A Travelers’ Guide to Nyungwe Forest National Park

A Travelers’ Guide to Nyungwe Forest National Park : This comprehensive guide to visiting Nyungwe Forest National Park will provide you with a fantastic understanding of what to anticipate and how to have the greatest primates experience while on your wonderful excursion in this magnificent Nyungwe National Park.

Nyungwe Forest National Park is well known as Rwanda’s second most visited safari destination. As one of Africa’s oldest and last remaining tracts of largely preserved montane rain forests, the park is breathtakingly alluring, with unique and striking biodiversity that provides visitors with out-of-this-world experiences.

What can I see during my visit to Nyungwe Forest National Park?

Rwanda’s Nyungwe Forest National Park, often known as the “Primate’s World,” is richly blessed with numerous attractions, including a significant population of Chimpanzees and 12 other distinct primate species, including specialties indigenous to the Albertine Rift, such as L’Hoest’s monkeys.

Nyungwe Forest National Park is also home to astonishingly attractive plant species, orchids, and magnificent marshlands, and it is widely and worldwide regarded as a birding paradise, with over 322 documented bird species, 29 of which are endemic to the Albertine rift, as well as stunning butterflies. Apart from primates, Nyungwe National Park is home to a variety of other animal species, including a large number of mammal species such as serval cat, mongoose, and seldom observed leopards.

What Activities can I do in Nyungwe Forest National Park?

Following our ultimate travelers’ guide to visiting Nyungwe Forest National Park in Rwanda will enable you to understand how to enjoy your adventure moments in Nyungwe’s pristine forests and connect your soul with nature for unforgettable experiences.

Chimpanzees are the top highlight of tourist attractions in Nyungwe Forest National Park, and thus Chimpanzee trekking is the most popular tourist activity, a must-do experience for anyone visiting this National Park, where you get to have a face-to-face encounter with the chimps in the forests, and tourists are usually allowed to spend an hour with these primates observing them in the wild.

This exceptional chimpanzee tracking experience in Nyungwe forest national park is mostly complemented by another exciting tourist activity, a canopy walk experience, which allows visitors to explore the mist-covered spectacular rain forests of Nyungwe as they walk through the suspended metallic bridge hanging between giant canopies 60 meters above the forest ground, while enjoying the unrivaled top views of Nyungwe forests, which is matchlessly breathtaking.

Within the tract forest, a number of well-maintained nature trails are marked for tourists to use for nature walk experiences, hiking through the forests, and while on their bird watching adventures. Other tourist activities include the Isumo tropical waterfalls hiking experience, Colobus monkey tracking, and other primates tracking, among many others.

How long does Chimpanzee Trekking take in Nyungwe Forest National Park?

The most popular daily tourist activity in the park is chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe or Cyamudongo forests in Nyungwe national park, which requires a chimp permit of $150 per person to track. This experience usually takes 2 to 6 hours, depending on the movement of the chimps in the jungle, including the one hour allowed to spend with the chimps after finding them. On a day of trekking, travelers receive a briefing on the hiking exercise from park authorities at the park headquarters at 7:30 a.m., after which they proceed into the forests in search of primates.

How can I pay for activities in Nyungwe Forest National Park?

All tourist activities in Nyungwe Forest National Park require a permit, and we recommend scheduling your tourist activities with a reliable tour operator that can plan your trip and book all the activities of your interest from the park authorities on your behalf.

When is the best time to visit Nyungwe Forest National Park?

Although Nyungwe Forest National Park can be visited all year, the best time to visit the national park usually depends on the different tourist activities of your interest that can be found in the park, namely for the most popular chimpanzee trekking, this can be best done in the dry season when hiking there is little or no rains and the hiking trails are easy to trek through, however chimpanzees are easier to trek and can be found even in the wet season because of plenty of fruits in the forests.

Can I combine Gorilla Trekking with a visit to Nyungwe Forest National Park?

It is feasible to combine gorilla trekking in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park with a few days in this beautiful Nyungwe forest for chimpanzee trekking, canopy walks, Isumo waterfall hikes, and other activities.

Nyungwe Forest National Park can also be combined with a wildlife viewing safari in Akagera National Park to see globally threatened game species such as rhinoceros, lions, and elephants, among others. If you are interested in visiting Nyungwe Forest National Park, please contact us for more information and let us help you tailor a perfectly arranged safari package for once in a lifetime experiences in Rwanda.

Where can I stay when visiting Nyungwe Forest National Park?

Many people are still unsure where to stay during their visit to this primeval National Park, but our definitive guide to visiting Nyungwe Forest National Park will provide you with some of the greatest housing alternatives to select from throughout your time in the park.

There is a wide range of exquisite housing amenities in Nyungwe Forest National Park, ranging from very luxury to clean and pleasant budget accommodations that will enhance your experience in Nyungwe forest national park.

The one and only Nyungwe House, is the most sumptuous and magnificent resort and located barely comes top on the list, delivering authentic and unique services of a refined vacation. Other fantastic resorts on our list from our expert choice are Kivu Marina Bay hotel, Nyungwe Top View Hotel, Emeraude Kivu resort, Gisakura visitor’s center, and many more.

How can I get to Nyungwe Forest National Park?

The distance from Kigali to the park is approximately 212 to 218 kilometers, which usually takes 5 to 6 hours of driving time depending on stopovers; however, if you do not wish to spend this entire period of time on the road, there are scheduled domestic and helicopter flights from Kigali international Airport to Nyungwe Forest National Park at Kamembe airport or the one and only Nyungwe helipad.