Gisakura Guest House
Gisakura guest house is one of the accommodation facilities situated next to Nyungwe Forest National Park that has been around for a long time. The budget guest house is just 2 km away from the park headquarters of Nyungwe National Park making it perfect for transfers while in the Nyungwe area. The guest house next to Gisakura tea estate features lush green gardens and on some days the property receives visits from the vervet monkeys that are often seen hopping around in the gardens. Gisakura guest house being a budget property is simple without much luxurious amenities so the rooms are quite basic and so is the service.
Visitors are drawn to Gisakura guest house because of its accessibility to Nyungwe Forest National Park and its fair price compared to other lodges in the area that are more on the high end spectrum.
Accommodation and Services at Gisakura Guest House
Gisakura guest house features single and double rooms that consist of descent wooden beds with clean bed sheets and mosquito nets. The rooms will have a bedside table or chair where one can place their luggage. The rooms are not self-contained however communal clean bathrooms are available for guests a few steps away from the rooms.
Gisakura guest house has a restaurant available at the property that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The restaurant is decorated with African inspired pieces and is also a great place to sit, order a cup of coffee or the tasty Rwandan tea after your chimpanzee trekking adventure. The guest house also features a well-stocked bar and has staff available to attend to you whilst on your stay.
Top things to do while staying at Gisakura Guest House in Rwanda
Rwanda also known as the land of a thousand hills has so much to offer a visitor on safari in the country. This means that if you book your stay at Gisakura Guest house there are a number of activities that you can do that will make your stay even more memorable and these include;
Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe national park
Nyungwe Forest National Park is one of Rwanda’s most popular national park and is home to the amazing chimpanzee in Rwanda. A chimpanzee trek in Nyungwe Forest which is one of Africa’s oldest rain forest takes you on an adventure that involves trekking to see these active primates that spend most of their time in the dense thick Nyungwe forest. The chimpanzee trek can be done in the morning so that would typically mean that your driver guide picks you up from the guest house early enough and then transfers you to the starting point of the chimp trek. You leave the guest house with packed lunch and then head out to the starting point of the chimpanzee trek located at the park. The park has two habituated chimpanzee communities that are available for visitors to see, only 8 visitors are allowed to track each group per day.
Canopy walk in Nyungwe Forest
The Nyungwe Forest canopy walk takes you along the Igishigishigi Trail and it involves walking to the starting point of the canopy walk, birding along the way and spotting small animals like squirrels in the forest. The canopy walk in Nyungwe is a 200 km walkway atop a suspended bridge with stunning views of the thick dense rain forest from the top, flowering plants below the walkway and incredible views of the undulating hills covered by thick forest, a picturesque moment! The canopy walk begins at Uwinka Visitor’s center where you are assigned a site guide and receive briefing from said guide.
Bird watching in Nyungwe National Park
Nyungwe National Park offers excellent bird watching with over 300 species of birds to look out for while on your Rwanda Birding safari. Nyungwe was designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) and therefore offers the keen birdwatcher a great birding in Rwanda experience. Birding in Nyungwe is done by expert birding guides from Rwanda knowledgeable about birding Nyungwe and site birding guides who are equally experienced. For the keen birdwatcher even before you head out into the park for birding, you will spot some birds at the guest house especially in the lush hotel gardens.
Colobus Monkey Trekking
Nyungwe offers an opportunity to trek the colobus monkeys, another great way to spend visiting the primates in Nyungwe Forest. The park is home to about 400 individuals and the trek usually starts with briefing from your ranger guide after which you begin the journey into the forest in search of these wonderful primates. The trek is much easier than the chimpanzee trek and the colobus monkeys are easily sighted since the habituated group is situated just at the edge of the park.
Cultural and Community Visit
For a glimpse into the culture of the Rwandan people, one can go on a community visit that involves visiting and interacting with the locals. You can visit the Kitabi cultural village, Banda community village and then for cultural dance performances you visit the Cyamudongo cultural group. Dance is an integral part of the Rwandan culture and its always beautiful getting a glimpse into the beauty and diversity of their cultural dances.
Visit the Gisakura Tea Plantation
On the edge of Nyungwe national park you find tea plantations and these plantations can be visited in the afternoon. The visit to the Gisakura tea plantations is a great way to interact with the locals and spend time after doing other activities in the park. The visit take about 1-2 hours and you can take a walk to the plantations from the lodge with your guide. There are opportunities available for one to participate in the tea plantation activities like picking tea and placing it in the basket.
Guided Nature Walks
Nyungwe forest has the best forest trails and guided nature walks in the rain forest are very rewarding for the visitor and a great way to explore the forest aside from the primate trekking. Nyungwe Forest has a number of nature trails offering the visitor a number of options depending on their interests. The forest nature trails include Umuyove trail, Buhoro trail, Irebero trail, Imbaraga trail, Igishigishigi Trail and Umugote Trail. This is a great activity to do in the afternoon after your morning activities in the park.
