Rubondo Island National Park, nestled into the south-western corner of Lake Victoria, is one of Tanzania’s best kept secrets. It is one of the least visited and best preserved wildlife areas. The park area is 460 sq km, of which more than half is land, and includes eleven minor islets in addition to Rubondo Island. Most of the Park area is scattered with granite outcrops covered by moist green forest; and the rest is grassland, swamps and white sandy beaches.

Rubondo is renowned for its birdlife; the diversity of habitats together with its geographical location attracts numerous resident and migrant species. More than 400 species have been identified here including parrots, cuckoos, sunbirds, hammerkops, egrets, geese, bee-eaters, herons, saddle-billed storks, ibis, kingfishers, cormorants and Africa’s highest population of fish eagles. Fabulous butterflies create a kaleidoscope of colour in the forest together with magnificent display of orchids, fireball lilies and red coral trees.

In addition to the birds and butterflies, there are also a wealth black & white colobus monkeys, bushbuck, chimpanzees, genets, hippos, crocodiles and giraffes. The island is also one of the few places in East Africa where you can observe the amphibious sitatunga antelope, an unusual species with splayed and elongated hooves that like to hide among the marshes and reeds along the shoreline.

The best time to visit Rubondo is in the dry weather from June to October or in the wet weather from November to March when the flowers are most spectacular and migratory birds also arrive at the island.