Burundi OVERVIEW
Make sure you do your Burundi homework well before you set foot to this tiny African country. Geographically speaking, Burundi is right at the heart of the continent and landlocked between two African giants of Congo and Tanzania with the equally small, Rwanda, topping it in the north. Sadly, it is also at the heart of bloodshed and civil strife. As the headlines and alerts shout, Burundi is not an easy destination. With intertribal tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi as well as decades of conflicts and political assassinations that have caused vast devastation and blighted the social and economical fabric, tourism is a somewhat non-existent aspect here. Hopefully, with the cease-fire and democracy re-established, Burundi will make its way out from misery.
The country is in economical dire straits topping the world list of poorest countries with a GDP of $106 per capita. The status quo is not an enviable one and yet the Burundians seem to break into endless smiles. If you ever venture a stay they will probably give you a warm welcome wherever you go, be it the misty capital city of Bujumbura, scenically nestled along the shores of Tangyanika Lake, or Buja, home to thousands of U.N. soldiers, vibrant nightlife and plenty of genuine African hospitality. Don't expect any infrastructure, though. Apart from a few hotels in Bujambura, your stay in Burundi will be mostly a matter of survival and a test of your DIY skills. Should you pass the test, there are stunning lakescapes with their languid communities, soaring mountains with mist-clad peaks, the lush ancient forest of Parc National de la Kibira and the southernmost spring from which Nile starts its long way north, to compensate for the lack of tourist luxury.
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