Things to Do in Burundi in December

December's drier, sunnier weather is good for wandering Bujumbura on foot. The light is sharp and golden, good for the faded Art Deco facades of the city centre and the lively, chaotic central market where the smell of dried fish mingles with stacks of multicolored kitenge fabric. The breeze off Lake Tanganyika is a welcome relief from the midday heat, and the lake itself shifts from glassy calm in the morning to a deeper, choppier blue by afternoon. This is the time to find a plastic chair at a lakeside 'cabaret' for a grilled capitaine fish, its skin crisp from the fire, while watching the local wooden pirogues slide across the water.

The short rainy season has left the hills around Rutana lush and green. But the paths to the four-tiered Karera waterfalls are firmer underfoot than in the wetter months. The sound here is a constant, cooling roar, and the mist from the highest cascade catches the light to make permanent rainbows. The air smells of damp earth and eucalyptus. December means you're less likely to get caught in a total washout on the hike, and the swimming holes at the base of the falls are refreshing, not bone-chilling.

The former royal capital, Gitega, feels quieter and cooler than Bujumbura. December is a good time to visit the National Museum and then head to the sacred hill of Gishora. Here, the 'ingoma' drums - some taller than a person - are not just displayed but played. The deep, resonant thrum of the drums is a physical sensation in your chest, and watching the Intore dancers, with their grass wigs and rhythmic, athletic leaps, under a bright dry-season sky is electrifying. The guardians of the sanctuary tend to be more available for longer explanations outside of the busier festival periods.

The Rusizi River, flowing into Lake Tanganyika, is lower and clearer in December, making wildlife spotting along its banks more productive. A silent pirogue trip (motor shut off) lets you hear the splash of hippos, the shriek of African fish eagles, and the rustle of waterbirds in the papyrus reeds. You might smell the musky scent of a hippo pod before you see them. The park's flat terrain is easily walkable in the morning before the heat builds, with a chance to see antelope and an impressive variety of birds. The dry weather means fewer mosquitoes, too.