Things to do in Nyungwe Forest National Park

Things to do in Nyungwe Forest National Park: Located in the southwestern part of Rwanda, Nyungwe Forest National Park is a tropical rainforest covering 1019 square kilometers. It was gazetted as a national park in 2024 to protect the tropical rainforest and the different wildlife species, especially the chimpanzees. Chimpanzees of Nyungwe Forest attract thousands of tourists, as they are the closest relatives to human beings, with more than 98% DNA shared with humans.

Looking for things to do in Nyungwe Forest National Park, well, there are several activities that tourists can do while on a safari to this park. These activities enable tourists to explore the different attractions within the forest. While on a safari to Nyungwe Forest National Park, tourists can participate in chimpanzee trekking, canopy walk, bird watching, and much more.

Nyungwe Forest National Park activities need enough time, as tourists can manage to carry out a maximum of two activities per day. Tourists who are interested in carrying out most of the park activities need to book a safari of 2 or more days within the park. Activities like bird watching also need more than a day if birders want to encounter more than half of the species that live within the forest.

Top activities in Nyungwe Forest National Park

Chimpanzee trekking

Nyungwe Forest National Park is home to several species of chimpanzee in Rwanda. The park has habituated chimpanzees, which are used to human presence around them. Chimpanzee trekking is the most popular activity in Nyungwe Forest National Park, as tourists dream of visiting their close relatives to human beings. Chimpanzees are said to have more than 98% of the DNA they share with human beings.

A chimpanzee trekking activity requires one to have a trekking certificate, which they present to the rangers on the day of trekking. All trekkers of the day are briefed about the rules and regulations of the activity and given armed rangers to lead them into the jungle. Inside the jungle, different trails are used to search for where the mountain gorillas could be.

Searching and locating chimpanzees of Nyungwe Forest National Park takes 1 to 4 hours, but as soon as they are spotted, trekkers are given 1 hour to be around them. This comes with learning the chimpanzee habits, watching them carry out activities like hunting, playing, mating, and much more. Trekkers are able to take photos and record videos while around these chimpanzees for future memories.

Canopy walk

The canopy walk is one of the top activities carried out in Nyungwe Forest National Park. On a safari to Rwanda, tourists can have a one-hour walk on a suspended bridge 70 meters long above the Nyungwe Forest National Park. The canopy walk starts at Uwinka Reception Centre, and during the walk, participants are able to see the forest from above, a few wildlife species that live within the forest, birds, and insects, among others.

Birdwatching

Birders on a safari in Rwanda should visit Nyungwe Forest National Park, which is home to more than 300 bird species, among which are 27 species that are endemic to the Albertine region. Birders in Nyungwe forest national park have chances of spotting bird species such as great blue turaco, tambourine dove, thick billed cuckoo, mottled swift, African rail, grey crowned crane, African jacana, yellow billed stork, African spoonbill, great egret, hamerkop, bateleur, white headed vulture, mountain buzzard, Albertine owlet, and gray parrot to mention but a few.

When is the best time to have a safari in Nyungwe Forest National Park?

Tourists can have a safari in Nyungwe Forest National Park at any time of the year; however, there are certain months that are better than others. The dry season months, June to September and December to February, are the best time to have safaris within this park as they are characterized by little rainfall and plenty of sunshine.

During the dry season, tourists will find the trekking trails dry and easy to walk through. This helps to access the different areas of the forest easily. Tourists will find the vegetation short, and this gives clear views of the attractions within the forest. The short vegetation cover leads to clear photography of the attractions within the forest.

Nyungwe Forest National Park is also open for park activities during the low season months of March to May and October to November. These months are however, characterized by plenty of rainfall and little sunshine. The weather keeps the trekking trails muddy and slippery, which makes moving through the forest challenging.

Where to spend a night on a safari in Nyungwe Forest National Park?

Nyungwe Forest National Park has standard, mid-range, and luxury accommodation facilities where tourists who want to spend a night or more in the park can stay. These lodges include Nyungwe Top View Hotel, One and Only Nyungwe House, Emeraude Kivu Resort, Gisakura Guest House, Nyungwe Forest Lodge, and Nyungwe Nziza Ecolodge, to name a few.