Nyungwe Forest National Park Hiking Trails

Nyungwe Forest National Park in Rwanda offers a variety of Nyungwe Forest National Park Hiking Trails that showcase the park’s rich biodiversity and stunning landscapes. Here are some of the popular Nyungwe Forest National Park Hiking Trails within the park:

1. Canopy Walk: This is one of the most famous trails in Nyungwe Forest. The canopy walkway offers a unique perspective of the forest, allowing visitors to walk among the treetops and observe birds and primates from above.
2. Igishigishi Trail: This trail takes hikers through the heart of the forest, passing through dense vegetation and offering opportunities to spot wildlife such as monkeys, birds, and even chimpanzees.
3. Kamiranzovu Marsh Trail: This trail leads to the Kamiranzovu Marsh, the largest wetland area in Nyungwe Forest. Hikers can enjoy scenic views of the marsh and its surrounding forest, as well as spot various bird species and other wildlife.
4. Imbaraga Trail: This trail is known for its challenging terrain and steep inclines, but it offers stunning views of the forest canopy and surrounding landscapes. It’s a great option for adventurous hikers looking for a more strenuous hike.
5. Umuyove Trail: This trail takes hikers through both primary and secondary forest areas, offering a diverse range of flora and fauna to observe. Hikers may encounter various monkey species, birds, and butterflies along the way.
6. Bigugu Trail: For those looking for a more challenging hike, the Bigugu Trail leads to the summit of Mount Bigugu, the highest peak in Nyungwe Forest. The hike offers panoramic views of the surrounding area and a chance to experience the montane forest ecosystem.

These are just a few examples of the hiking trails available in Nyungwe Forest National Park. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced hiker, there’s something for everyone to explore and enjoy in this beautiful and diverse park.

About Nyungwe Forest National Park

The Nyungwe Forest is located in southwestern Rwanda, on the border with Burundi, where it is contiguous with the Kibira National Park to the south, and Lake Kivu and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. The Nyungwe rainforest is probably the best-preserved montane rainforest in Central Africa. Nyungwe National Park has a biodiversity of more than 1050 plant species, 250 endemic Albertine rifts and 200 orchids, at least 120 butterfly species, 85 mammal species, 38 reptiles, and many more. Nyungwe Forest National Park was established in 2004 and covers an area of approximately 970 km2 of rainforest, bamboo, grassland, swamps, and bogs.

Other things to do in Nyungwe Forest National Park

Chimpanzee Trekking in Nyungwe.

Chimpanzee trekking refers to visiting the chimps in their natural environment in the forest, chimps that are already used to people or habituated. Chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda is done in Nyungwe forest National Park and starts in the morning and the activity is conducted in groups of a maximum of eight (8) people just as it is with gorilla trekking. The Nyungwe forest national park receives a very large number of tourists annually who come to meet face to face and spend time with the chimpanzees – man’s closest living relative observing them as they play, feed and move. The park is also a good destination where you can add a chimpanzee trekking expedition to your gorilla trek within volcanoes national park without driving long distances. Chimpanzee trekking is a life time experience that you will enjoy in Africa’s oldest forest in Nyungwe National Park

Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest starts off from three reception centers, that’s Uwinka, Kitabi and Gisakura where the tourists meet the park rangers and the tourists are also expected to be at the reception early morning, you drive to the starting point of the trek into the forest. Since the chimps nest each and every night, there are the trackers who go ahead of the trekking group of finding them and communicate with the ranger guides. The tourists are allowed to spend only 1 hour with the chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest National Park, and get to observe them so closely going about their own lives and see the human like features and behavior that makes them our closest relatives with 98.7 % DNA. The chimps also communicate by way of deafening screams, the loud hoots and booming hitting of the tree barks and the buttress. You will have a good time with the most amazing primates in Rwanda.

Chimpanzee permit price is also an associated cost while visiting Nyungwe, there are 64 trekking permits available per day in Nyungwe forest, the Chimpanzee trekking permit cost USD300 per person per trek including entrance fees which is way cheaper than gorilla permit that costs USD1500. The chimpanzee permit fee includes park entrance, ranger and guide assigned to move with you and your group.  The permits are issued by the Rwanda development board which is in charge of all tourism activities in Rwanda. You will be required to show your chimpanzee tracking permit at the park headquarters just before proceeding to the beginning point on the date of trekking. Bookings are made directly through the Rwanda Development Board and you can only book in advance, chimp permits get sold out so quickly and you can always contact us to check availability for your desired dates and book your permits for chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest National Park in Rwanda.

Birding

Nyungwe National Park is a tropical montane rainforest that is home to 322 bird species, so far 29 are bird species have been found here. The star attraction is undoubtedly the Red-collared Babbler and Rwanda is the only safe place to see this stunning bird. Other specialities include Rwenzori Turaco, Handsome Francolin, Rwenzori Nightjar, Grauer’s Warbler, Regal, Blue-headed and Purple Breasted Sunbirds, Grauer’s Swamp Warbler and Neumann’s Warbler. All of these and more can be seen easily from a well-maintained network of trails with the help of the park’s expert bird guides.

With more time and a bit of luck it is also possible to observe Kungwe Apalis, Kivu Ground Thrush and Willard’s Sooty Boubou. Possibly the rarest of Nyungwe’s birds would be the Congo Bay Owl, Albertine Owlet and Shelley’s Crimsonwing, Rockefeller’s Sunbird which have been reported, but are seldom seen. Guided Birding walk costs USD 50 Per day and a discount for 50% for other additional days.

Canopy walk

Canopy walk is one of the highlights to do in Nyungwe Forest National Park, Nyungwe forest is a hotbed of biodiversity. Canopy walk costs USD60 per person, you will do hour’s walk to the canopy walkway from the Uwinka Reception Centre, you will see countless butterflies, orchids and colorful birds, including many endemic to the region. Thirteen species of primate live in Nyungwe, so a chance encounter isn’t out of the question. The steep forested slopes have well-maintained footpaths, which can become muddy, especially after rain.

Nyungwe Forest sits on a 1015sq Km making it the largest remaining area of Tropical Afro Montane rainforest in East Africa. The Canopy walk in Nyungwe forest is a 3 hour thriller on a 200 meters long trail located 50 meters above the forest cover. The view at the top of the trees gives you the eagle’s eye experience and great experience of Nyungwe forest National Park

Colobus Monkey tracking

Nyungwe forest has 13 species of primates with the monkeys the dominant specie. The Rwenzori Colubus monkey is endemic to this forest, the colobus monkey trekking can be done any time in Nyungwe forest in southern Rwanda. The park has many individuals and often you can find a group of 400 individual while on this trek. Just like the other primates, it is best to track them in morning when they are active feeding and grooming before they rest. Other monkey species you will see include the Grey-Cheeked Mangabeys, Blue-Monkeys, L’Hoest Monkeys, Owl Faced Monkeys and Mona Monkeys. Colubus monkey trekking is USD60 per person per trek per day.

What is the cost of accommodation in Nyungwe forest National Park?

The Nyungwe forest national park is surrounded by different accommodation facilities offering services at different costs which imply that there will certainly be a place to stay for every visitor to Nyungwe irrespective of one’s budget. Some of the recommended accommodations include the luxury One & Only Nyungwe House which is a luxury facility and ranges from USD750-2000 per person per night, Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel which ranges from USD300 per person per night and the Nyungwe Forest Lodge and Gisakura guest house which ranges from USD200 per person per night. We do recommend at least 2 nights stay in Nyungwe or more for a great experience.

How to get to Nyungwe Forest National Park

By Air, you can fly into Kamembe international Airstrip from Kigali by Rwanda Air and tickets range from USD300 per adult. The airline offer domestic flights and one of its domestic routes is Kigali-Kamembe. RwandAir offers a minimum of 9 flights a week from Kigali to Kamembe International airport. The Airport is close to Nyungwe forest and some of the Hotels/Camps. 

By Road transport, It is approximately 5-6 hours’ drive to Nyungwe from Kigali city, our safaris start at 8:00am, you will have stops on the way for scenic views and photography as there is a lot to see on the way.  Transportation is inclusive of vehicle hire per day, guides allowance per day and fuel for the whole round trip, Vehicle hire ranges from USD80-250 per day depending on the choice of vehicle you use, then driver guide allowance ranges from USD50 per day and fuel for the round trip ranges from USD250, all this depends on the number of days you choose for your visit to Nyungwe forest National Park

Why book Nyungwe Forest National Park Hiking Trails Through Eco Adventure Safaris

Eco Adventure Safaris is a Local tour operator based in Uganda with its head offices in Entebbe. We specialize in life changing experiences and sustainable tours and holidays to all East African countries. We will tailor your visit to Nyungwe Park to best meet your expectations at affordable price without hidden costs. Plan and book with us any of the Nyungwe Forest National Park Hiking Trails.