NyungweForest National Park & Akagera National Park Safari

NyungweForest National Park & Akagera National Park Safari: Visitors on a Rwanda safari usually love to combine their wildlife tours with a chimpanzee trekking tour to Nyungwe forest national park and wildlife safari to Akagera National Park.

Nyungwe Forest National Park is home to 13 distinct primate species, including chimps and monkey species such as vervet monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, and red-tailed monkeys, among others, as well as approximately 275 bird species, 1068 plant species, 85 mammal species, 32 amphibian species, and 38 reptile species.

The national park spans over a radius of 1,019 square kilometers and is located southwest of the country, near Rwanda’s border with Burundi. Nyungwe forest national park is managed by Rwanda Development Board along with African Parks, a non-government organisation that also manages Akagera national park.

Visitors to Nyungwe National Park may participate in a variety of activities, including chimp trekking, a climb to the Isumo waterfalls, the Nyungwe canopy walk, birding, forest hiking, the Congo Nile Trail, and golden monkey tracking, to name a few.

The majority of tourists to Nyungwe Forest National Park come to see the habituated chimps that live in the park’s deep woodlands. Trekking with chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest national park is the main highlight of most Rwanda safari tours to the national park. The activity is best done in Cyamudongo forest, as compared to doing it in Nyungwe forest.

A chimpanzee trekking permit in Nyungwe Forest National Park costs USD $60 per person and lasts between 2 and 6 hours. Tracking begins at 8 a.m. from three key points: Uwinka, Kitabi, and Gisakura.

Visitors interested in chimp trekking activities in Nyungwe forest national park should be at the park by 5 a.m. for registration and a briefing from the park’s chief ranger.

Visitors who choose to stay in Nyungwe National Park for an extended length of time can do so at the Nyungwe Forest Lodge, Gisakura Guest House, Nyungwe Top View Hotel, One & Only Nyungwe House, and Nyungwe Nziza Eco Lodge, among others.

Visitors may then take their transfer back to Kigali city for a quick tour before heading to Kigali International Airport to catch their return journey home.

Akagera National Park is located in eastern Rwanda, near the Tanzanian border. The national park, which covers 433 square miles of territory, was established in 1934. The majority of the park is covered with savannah, montane, and marsh vegetation.

The national park gets its name from the River Kagera, which runs through it and into Uganda. Swamps, marshes, savannah grasslands, woods, forests, lakes, and rivers cover the majority of Akagera National Park. The national park contains a total of ten lakes dispersed throughout the park, the most popular of which are Lakes Ihema, Shakani, and Rwanyakazinga, among others.

The southern gate of the national park is located in the Kayonza district, whereas the northern gate, which is just an exit, is located in the Nyagatare district. The park used to contain 2,500 square kilometers of land, but much of it was destroyed upon the return of refugees from Rwanda’s 1994 Genocide.

Despite the fact that much was lost in Akagera National Park, the area has managed to recover from its terrible history thanks to the founding of the Akagera Management Company, which oversees the park. The corporation was founded as a result of a collaboration agreement between the Rwanda Development Board and African Parks, a non-governmental conservation organization that manages the operation of other African national parks.

Visitors on a wildlife safari in Akagera National Park can participate in a variety of activities such as a guided day or night game drive, a boat cruise on Lake Ihema, sport fishing on Lake Shakani, birding, a behind the scenes Akagera tour, a walk the line tour, camping, and a community visit, to name a few.

There is so much for guests to witness during their visit to the national park, including spectacular species like as lions, elephants, hippos, baboons, buffalos, zebras, impala, hyenas, giraffes, antelopes, leopards, and Sitatunga. The park also boasts over 480 bird species, including the African Open-bill Stock, the uncommon shoebill stork, papyrus Gonolek, Grey Crowned Crane, and many others.

In addition, travelers who prefer to spend a night or more in Akagera National Park can do so at the following housing facilities, which are located inside the park: Akagera Game Lodge, Magashi Safari Camp, Ruzizi Tented Camp, and Karenge Bush Camp, to name a few.

There are also dedicated camping areas within the national park for those who want to camp, including Shakani Akagera Campsite, Mutumba Campsite, and Muyumbu Campsite.