5 Top Activities in Nyungwe National Park
5 top activities in Nyungwe Forest National Park are those tourist activities that every traveller visiting the park does and is most recommended to do for a full-blown experience of the park. Nyungwe Forest National Park is a stunning tropical rainforest, one of Rwanda’s most treasured natural wonders that tourists flock to explore and experience the various activities that can be done in the park. Nyungwe Forest National Park is located in the south western part of Rwanda covering over 1000 square kilometres, making it the largest tropical rain forest in Eastern central Africa. The park is bordered by Burundi in the south with Lake Kivu and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the west of the park. Nyungwe Forest National Park is comprised of ancient trees, swamps, blogs, grassland and wildlife all that blend to give travellers a memorable experience in the park.
Established in 2004 as a national park and availed for visits to tourists, the park has a lot of activities that travellers can enjoy while in the park. Activities in Nyungwe Forest National Park include chimpanzee tracking, canopy walk, colobus monkey tracking, nature walking/hiking and bird watching. Below are the 5 top activities in Nyungwe Forest National Park that travellers can enjoy while on a Rwanda safari tour;
Chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe Forest National Park
Chimpanzee tracking is the most done activity in Nyungwe Forest National Park. Nyungwe Forest National Park has about 400 chimpanzees with 2 groups habituated and availed for chimpanzee tracking. The chimpanzee population of Nyungwe Forest National Park is second to Kibale Forest National Park in Uganda which is regarded as the primate capital of the world.
Chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe Forest National Park starts early in the morning, at 8 am, with a briefing by the park officials about what to expect during the trek, as well as given rules and guidelines to follow while chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe Forest. Chimpanzee tracking is not a walk in the park; it requires travellers hiking through lush vegetation cover but is very rewarding with the landscape views, various bird species, and other animals in the park that make chimpanzee tracking in the park all the more worthwhile. Once travellers encounter the chimpanzees, they have one hour with the chimpanzees as they forage, socialise and do whatever else they could be doing. The activity can take anything between 2-6 hours, depending on the location of the chimpanzees given their active and very mobile nature, as well as the terrain. For one to be able to take part in chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe Forest National Park, a chimpanzee tracking permit must be obtained, at a cost of $90 only.
Canopy walk in Nyungwe Forest National Park
Canopy walking in Nyungwe Forest National Park is the most recent addition to the activities in the park. Established in 2010, the canopy walk in Nyungwe Forest National Park stretches up to 200ft above the ground and is about 90m long. A canopy walk in Nyungwe Forest National Park gives travellers a bird’s eye view of the forest, and allows them to explore the forest in a way not possible while on a walk. Travellers get to see a number of wildlife while on a canopy walk, say, primates, various bird species, butterflies, and so much more. A canopy walk in Nyungwe Forest National Park requires one to get a permit to take part in it. A single permit costs $60 per person. The canopy walk takes about 2 hours only, and children below the age of 6 years are not allowed to take part for safety reasons.
Colobus monkey tracking
There are a variety of monkey species in Nyungwe Forest National Park that with every turn one might spot one or two of them. Among them are the black and white colobus monkeys. Monkey tracking in Nyungwe Forest National Park starts as early as chimpanzee tracking, at 8 am with the same routine. A colobus monkey tracking permit costs $70 only. The activity can take anything between 2-5 hours.
Bird watching
Bird watching is one of the 5 top activities in Nyungwe Forest National Park. With about 322 bird species in Nyungwe Forest National Park, the park is an Important Birding Area in Rwanda from where birders can enjoy sighting a number of. The park has 27 bird species that are endemics to the Albertine Rift, with 3 of them that include the red-collared, Rockefeller’s sunbird and Albertine Owlet are unregistered elsewhere on the eastern side of the Albertine Rift. Kin birders in Nyungwe Forest National Park can see up to 100 bird species a day, with the help of a bird guide who would lead you through bird-filled trails. Travellers are reminded to carry binoculars with them.
Hiking in Nyungwe Forest National Park
Hiking is another of the 5 top activities in Nyungwe Forest National Park that travellers can do while in the park. Hiking is a great way for travellers to explore the park, through about 13 trails that are well developed, along which you can hike for 1-8 hours viewing multitudes of plant, bird, tree, primates and butterfl
y species. The Igishigishigi trail the shortest where travellers can spend only 1 hour hiking Nyungwe Forest National Park, while the Bigugu trail is the longest and can take up to 8 hours. Irrespective of the hiking trail one chooses to take in Nyungwe Forest National Park, travellers are sure to have diverse wildlife experiences with species that are predominant in each trail.
With the above 5 top activities in Nyungwe Forest National Park, travellers can be sure to enjoy their stay while in the park. Get in touch with a reputable tour operator to guide you in the planning process for a memorable Rwanda safari tour visiting Nyungwe Forest National Park or simply browse our website for a Rwanda safari package of your choice that could be tailored to meet your preferences.
