Nyungwe survived the last ice age, which is why it holds a density of endemic species that younger forests do not. It has around 500 chimpanzees, thirteen primates, a canopy walkway suspended above a ravine, and a fraction of the visitors of Volcanoes National Park.
- Size
- 1,019 sq km
- Primates
- 13 species
- Chimpanzee permit
- US$150
- Signature
- Canopy walkway, 160 m long and around 60 m high
- From Kigali
- 4.5–5 hrs
- From Lake Kivu
- 2–3 hrs
Chimpanzee tracking
Two areas are used: the main Uwinka block and the isolated Cyamudongo forest, where the community is smaller and often easier to find. Starts are early — 05:00 is normal — and success rates are lower than Kibale. The forest itself compensates.
The colobus supertroops
Nyungwe's Angolan colobus move in troops that can exceed three hundred animals, among the largest arboreal primate groups anywhere. Watching a supertroop cross a gap in the canopy is arguably better value than the chimpanzee tracking, and the permit costs far less.
The canopy walkway
A suspension bridge strung between forest giants above a steep ravine, around sixty metres up and well over a hundred metres long. It sways, deliberately. The walk out and back takes a couple of hours with the approach trail, and it is the only structure of its kind in East Africa.
Trails and waterfalls
Over a hundred and thirty kilometres of trails run through the park, from the short Igishigishigi loop to the full-day Bigugu summit and the Isumo waterfall trail through tea plantations. Birders come for the Albertine Rift endemics — the great blue turaco is common enough to become ordinary, which it never quite does.
Getting there and staying
Four and a half to five hours from Kigali, or two to three from Lake Kivu, which is the sensible way to arrive. One&Only Nyungwe House sits in a tea plantation at the forest edge; Nyungwe Top View Hill and the Uwinka campsite cover the rest of the range.
Questions
Frequently asked
Is Nyungwe better than Kibale for chimpanzees?
No — Kibale has higher densities and a better success rate. Nyungwe wins on everything else: the canopy walkway, the colobus supertroops, the endemics and the emptiness. If you are already in Rwanda, go.
Can you visit Nyungwe and Volcanoes on the same trip?
Yes, and the drive between them along Lake Kivu is one of the best in East Africa. Our 6-day Rwanda itinerary does exactly that.
Next
Keep planning
- 6-day Rwanda gorillas, Nyungwe and Kivu — the itinerary that includes it
- Rwanda gorilla safaris — the wider country
- Chimpanzee trekking — Nyungwe against Kibale
- Lake Kivu — the road in