We arrived at the border with expired transit visas (3 days validity). According to all officers at the Kobero border, we were initially supposed to prolong them in Bujumbura, where the immigration office was supposed to be open on weekends. We specially asked for that information on our...
Gitega, formerly Kitega, is the political capital of Burundi. It is located in the country’s center, in the Burundian central plateau, roughly 62 kilometres east of Bujumbura. It is the country’s fourth largest city and the former royal capital of the Kingdom of Burundi until...
After descending from the mountains, we arrived in Bujumbura on the northeastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, the second deepest lake in the world after Lake Baikal. The country’s largest city, Bujumbura, was the capital until 2019, when it was designed as the economic capital. It lies...
A brick-colored dirt road contrasts with the surrounding nature of banana trees and rice crops. For the first time during our expedition, we had to strictly follow the itinerary and observe our diesel consumption because, for years, there has been no diesel supply in landlocked Burundi...
During the visit of Kayanza, organised by Jean Marie Vianney Ndayishimiye, advisor to the governor of Kayanza Province in charge of legal affairs, we passed by the Kirema Primary School, which received the special edition of Jimbere on the #BackToSchool campaign of UNICEF in Burundi.
We drove around potholes in the tarmac through northern Burundi towards the capital of another province, Kayanza. We arrived late, but we had some contacts from the Governor of Muyinga Province, Mr. Jean-Claude Barutwanayo, so the parking place was already arranged for us next to the...
Burundi has abundant water resources, including Lake Tanganyika, but faces challenges in ensuring access to clean drinking water, with disparities between urban and rural areas. So, we also faced not only a diesel shortage but also the problem of refilling our water tank. Luckily, a...
During our city tour of Muyinga, we visited the local poultry farm to see how the local production of chickens is organised. The Governor of Muyinga Province, Mr. Jean-Claude Barutwanayo, generously arranged the visit and sent one of his staff with us.
Muyinga is the first big city in northern Burundi after crossing the border in Muyinga Province. It lies at an altitude of 1731m and has a population of over 100,000. It’s renowned for its excellent climate and boasts picturesque hills gracing its volcanic soil, which is optimal for...
The Kobero One Stop Border Post (OSBP) is a border crossing between Burundi and Tanzania. It’s located in the Muyinga region of Burundi near Kabanga in Tanzania. We arrived there in the afternoon, and all procedures took us around 3 hours, mainly due to traffic at the border. We...