An overview of Nyungwe forest national park

Lying in the southwestern region is Nyungwe forest national park, Rwanda’s off the beaten track primate destination. The park is located along the country’s border with Burundi in the south and Democratic Republic of Congo in the east. Nyungwe forest national park is approximately 220km from Kigali, roughly six hours’ drive from Rwanda’s capital.

The park is endowed with one of the most preserved montane forests in Africa, which envelopes with fold varying landscapes of the rain forest, bamboo forests, swamps, and grasslands. Nyungwe forest national park is by far Rwanda’s prime primate destination hosting about 13 primate species which amount to 25% of all primates in Africa.

The park has the highest chimpanzee population in Rwanda hosting about 500 chimps and is second to Uganda’s Kibale forest national park in East Africa. According to some people, Nyungwe national park is the furthest ‘remote’ national park in this land of a thousand hills but also, the richest destination for primates safari in Rwanda.

What is a primate?

A primate is any member of the biological order Primates, the group that contains all the species commonly related to lemurs, monkey, and apes.

What is primate trekking?

Primate trekking is an activity that involves moving in the forest trails in search of primate species. It is an activity where visitors walk through the forest in search of habituated primate species. It is a really rewarding venture as it exposes guests to the delightful routines of primates such as chimps, monkeys, among others rewarding them with a once in a lifetime experience. Usually, visitors move along trekking trails looking for a particular primate troop. Once the troop is identified, visitors are allowed one-hour interaction after which they move back to the park.

What is primate watching?

Primate watching is an activity where visitors enjoy a primate close up experience. During primate watching, the visitor is able to view several primate species in their natural habitat with the assistance of a guide. It is an activity where guests view primates along trekking trails or behind a gazetted area sometimes which primates are not even habituated for trekking. It is one of the amazing activities that visitors engage in when they decide to explore the forested areas of a country in search of primate species in general.

What is the difference between Primate trekking and primate watching?

Primate trekking is an activity of walking long and short distances while searching for a particular habituated primate troop. Primate watching is an activity where visitors view primates in their natural habitats usually along trekking trails or behind a gazetted area.

Primate trekking is an activity done for only habituated primate troops such as chimps and Black and white colobus monkeys. Primate watching on the other hand is an activity that can involve both habituated and non habituated primate species. These include the group of silver monkeys usually seen along the Umuyove trail while on a canopy walk at Nyungwe forest national park.

What primate species are found in the Nyungwe forest national park?

Nyungwe forest national park is home to over 13 primate species which account for 25% of all primates in Africa. Here is a list of primate species found in Nyungwe forest national park; chimpanzees, black-and-white colobus monkey, grey-cheeked mangabey, olive baboon, red-tailed monkey, silver monkey, Rwenzori colobus, L’Hoest’s monkey, vervet monkey, golden monkey, owl-faced monkey, three species of bushbabies and don’t mona monkey.

Is there primate trekking in Nyungwe forest national park?

Yes, Nyungwe forest national park is one of the amazing places to trek most primate species in Rwanda.

Is there primate watching in Nyungwe forest national park?

Yes, Nyungwe forest national park is an amazing destination to watch most primate species in Rwanda. Most primate watching adventures take place along the canopy walk, hiking trails as well as chimpanzee and black-and-white colobus monkey trails.

What primates can be trekked at Nyungwe forest national park?

Chimpanzees are the major primates that can be trekked at Nyungwe Forest national park. Apart from the chimps, Black-and-white colobus monkeys can also be tracked at the park.

What primates can be watched at Nyungwe forest national park?

About 13 primate species found Nyungwe forest national park can be watched by a visitor including the habituated and non- habituated species. Here is a list of the commonly viewed primates; chimpanzees, Black-and-white colobus monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, olive baboon, red-tailed monkey, silver monkey, vervet monkeys among others.

What forms of primate trekking can a visitor engage in at Nyungwe forest national park?

• Chimpanzee trekking

Chimpanzee trekking is the most famous primate trek at Nyungwe forest national park. The park has over 500 chimpanzees. Nyungwe forest has only two habituated chimpanzee groups one consisting of about 60 individuals and the other 30 individuals.

There are three trekking trails that visitors can take on to track chimps at Nyungwe forest national park; Uwinka which is the major trailhead, Gisakura tea plantation trail, and the Kitabi trail. The bigger chimpanzee group is found around Uwinka but gives few chances of seeing the chimps. Another chimpanzee habituated group at the park is found in the Cyamudongo forest. This has a smaller number of individuals of over 30 chimps and rewards visitors with the most successful chimp sightings. However, trekking chimpanzees at Cyamudongo depends on the behavior of the troop.

• Black-and-white colobus monkey trekking

Nyungwe forest national park is home to about 400 black-and-white colobus monkeys. Black-and-white colobus monkey trekking is usually done along three trekking trails the waterfall trail, Bigugu trail and the Uwinka campsite trails. The waterfall trail runs from Gisakura guest house to the tea estate. The trekking can last between two to six hours or more depending on the movement of the monkeys. It is an incredible experience watching the monkeys jump from one tree branch to another, feeding, nursing the infants, and many more.

How is a primate trekking trip conducted at Nyungwe forest national park?

Chimpanzee trekking at Nyungwe forest national park begins at 8 am in the morning where visitors are briefed by the park ranger about the activity. Visitors are then allocated groups constituting eight individuals and each assigned a guide. The trekkers then take different trekking trails in the forest either Uwinka, Kitabi, Gisakura in search of a habituated chimpanzee group.

The trekking can last between two to six hours or more depending on the movement of the chimps. Once the chimpanzee troop is sighted, visitors are allowed to spend one hour with the chimps after which they move back to the park.

Black-and-white colobus monkey trekking is another interesting primate trek at Nyungwe forest park. Black-and-white colobus monkey trekking is usually done along three trekking trails the waterfall trail, Bigugu trail and the Uwinka campsite trails. The waterfall trail runs from Gisakura guest house to the tea estate. The trekking at the park begins at 8 am in the morning where visitors are briefed by the park ranger about the activity. Visitors are then allocated groups constituting eight individuals and each assigned a guide. The trekking can last between two to six hours or more depending on the movement of the monkeys. Once the troop is sighted, visitors are allowed to spend one hour with the monkeys after which they move back to the park.

What is the minimum age allowed to trek primates at Nyungwe forest national park?

The minimum age of visitors allowed to engage in trekking primates at Nyungwe forest national park is 15 years. This is because any person below 15 years is considered a child thus may not be fit enough to trek the chimpanzees.

Why go for a primate trip to Nyungwe forest national park?

Nyungwe forest national park is the ultimate chimpanzee trekking destination in Rwanda. It is the only destination in Rwanda where you can trek chimpanzees. The park is home to over 500 chimps also offers a number of other primate safaris where guests can watch a variety of primate species. Nothing beats the first up-close encounter with the chimpanzee community in Nyungwe.

Being in the company of about 25% of Africa’s primates living in Africa’s rain forests is a once in a lifetime adventure. Nyungwe forest national park offers guests an experience of being just a few feet away from these wild creatures which are not only thrilling but also rewarding as you view their intelligence, poses, expressions, and interactions that a human-like. You wouldn’t want to miss this adventure.

The price of the trekking permit at Nyungwe national park is significantly cheaper, making the experience agreeably better compared to Rwanda’s star attraction- mountain gorillas.

While on primate trek at Nyungwe forest national park, visitors may be able to come across other amazing wild creatures along the trekking trails. These are mainly various tree species, forest elephants, some members of the cat family such as leopards, serval cats, or even several bird species.

What is required of one to go for a primate trek at Nyungwe forest national park?

A primate trek is not different from the other hiking adventures in the forest. The requirements needed for one to go for a primate trek at Nyungwe include a chimpanzee permit, backpack, packed lunch, walking stick, hiking boots, long-sleeved attire, rain gear, camera, hat, insect repellent, and binoculars among others.

When is the best time to trek primates at Nyungwe forest national park?

The best time to trek primates at Nyungwe forest national park would be during the dry season. This is between December to March and June to September because the forest is clear which makes the spotting of several primates easier. Visitors who wish to avoid large crowds may travel between the months March-May and October to November which is usually wet. Although forest trails are a bit slippery during the wet season, they are somewhat ideal for primate watching because during the wet season primates don’t move long distances in search of food.