their wide range of bird species. The beautiful inland beaches near the capital are also a must.  There is also a wide variety of restaurants both European and African you could visit.  A visit to the Kegera waterfalls should not be missed.

The People
Burundians are passionate, warm and loving people. They are of Hutu, Tutsi and Twa origin majority being Hutu.  About 80% of the population is Christian mainly catholic.  There are Protestants and Anglicans. Other religions are Muslim and a small population of traditional religion. They speak Kirundi, French and Kiswahili.

Burundi culture is highly influenced by its neighbors however a lot of its traditions are still intact.  Traditional brew known as ikembe is shared during gatherings as a sign of unity.  Music and drumming is a major feature of Burundi ceremonies.

Burundians are renown of their basketry and weaving.  Buying of Handicrafts is a major part of any visit to Burundi.

The Weather
The climate in Burundi is mainly equatorial as it is at the equator.  The lower regions near the Lake are hot and steamy because of the large lakes and various rivers in the region and normally are at around 30 degrees Celsius.  The mountainous regions are cooler at about 20 degrees. The climate in Burundi varies depending more on where you go in the country than on the particular season. The country has two wet seasons—February to May and September to November.

The country lies in a plateau; the Albertein rift which is the western extension of the Great Rift Valley. The source of the Nile is in Burundi this is via the Ruvyironza River which links to lake Victoria.  There are a number of large lakes which contribute to the warm moist climate i.e. lake Tanganyika and lake Victoria.  Burundi lands are mainly agricultural and pastoral.

Traveling

There are several airlines that go to Bujumbura International Airport.  These include Burundi, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways and Rwandair.  One can also use buses from Tanzania or Kigali in Rwanda.

It is best to get your Visa before you travel.  Visas are around USD 50.  Visa’s for onward travel to Tanzania and other countries can be got at the various embassies or at the airport.

Shopping

There are a number of markets to shop for momentos and Burundian articraft. To  shop for food stuff and wine Dmitri Supermarket offers a wide variety of cheese, fresh foods, Swiss chocolate and salami

What to bring
Cash especially US dollars.  There are hardly ATMs in Burundi and one would have to pay a lot in commissions to banks.

Investment Opportunities

Burundi is a member of the United Nations and together with Democratic Republic of Congo established the great lakes countries economic block in 2007.  It is also a member of the East African community, world trade organization, The African Union, African Development bank, COMESA and the free tariff zone of Eastern and Southern Africa

Burundi has minerals like uranium, nickel, cobalt, copper, and platinum. It also exports coffee and sugar. Opportunities for business range from importation of light consumer goods like soap and food stuff to need for infrastructure and assembly of imported components.  There is also a big need for financial services especially microfinance.  There is also potential for opportunity in petroleum though this has not been explored.

Some famous Burundians
Mohammed Tchité, Jean Pierre Nimbona (Kidumu)

Events and Exhibitions
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