NYUNGWE FOREST NATIONAL PARK
Duration
Overview
Nyungwe forest national park was first gazette in 1995 but it was facing a big problem of poaching and many animals were killed. In 1999 the last elephant was killed and now in 2004 Rwandan government declared it an official national park hence giving it the highest level of protection.
Nyungwe forest national park is situated 226km from Kigali the capital to the Uwinka the park headquarter in the South-western part of Rwanda and it borders Burundi in the south, DRC in the west and Lake Kivu in the north covering an area of 1019sq km . The park is bordered by many districts including Nyaruguru in the south east, Nyamagabe in the north east, Karongi in the north, Nyamasheke in the north west and Rusizi in the southwest.
This is one of the largest rainforests in Africa harboring 13 primate species including the famous chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, over 300 bird species and Kamiranzovu waterfall plus rivers such as Mbirurume and Mwogo which are also a source of water to the longest river in Rwanda Nyabarongo River.
ATTRACTIONS
PRIMATES
The park harbors 13 primates including: chimpanzees, olive baboons, velvet monkeys and red tailed monkeys.
BIRDS
The park harbors over 200 bird species including; white tailed flycatcher, Rwenzori batis, Rwenzori turaco and sunbirds.
GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES
The park consists of many beautiful natural features such as Kamiranzovu waterfall, rivers and vegetation
CHIMPANZEE TREKKING
This activity starts with briefing at park headquarters about the rules and regulations to follow during the trek and the led by a professional guide throughout the trek.
The activity takes up to 4-5 hours. Persons below the age of 15 years are discouraged from this activity.
This activity starts with briefing from Uwinka headquarter and led by the park guide.
This is the only place in East Africa were canopy walk is done. The activity involves walking along a bridge which is elevated at a height of 70meters above the forest. This gives you an opportunity to see various features in the forest, Lake Kivu, and several animals.
HIKING
The park has many hiking trails such as Igishigishigi trail, Bigugu trail, Ngabwe trail, Isumo waterfall trail, Kamiranzovu marsh trail, Karamba birding trail, Karamba birding trail, Irebero trail, Muzimu trail, Imbaraga trail, Umoyove trail and Rukuzi trail. All these trails lead you to different points in the park such as caves, swamps, and waterfalls among others depending on your interests. And this is a full day activity and several days according to the number of trails you want.
This activity involves walking through the forests to encounter different tree species, some of the birds and primates like monkeys. The activity takes about 3-4 hours depending on the tourist’s interests.
For birders this is an interesting place to visit due to the high numbers of birds here including; white tailed flycatcher, Congo bay owlet, Rwenzori turaco among others
