Rubondo National Park is one of the two national parks located on an island in Lake Victoria and the other being Saanane Island National Park. Rubondo Island national park is located in the south-western corner of Lake Victoria in Tanzania, in Geita region about 150km (95 miles ) West of Mwanza, the park covers an of 456.8km2. Rubondo Island national park was established in 1965. 80% of Rubondo Island national park is covered by forests, it is one of the most adventurous Tanzania tour parks. Rubondo Island national park is also composed of four volcanic hills covered with semi deciduous forests.
Attractions in Rubondo Island National Park.
Bird species.
Rubondo Island national park consists over 300 bird species, and 40 orchid species that attract dazzling butterflies, the park is renowned for harboring the words migratory birds but the most common notable birds here in the park are the African fishing eagle, kingfishers, egrets, ibises, herons, storks and many more water birds.
Wildlife.
Rubondo national park boasts a number of the indigenous species in the park such as the hippo, bushbuck, vervet, sitatunga, crocodiles, elephants, chimpanzee, giraffe, black and white colobus monkeys, suni and grey parrots, buffalos, bush pig, hyrax, warthog, large spotted genet cat.

Cultural sites.
Rubondo Island national park consists of the major cultural sites which are the bigger attraction to the tourists in the park, that is such as Ntungamirwe, Maji Matakatifu, Altare and Solo these at the same time explains to you the life of natives who stayed in the park.
Activites done in Rubondo national park.
Chimpanzee habituation.
Rubondo Island national park is a home to very special group of chimpanzee, whose ancestors were brought in the 1960’s. In the park if you want to participate in this conservation project as a special member of the habituation team, and allow the chimpanzees to get used to the presence of humans and see them up close in the wild.
Walking safari.
Rubondo Island national park also offers the guided walks through pristine rainforests are tailor-made for every guest, the walks range from a walk one hour to a full day or multi-day hikes, including a stay at the exclusive tree house or a flight camp on the beach. This is by far the best way to experience the wonders of Rubondo Island national park.
Jungle safari.
Rubondo Island national park provides the jungle safari, this is forest trip by boat and in open jeeps are performed by the expert wilderness guides, here you can enjoy the breathtaking scenery, the varied vegetation and the fertile bird and micro life in the park.
Canoe safari.
Canoe safari is the activity done in the park such as to discover the quiet and unexplored corners of Rubondo Island national park on an intrepid safari by canoe, to experience this remarkable wilderness area from the water.
Fishing safari.
Rubondo Island national park is equipped with a variety of fishing techniques like the trolling, spinning live and dead bait as well as fly-fishing, Anglers from around the world travel to this island for the opportunity to reel in a Nile perch, one of Africa’s biggest and most sought-after fresh water fish, however the Rubondo national park practices and supports a strict catch and release policy.
Bird watching.
Rubondo Island national park provides the best birding safari destination in Tanzania, the park has over 300 species of birds renowned for consisting the world’s migratory birds but the most common notable species are the egrets, African fishing eagle, kingfishers, ibises, herons, storks and many more water birds that tend to habit on the shores of the island. The tourists can be able to notify various species during the bird watching in the park.

Game Driving.
Rubondo Island national park consists of various animal species, like the hippo, bush buck, vervet, sitatunga, crocodiles, elephants, chimpanzee, giraffe, black and white colobus monkeys, suni and grey parrots, buffalos, bush pig and among many, during the game drives in the park the guests do come closer of these animal species which gives them better moment and great memories in Rubondo.
Where to stay in Rubondo Island national park.
Rubondo Island Camp is the only suitable tourist accommodation in Rubondo Island national park, this very comfortable deluxe safari tier 2 camp features eight lakeside cottages and atree house, and the tourist enjoy the most privacy as the cottages are spaced between 30 and 65 feet apart.
Best time to visit Rubondo Island national park.
With an average low and high temperature ranging from 66 to 800 F (19 to 270C). , Rubondo Island national park offers a pleasant climate throughout the year with humidity primarily in the forests that covers the majority of the park, and the most comfortable months to visit the park includes the June through September.
Entrance fees of Rubondo Island national park.
Category | JULY-JUNE | ||
EA (Tshs) | Non EA Citizen (USD) | Expatriate/Residents (USD) | |
Of above the age of 16 years | 5000 | 30 | 15 |
Between the age of 5 to 15 years | 2000 | 10 | 5 |
Children below the age of 5 years. | Free | Free | Free |
How to get to Rubondo Island national park.
Rubondo national park can be accessed by both the air, road means of transport from Arusha, Dar es Salaam, or Zanzibar to the park.
By Flight means.
Flight is the quickest means of transport to reach Rubondo Island national park, from Kilimanjaro Airport to Mwanza Airport is the direct flight which takes 55 minutes to reach inside the park.
By Road means.
The distance from Arusha town to Rubondo Island national park is 552 km, it takes approximately 4 hours 10 minutes to get from Arusha to Rubondo Island national park.
Rubondo Island national park is the largest Island national park at 26km long and up to 10km wide, more than 75 percent of the island is covered in pristine equatorial rainforest. Since the 1960’s the island has been a haven for wild chimpanzee, sitatunga antelope, elephant, giraffe and many others.