Nyungwe Forest National Park

Located in the southwestern province, Nyungwe forest national park is the largest tropical forest and main catchment area for of Rwanda. The park covers about 1000 sq km and protects one of the oldest and most biologically diverse ever green tropical mountain rainforest.
Nyungwe forest is home to a great diversity of 12 species of primates including chimpanzees, making it another great destination for chimpanzee trekking safaris in east Africa. It’s also one of the best to see troop’s of primates including troops of over 200 black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed, red colobus, blue monkeys, velvet and baboons.
The main attractions of the park are chimpanzees although not guaranteed there’s a good chance to see chimpanzees by guided walks which start at Uwinka visitor center.Several chimpanzee communities that are habituated, the main reason for visits to Nyungwe forest national park is chimpanzee tracking safari. Chimpanzees are not like monkeys, they won’t show up at your lodge even if it’s located right into the forest.
Nyungwe forest national park is also a birder’s paradise with over 300 species of birds, including albertine rift endemics. It’s one of the best places in Rwanda to see forest birds such as great blue turaco, red throated alethe, strange weaver and many more.
The park is also teeming with life, insects, flowers and plants, rivers and waterfalls that make Ngungwe a great place for nature photographers. The canopy walkway that is hanging 60 meters adds an extra dimension to view wildlife as you walk in the tree canopies.
The best time to visit is the dry season from December to February and June to September. The dry season is the time that chimps can be seen in big communities both on the ground and up the trees. However, the park can be visited anytime of the year for chimpanzee tracking, hiking, birding, and canopy walk.

Activities and attractions
Chimpanzee tracking
Chimpanzee trekking takes tourists on a wild adventure hiking on foot through the forest in search of the chimpanzees. Chimp treks are done at Cyamudongo and uwinka visitor center where two chimpanzee communities are habituated for visitors. From these visitor centers, hiking to find the chimps can vary between 1 to 3 hours and visitors can only spend 1 hour with chimpanzees once they have been located.Tracking the chimpanzees of Nyungwe forest national park is a magical experience. For chimp tracking safari, visitors should allow for at least 2 days stay in the park.During the chimp walks, visitors also have the chance to spot other primates such as baboons, blue monkeys, and black and white colobus monkeys.

Hiking and nature walks
Visitors looking to spend more time in the forest, hiking is a great option for birders and nature lovers. Nyungwe provides more than 13 hiking trails for visitors to experience the deeper parts of the forest where you find the park’s spectacular Kamiranzovu waterfalls. Hiking can also be a memorable experience which reveals you secrets of earth’s oldest rainforest remarkably the flora and fauna.
Bird watching
With over 300 species of birds, Nyungwe forest will satisfy both amateur and serious birders. The park has about 16 bird species that are endemic to Albertine rift valley. On the hiking trails, one can spot red faced woodland warbler, red throated alethe, great blue turaco, bee-eaters, fly catchers, starlings and more birds not to mention.
Canopy walk
Canopy walk offers the chance to walk 60 meters above the ground on hanging bridges between tree canopies. With a guide, you can see flora such as orchids and identify some of the tallest trees. Animals that inhabits the tree canopies you may spot colobus moneky, birds and above all get spectacular views of the evergreen forest. Children above six years can undertake the canopy walk.
Cultural tours
Visitors with time for local experiences can discover the walking tours in Banda village which is located 15 km outside the park. Local cultural experiences such as food tasting, weaving offer a perfect balance of chimp tracking safari. The locals are authentic unlike people with experience in the service industry. Interactions with the local will reveal authenticity of a typical African village. There are green tea plantations and biking is a preferred activity around the gisakura tea estates.
Getting there
Getting to Nyungwe forest national park from Kigali city, the distance is roughly 400 km and the drive time by road is about 6-7 hours with stops along the journey.
Accommodation
There are few accommodations in Nyungwe ranging from luxury, mid-range and budget lodges. Visitors to Nyungwe need to book accommodation in advance. Luxury lodges include One and Only, NyungweForest Lodge while the mid-range are GisakuraGuest House and Nyungwe top view hill lodge offers the best accommodation in the park.