Overview–tanzania

Rubondo Island National Park

Rubondo Island National Park is one of Tanzania’s unique national parks, located on an island in Lake Victoria. It is the only other Tanzanian national park situated on an island, alongside Saanane Island National Park. The park covers an area of approximately 456.8 km² (176.4 sq mi), which includes the main Rubondo Island and 11 smaller islets.

Geography Rubondo Island is positioned in the southwestern corner of Lake Victoria, about 150 km (93 mi) west of Mwanza. The main island itself spans 237 km² and features a diverse landscape that includes mixed evergreen and semi-deciduous forests, open grasslands, rocky areas along the eastern lakeshore, sandy beaches, and extensive papyrus swamps on the western shore. The highest point on Rubondo Island is the Masa Hills, which rises to an elevation of 1,486 meters above sea level.

Activities Visitors to Rubondo Island can engage in various activities such as game drives, forest walks, boating safaris on Lake Victoria, fishing for tilapia and Nile perch, and chimpanzee habituation experiences. Accommodations are available within the park at bandas overlooking the lake.

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Rates

From: $152 to $651 pp/day

Best Time to Go

From: June to September (It is sunny and dry)

High Season

From: June to September (Rubondo Island never gets crowded)

Size

From: 457km² / 176mi²

Wildlife & Animals

The main attraction in Rubondo Island National Park is its population of semi-habituated chimpanzees. The island also supports breeding populations of giraffe and elephant. Your guide will take you out by car or boat to find these animals, but you won’t even need to make a special excursion to see bushbuck, which are abundant all over the island, as well as the marsh-loving sitatunga.

Wildlife Highlights

A boat trip on Lake Victoria is a highlight of any stay on Rubondo Island. You’re certain to see lots of hippos and monster crocodiles. Also keep an eye out for spotted-necked otters. These playful creatures are common around here. Going slowly along the forested shores you might be lucky to see elephant drinking or primates, such as chimps or Kilimanjaro colobus monkeys (which were introduced from Arusha National Park), feeding in the canopy.

Best Time for Wildlife Viewing

June to September is the ideal time for chimp trekking. It rarely rains over this period and forest paths are dry and easy to navigate. However, Rubondo Island can be visited at any time. Rain will rarely interfere with activities (aside from in April, the peak of the Wet season). Note that the only private lodge in the park is closed from April to May (National Park accommodation remains open).

General Wheather

The weather in Rubondo Island National Park is pleasant throughout the year. Daytime temperatures are around 26°C/79°F, and it cools down at night to around 18°C/64°F.

While temperatures don’t vary much throughout the year, rainfall does. The Dry season is from June to October (although October sees a fair bit of rain). The Wet season (November to May) is split into the short rains from November to December and the long rains from March to May. In between is a drier spell, although this isn’t always very distinct.

Dry Season –June to October

June, July, August & September – It is mostly sunny and dry. The humidity is lower than in the Wet season, and conditions are perfect for all activities including chimp trekking.
October – Rainfall increases, especially toward the end of October. The humidity increases, which makes the heat more oppressive.

Wet Season –November to May

November & December – 'Short rains' – It rains regularly, but seldom for the whole day. There are many cloudy days.
January & February – Rain decreases for a month or so between the short and long rains. After the rains, sunshine clears up the sky.
March, April & May – 'Long rains' – The long rains peak in April, when it might rain a lot. The humidity is high and the heat might feel oppressive.

Prons

Off-the-beaten-track chimp trekking destination
Pristine rainforest with great birding
Forest drives, boat trips, and fishing are available
Easier to reach than Tanzania’s more established chimp trekking destinations

Cons

Limited accommodations options
Limited forest trails for chimp trekking
Chimps are only semi-habituated and chimp trekking can be challenging

How To Get There

To get to Tanzania, most people fly into Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), which is situated between Arusha and Moshi, about 30km/19 mi from Moshi and 50km/31 mi from Arusha. It is also possible to fly into Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) in Dar es Salaam and fly on to Arusha Airport (ARK) or Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). In most cases, your tour operator will pick you up from the airport and handle all further transportation from there.

Rubondo Island National Park on Lake Victoria is remote and best reached by small aircraft.

Airlines & Ticket Prices

Please check Skyscanner to see which airlines can take you to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR), and what tickets would cost.

www.skyscanner.com

Domestic Flights

Rubondo Island has its airstrip and can be accessed by scheduled or charter flights via Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Arusha, and Serengeti National Park. You can also fly directly from the Rwandan capital Kigali to easily combine Rubondo Island with a gorilla trekking experience in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.

Flights to Rubondo Island can be booked with the following carriers:

Coastal Aviation (Daily flights from Serengeti and Kigali International Airport)
Auric Air (Daily flights from Serengeti with possible connections to Kigali International Airport)