Burundi

Burundi is one of the smallest and most densely populated countries in Africa, sitting at the northern end of Lake Tanganyika - the world's longest freshwater lake and one of its deepest. The drumming tradition of the Burundian royal court, performed by the Abatimbo drummers, is UNESCO-listed and unlike anything else on the continent: choreographed, athletic, ancient, performed on drums carved from single tree trunks. Bujumbura, on the lakeshore, has a rhythm of its own - a small capital with a large beach, where the fishing boats come in at dusk and the lake turns pink.

Travel advisory Burundi has experienced political instability in recent years. The situation is calmer than its recent history suggests but the guide will reflect current realities accurately.

Our guide is being written from the ground up, with the time this place deserves.

We are still gathering the notes that make a guide worth keeping: Bujumbura's lakeshore, Abatimbo drum ceremony timings, lake ferry routes and the brochettes that every traveller who has passed through mentions unprompted, years later.