Things to know before visiting Nyungwe National Park

Nyungwe national park is one of the national parks found in Rwanda and it is located in the south western part of the country.

The Nyungwe forests are one of the oldest rainforests in Rwanda and the national park covers about 1019 square kilometers and is home to a variety of primate species and bird species which can be seen during tours at the destination.

Primate species found in Nyungwe national park include black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, L’hoest monkeys among others which can be encountered during tours around the forest.

Park entrance fees for Nyungwe national park

To engage in the different activities around Nyungwe forest national park, tourists are charged park entrance fees and activity fees are charged differently during tours around the national park.

Park entrance fee for foreign nonresidents visiting Nyungwe national park is 100 USD per person for a 1 day tour, 150 USD for a 2 day tour and 200 USD for a 3 day tour.

For foreign residents visiting Nyungwe national park the entrance fee is 60 USD per person for 1 day, 90 USD for 2 days and 120 USD for 3 days/nights.

Rwandans and East African citizens are charged park entrance fee of 10,000 RWF for 1 day, 15,000 RWF for 2 days and 20,000 RWF for 3 days of visiting Nyungwe national park.

The cost of chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe national park is 150 USD per person while canopy walks are at a cost of 40 USD per person.

Activities to do in Nyungwe national park

There are different activities which can be done during tours to Nyungwe national park and they include the following;

• Chimpanzee Trekking:

One of the activities to do when visiting Nyungwe forest national park is chimpanzee trekking which involves visiting the chimpanzees in their natural habitat.

The chimpanzee trekking experience is the most popular activity which takes place during tours around Nyungwe forest national park. Before engaging in the activity, tourists are briefed at the park headquarters and also assigned ranger guides to accompany them for the search of the chimpanzees in the forest.

During the chimpanzee trek in Nyungwe forest national park, time is spent with the chimpanzees and tourists get to watch their behavior closely and also enjoy recording the chimpanzees. The chimpanzee trekking experience starts at the Uwinka tourist center and other starting points include Gisakura and Katabi.

• Canopy Walk:

Nyungwe forest national park also offers a thrilling canopy walk experience during tours around Rwanda for tourists to engage in.

The canopy walk in Nyungwe forest national park takes place along a suspended bridge which is about 70 meters high and with a length of about 160 kilometers. Tourists also move with ranger guides during this activity which can take place in the morning or in the afternoon.

During the canopy walk in Nyungwe national park, tourists can enjoy views of the tropical rainforest and also see different primates and bird species along the way. The duration of the walk is about 2 hours and is an exciting activity.

• Guided nature walks

Nature walks can also be done when visiting Nyungwe forest national park and involve exploring the forest and following different trails.

Tourists get to learn more about the forest and its tree species and bird species among other attractions during the nature walks which are led by ranger guides of Nyungwe national park who know their way around the routes in the forest.

Some of the trails followed during the guided nature walks in Nyungwe national park include the Isumo waterfall trail, Igishigishigi trail among others which lead to different attractions found at the destination.

• Hikes in Nyungwe national park

Hiking is another activity which can be done when visiting Nyungwe national park and can also be done during different months of the year.

Full day hikes are carried out in Nyungwe national park and also involve following different hiking trails in the forest such as the waterfall trail, Irebero trail, Rukuzi trail among others.

• Bird watching

Different bird species can be seen during bird watching experiences which take place around Nyungwe national park.

Nyungwe national park is home to over 300 bird species which can be seen in different parts of the forest and they include the Yellow Billed Stork, Long tailed cormorant, African fish eagle, Rwenzori Turaco, Handsome Spurfowl, Grey crowned crane, African Swift, Black winged kite, Red-chested Flufftail, Scaly Spurfowl, Bar-tailed Trogon, Malachite Kingfisher, Little Egret, Great Blue Turaco, Montane nightjar, Grey Heron, Spur- winged goose, African Spoonbill, Crowned eagle among others.

• Visiting tea plantations

Another activity that tourists can engage in when visiting Nyungwe forest national park is visiting the tea plantations in the surrounding area.

Visiting the tea plantations involves learning the different processes of planting tea, how it is picked the local way, processing of the tea and also how it is packaged. Tourists can also get a taste of the tea during this activity.

This activity provides more information about tea growing in Rwanda and how it has benefited the locals around Nyungwe national park. Walks can also be done around the plantation during the tour which is done with local guides.

Best time to visit Nyungwe national park

Nyungwe national park can be visited throughout the year and the best time to visit the destination is during the dry season which occurs during the months of June to October and also around December, January and February.

Activities like chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest are best done during the dry season during which trails in the forest are easy to navigate.

How to get to Nyungwe national park

The drive from Kigali to Nyungwe national park takes about 5 to 6 hours and can also be accessed by flights from Kigali international airport to Kamembe airport.

Where to stay in Nyungwe national park

Nyungwe National Park offers a range of accommodation options, including lodges and guesthouses, catering to different budgets and preferences ranging from budget lodges, midrange lodges and luxury lodges.

Some of the lodges around Nyungwe national park include Nyungwe top view hotel, One and Only Nyungwe house, Gisakura visitors’ center, Nziza eco lodge among others.