For travelers on Rwanda safaris, seeking a full primate experience, aside from the gorillas in Volcanoes, the country’s leading Nyungwe forest national park is the country’s primate capital. And therefore, a right spot to check in for primate attraction and activities. Travellers into chimps and monkeys often visit this protected area, making Nyungwe one of the most visited tourism hubs in Rwanda.
Nyungwe forest national park covers about 1,019 square kilometers of the total surface area. The location of the park in the south western part of Rwanda, makes the tourism hub easy to reach, especially from the country’s capital city, Kigali.
Nyungwe area is mostly dominated by montane rainforests, bamboos, where over thirteen primate species find home. Today, the tourism hub continues to attract visitors from all parts of the world, due to its deep biodiversity, standard infrastructure, and the awesome misty forest environment.
Historically, Nyungwe forest prides itself as one of Africa’s oldest rainforests, with some parts actually going back to the last Ice Age period. For centuries, there have been local native communities living within and around the forest. Unfortunately, in 1933, the area was declared a forest reserve leaving many of them displaced.
Conservation was made a national priority after the Rwanda genocide in 1994 imposing access restrictions. The area was then upgraded to full national park status in around 2004 to 2005, and that’s how tourism found its way back. In 2022, Rwanda Development Board later introduced a twenty-year management deal to African parks that actually saw the progressive journey of the area.
The agreement saw a wide range of progress like infrastructural growth around these parks, encouraging community engagements, and strengthened security measures.
WHAT MAKES NYUNGWE FOREST EXCEPTIONAL?
What actually makes Nyungwe forest national park stand out is its richness in biodiversity. Nyungwe’s altitude is exceptional, ranging from 1,600 to 3,000 metres, a mixture of bamboo area, dense rainforests, and swamps, is what many travelers yearn for.
Nyungwe forest national park is popularly known as Rwanda’s primate capital harbouring over thirteen primate species, with chimpanzees taking the lead. Other primates include black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, olive baboons, and golden monkeys.
Most of the primates in Nyungwe shelter in the Albertine Rift, which means they live nowhere else in the same manner in the whole world. Aside from the primates, there are over 300 different bird species that find a home in Nyungwe forest national park. These also include Albertine Rift endemics birds.
Nyungwe forests feel wild and personal unlike many parks especially in the north, the area is always full of constant monkeys and birds sounds. There are also more than one thousand plant species in Nyungwe, along with orchids and butterflies.
TOURISM ACTIVITIES AND ATTRACTIONS TO ENJOY IN NYUNGWE.
It’s undoubtable, chimpanzee trekking is the leading tourism activity while at Nyungwe. The whole process involves guests kicking off early, 5 to 6am in the wee hours of morning. Guests can either start from Cyamudongo, or Uwinka starting point.
Briefing is crucial to stay on track, travelers can now head into the montane and rainforests with park tour guides, trackers and rangers. Depending on the location of chimps, the search can take about 30 minutes or even more. Chimps are fast and sometimes dive deeper in dense forests in search for food.
Once guests finally encounter the chimps, they are only offered 1 hour to observe, learn and sight the chimps and their behavior. The travelers group supposed to access the chimps is mostly limited to eight members, experiencing the whole event feels personal and remarkable. Apart from the chimps, other primate species can also be tracked, especially colobus monkeys jumping from one tree to another.
Canopy walks are also another thrilling activity to enjoy while at Nyungwe. The suspended bridge-walk above 70 meters high is such a breathtaking moment. The bridge walk offers clear forest views.
HOW TO GET TO NYUNGWE FOREST NATIONAL PARK?
It is about 250 kilometers away from Kigali City to Nyungwe forest national park. The road drive takes about 5 hours, driving through scenic hills, where the country derives its “land of a thousand hills” name and endless tea plantations.
Travelers who wish to opt for flights can use Kamembe Airport from Kigali City. The flight takes close to 40 minutes, before taking a short drive of about 2 hours to the destination.
WHEN TO GO TO NYUNGWE FOREST NATIONAL PARK?
Nyungwe forest national park is an all year-round tourism activity. Good or bad timing affects the whole experience. The two dry seasons are the perfect window for a visit to Nyungwe. The long dry season of the year mostly runs from June to September, and the period is very ideal for most of the tourism activities. The roads are passable, vegetation is shorter, rains are low, and the primates are easy to spot.
It is also the peak season, where so many travelers come in, so guests are advised to book chimp permits as early as possible. The short dry season runs from December to February, the period brings fewer crowds and lower lodge rates. April is where much rains come in, keeping the temperatures mild, even though sometimes mornings and evenings get misty and cool. March to May comes with the wet rainy seasons, October and November brings short rains, and this is where the lush greenery and flocks of birds appear at their best. On the negative side, paths get muddy making the trekking experience a tough one.