Nyungwe National Park

This is indeed the world’s most beautiful and pristine mountain rainforests. It’s believed to be one of Africa’s oldest forests, staying green even through the Ice Age, which explains its diversity.Nyungwe is the home of roughly 400 species of chimpanzees, Nyungwe shelters one of East Africa’s last intact populations and boasts two wild chimp communities that welcome guests (one in Cyamdungo and other around Uwinka). Thus, it’s not surprising that chimpanzee tracking is a popular activity in Nyungwe.

Nyungwe National Park is found in western Rwanda and is one of the world’s most beautiful and pristine mountain rain forests. It is dominated by a series of mountains, originating in northern Uganda and Congo, running south through the Rwenzori mountains, western Rwanda and Burundi, to the shores of Lake Tanganyika. Nyungwe National Park offers scenic views over the Lake Kivu and sometimes the Virunga ranges on a clear day. The forest has an extensive network of well-maintained walking and hiking trails to various waterfalls and viewing points.

Nyungwe forest is home to 75 different species of mammals with most of these being small and or nocturnal making it difficult for sighting except the primates. Chimpanzees are the main attraction in Nyungwe forest with chimp trekking happening daily early morning. The forest is home to troops of 300 colobus monkeys or more roaming in the trees, giving visitors to the forest another engaging activity. Nyungwe forest is home to about 300 species of birds with 16 endemics, 27 Albertine rift endemics, and 121 forest species. The bird species found in Nyungwe forest include, Chestnut Owlet, Olive and Elliot’s Woodpeckers, Great Blue and Ruwenzori Turacos, White-headed Wood-hoopoe, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Stripe-breasted Tit, the remarkable Red-collared Babblerm to name a few. The prime activities in Nyungwe forest are chimp trekking, bird watching, colobus monkey trekking and the canopy walk.