Travel Guide Bururi

Bururi is the namesake place of one of the largest provinces in Burundi, extending from the shores of Tanganyika (Rumonge), to the southern reaches of the Mugamba and the stripped heights of the Bututsi. The city is located about 1 800 m above sea level, but is dominated by a mountain massif which reaches up to 2 307 m (Mount Bururi), where a beautiful forest reserve is located.With services and infrastructure commensurate with its regional importance (and national since there is a presidential cottage), Bururi is, however, more than a middle mountain village with a population of several thousand. It is a town of colonial creation, which originally had an administrative (and religious) vocation and whose star plan relies on the flight lines of the surrounding hills. Its expansion is thwarted by this geographical situation, and moreover it is not favoured by the proximity of more dynamic poles such as Rumonge and Makamba. It is therefore a city with a very rural character, and it is perhaps what makes its greatest charm.The importance of religious fact. Apart from its public buildings (provincial and municipal administration, provincial Directorate of Education) and its military and prison structures (prison, military camp, officers'mess), it is the religious function that gives Bururi its main identity. As a diocese, it is also a city where various faiths are represented, leading important actions in the region. The COPED, for example (Council for Education and Development), established in 1974 by Mgr Bernard Bududira (Bishop of Bururi from 1973 to 2005), is an NGO that has supported various local projects before developing successfully elsewhere in the country. In 2000, a «Great Lakes University» (UGL) based in Kiremba was also founded, the fruit of ecumenical collaboration between the Diocese of Bururi and the Pentecostal Church of Burundi. Today, it hosts approximately students and is the only higher education centre for the region.