The New Nyungwe National Park Fees 2023-2024

Announcing the New Nyungwe National Park Fees 2023-2024 effective from January 1^st 2023. New tourism pricing for Nyungwe National Park 2023 which is to be reviewed every 2 years. Since October 2020 when Nyungwe management Company was given the mandate to fully manage Nyungwe National Park, the existing pricing (more than 10 years since last updated) was kept and will be maintained until the end of 2022.

One of the first priorities of NMC in terms of upscaling tourism was the compilation of an inclusive tourism development plan (TDP) that must inform all the developments of tourism and hospitality in and even around Nyungwe. The new pricing proposed to be applied starting from January 2023 is part of the TDP and takes into account the envisioned improvement in tourism and hospitality. So far approximately 35% of visitors are nationals and with a revised pricing strategy, improved activities and accommodation development, the target is to increase the % with the end vision being at least 50% of park visitors being nationals, and an additional almost 15-20% resident visitors. The 2023 pricing (here below) is aimed at encouraging extended stays, with a higher entry fee for the first day, or night, and a reduced fee for subsequent nights. II. Tourism prices starting from January 1st , 2023

Summary of the New Nyungwe National Park Fees 2023-2024

• Entrance fees $100
• Chimpanzee trekking fees $150
• Canopy walk fees $40
• Nature walk fees $40
• Guides and porter’s fees $15
• Annual Permit fees $300
• Filming fees $200

Entry fees

Entry fees have just been introduced and charged according to visitor category and number of days spent in the Park. Interestingly, entry fees won’t be charged for travelers with visits beyond 3 days to one week.

Adult Rwandan or East African Community (EAC) citizens pay USD 10 (RWF 10,000) per person for 1 day/night visit, USD 15 (RWF 15,000) for 2 nights visit, and only USD 20 (20,000) for a 3-night stay. Children from 6-12 years are required to pay half the adult rate for the 1, 2, and 3-night stay. Children below 6 years access the Park for free.

Foreign residents in Rwanda or the East African Community will be required to pay USD 60 per person for the one-night visit, USD 90 when staying two nights, and USD 120 per person when staying 3 nights. The rate is halved for children between 6 and 12 years. These same rates apply to African Citizens (other countries outside the East African Community).

International visitors visiting Nyungwe Forest National Park will be required to pay USD 100 per person for the one-day/night visit, USD 150 per person when staying for two days, and USD 200 per person when visiting for 3 nights in the Park. For children between 6 and 12 years, these rates are halved.

Chimpanzee tracking fees

Chimpanzee tracking rates for Nyungwe Forest National Park also vary according to the category, whereby Rwandan or EAC Citizens are required to pay only USD 25, while Forest Residents in EAC will pay USD 75, AND International Visitor will pay USD 150 per person per trek.

Other special activities (Canopy walks, primate treks, birding, and hiking) fees

Rwandan or EAC Citizens will pay USD 5 to take part in canopy walks, primate treks (other than chimpanzee trekking), forest birding, and hiking, while foreign residents in EAC will pay USD 20 and International visitors will have to part with USD 40.

Annual Pass

You can choose to pay an annual pass, allowing multiple entries into Nyungwe Forest National Park, for a period of one year. Rwandan or EAC Citizens are charged RWF 95,000 for an individual/single pass and RWF 150,000 for a couple pass. You can pay for the entire family (2 adults and 2 children) at RWF 205,000

For the Foreign residents in EAC, the single pass goes for USD 300, the couple pass goes for USD 500 and the family pass goes for USD 700.

Guides and porter’s fees

Guides and porters picked up from the reception before 9am and returned to the same reception within 5 hours will be considered as ½ day activity. Guides and porters picked up from reception after 9am will be charged for a full day, unless the guide is returned before midday. If a guide is requested to accompany a visitor to one of the multi-day walking trails, an additional fee of 15,000 RWF is applied for the guides accommodation and food for up to 3 nights. Porters requested for multi day treks will be subject to an additional fee of 15,000 RWF applied for the accommodation and food for up to 3 nights. Any supplement nights will command a top up of 5,000 RWF per extra night

For every 8 tourists (excluding children 5 and under) there will be a requirement to have a guide. This is to ensure the safety of guests but also ensure the information shared by the guide can be absorbed and heard by all.

The Entry fee inclusive of any trail is payable by all day visitors, or per night for overnight visitors staying inside the park. The fee reduces by 50% for the second and third nights and then free for any subsequent nights for up to one week. E.g. for 1 night in the park (and the 2 days either side) the fee is payable once, for 2 nights it is payable twice, with the second night reduced by 50%. Visitors staying outside the park are considered ‘day visitors’(unless staying in an approved hospitality entity that the park has a signed agreement with) and will be required to pay the entry fee for each day they enter the park.

Children 5 and under are free of charge, no entry fee or activities fees apply with exception of future zip line and rope courses. Activity fees rates for children are applicable for 6 – 12-year-olds. 13-yearolds and above pay adult rates for entry fees and activities.

In the existing partnership with Rwanda Development Board, Nyungwe Management Company is pleased to announce the new tourism pricing for Nyungwe, applicable as of 1st January, 2023 (except confirmed bookings which will have to be paid within 2 weeks following this announcement, i.e. by 27th October, 2022).

The two main objectives of the new pricing are:

1) simplifying the existing pricing for visitors and harmonization of the pricing structure between two Rwandan parks whose management is entrusted to African Parks (Akagera and Nyungwe);

2) Facilitating longer stays of guests without incurring exponential increases in expenses.

The New Nyungwe National Park Fees 2023-2024 comes along with tourism improvement on different aspects including:

1. The introduction of a friendly park entry fee that gives full day access to nature walk options in the park, and becomes even more advantageous for longer stays;

2. The introduction of a friendly annual pass fee that gives you full year access to the park according to the category of visitors a guest belongs to;

3. The facilitation for domestic visitors (EAC citizens, EAC foreign residents, and African citizens);

4. The diversification of tourism activities including the introduction of multiple-days walks, and zip line and rope courses;

5. The possibility of separately paying the guiding fee for nature walks and being able to choose half or full day.

Contact us here for booking a trip to visit Nyungwe National Park and for more information about the New Nyungwe National Park Fees 2023-2024. We are highly recommended on TripAdvisor.