How Long does it take to Track Chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest National Park?
How Long does it take to Track Chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest National Park? Every day, chimps build new residences (nests) in different locations. They have no fixed address in the woods. They will build fresh nests where they have spent the day. As a result, the time it takes to discover them is variable, especially since chimps move swiftly after they wake up. However, park trackers will have gone ahead of the hiking tourist party to discover the chimps before they leave their nests, or will have tracked them down immediately after they leave their nests. The trackers convey the position to the tourist guides, who then plan the best path to find the chimpanzees who are already on the move.
Finding the chimps may take 2 to 3 hours of walking on average. Tourists are only permitted one hour with the chimp colony after locating them in Nyungwe National Park, and it is a fantastic opportunity to see them carefully as they go about their lives. Observing the activities and characteristics of individual chimps, classes in the society, and their leadership system, one can see why they are referred to as man’s closest cousins, sharing up to 98.7 percent DNA with man, How Long does it take to Track Chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest National Park?.
Because a group or community of chimps can cover a large territory and individual chimps or smaller units of the community can become quite distant from each other, to tell each other of their locations, the chimps occasionally communicate through deafening screams, loud pant hoots, and thunderous slapping of the tree barks and buttresses – it is a hair-raising moment like nothing you have ever experienced!
For those who have gone or plan to go gorilla trekking, the chimp trekking experience is extremely different since the chimpanzees are far more active than the passive or gentle gorillas. Because the chimpanzees are sprinting and swinging about in the tree tops, there may be some rushing to follow up, and observations may be more intermittent and hurried.
Cost of tracking Chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest National Park.
The permit for chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda costs USD 90 for non-resident foreigners and USD 60 for foreign citizens of Rwanda and East Africa (Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Burundi).
It is important to remember that only eight visitors are permitted to monitor each chimp group throughout the day’s session, therefore with two habituated chimp groups; only 16 chimp permits are available each day. Given how many people want to follow the chimps, this is a relatively restricted amount of licences. It is recommended that you schedule your chimp trip well in advance to ensure that your permit is acquired, How Long does it take to Track Chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest National Park?.
What is the age limit for Chimpanzee Trekking in Nyungwe Forest National Park.
If you want to go chimp trekking in Rwanda’s Nyungwe national park, you must be at least 16 years old.
How to prepare for chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe National Park.
Average fitness is sufficient, but strong fitness would enhance the experience because the chimps can swing through the trees at such a rapid pace that you may need to practically chase them.
The following items are must-haves for chimp trekking:
· hiking boots or traction-enhancing sneakers
· To protect your skin from scratching, wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt.
· a raincoat,
· sunscreen,
· repellent for insects
On the day of the walk, bring at least two litres of drinking water and some food. The journey may take longer than expected, and you may grow hungry, so take a few minutes to eat your snakes and rest.
What other activities can one do in Nyungwe Forest National Park.
Canopy Walk
The Nyungwe canopy walk has become an iconic activity of the park and Rwanda that you should not miss if you visit Nyungwe National Park. It is a two to three hour activity that can be simply added to the chimp tour and may be done in the afternoon on the day of transportation from Kigali City. The canopy walk tour includes a hike on the Igishigishigi trail and a walk across a 160-meter bridge (canopy walkway) that suspends over a deep forested valley 74 metres above ground and provides incredible views of the forest as well as eye-level sightings of monkeys and birds in the canopy that would be difficult to see from the ground.
Colobus Monkey Tracking
The colobus monkey tracking is a wonderful light activity in Nyungwe forest that allows you to meet a huge troop of these magnificent species of monkeys who have been acclimated to you and will remain during your visit. This troop of colobus monkeys lives on the forest’s edge and may thus be located without much travelling, unlike the chimp trip. This sport is very simple to incorporate into chimp trekking because it is light and brief, How Long does it take to Track Chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest National Park?.
Guided Nature Walks
Nyungwe forest national park is a haven for wildlife and outdoor enthusiasts. Depending on what you wish to do in the forest, there are many pathways that provide fantastic hiking experiences. The waterfalls walk is the most popular, leading to the spectacular Isumo waterfalls after passing through a gorgeous section of woodland with fantastic view spots and experiencing an assortment of fauna including various monkey species. The nature walks and treks are lengthier and need an additional half-day to the chimp tour.
Tea Tours
This is one of the most enjoyable experiences outside of the park. Following the deep forest, the area is covered in an unending green of tea plantations. Visitors may learn about tea production and processing at a tea farm and factory on the outskirts of Nyungwe forest. Tourists are guided through the many phases of tea growing, harvesting, and processing to the finished product. After observing the process, the tourist participates in tea harvesting and receives a final product of his crop. This is a quick and easy adventure that may be completed in the late afternoon of the chimpanzee trekking day.
Cultural/Community Tours.
If you wish to tour the countryside following the chimp safari and discover how people spend their lives, learn about their customs and traditions, there are well-organized community projects around the national park that are ready to host you for a community and cultural experience. You will visit one of the projects and be led through the everyday activities of the community, see a farm, a school, craftsmen who manufacture Rwandan goods, and be delighted with Rwandan traditional folklore and dances.
Get in touch with us and book your chimpanzee tour to Nyungwe national park.
