Nyungwe National Park

Nyungwe National Park protects about 1,019 square kilometers of montane rainforest in southwest Rwanda, on the border with Burundi. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023.

It is Rwanda's place for chimpanzees, monkeys, birds and forest hiking, and it adds variety to a gorilla trip.

What It Is and Where

Nyungwe is one of the largest mountain rainforests in Central Africa. It reaches about 3,000 meters, and its rivers feed both the Nile and the Congo basins. African Parks has managed it with the Rwanda Development Board since 2020. The park is home to 13 primate species, and the IUCN's World Heritage review counts more than 300 chimpanzees and 351 bird species.

What You Do There

Chimpanzee trekking: treks start before dawn, and once the chimps are found you have one hour with them. Chimps move fast through the canopy, so sightings are never guaranteed. A minimum age applies, which we confirm at booking.
The canopy walkway: a 160-meter suspension bridge over a forested ravine, about an hour's walk from the Uwinka visitor center. Visit Rwanda currently lists the fee for international visitors at $40.
Colobus and other monkeys: Ruwenzori colobus troops here can be very large, and L'Hoest's monkeys and grey-cheeked mangabeys are often seen.
Forest hiking and birding on a network of marked trails.

When to Go

The drier months, June to September and December to February, make trails easier underfoot. It is a rainforest, so rain is possible any time. Some guides find chimps easier to see in the wetter months, when fruiting trees bring them lower.

Getting There and How Long to Stay

Nyungwe is about five hours by road from Kigali. RwandAir flies from Kigali to Kamembe, the nearest airport, and helicopter transfers can link it with Volcanoes. Two or three nights gives you one chimp trek, the canopy walk and a forest hike without rushing.

Where to Stay in Nyungwe

Nyungwe Tea Forest Resort

Formerly One&Only Nyungwe House, set in a working tea plantation at Gisakura on the edge of the forest. Twenty-two rooms and suites with forest-facing decks, an infinity pool and tea-picking sessions. The most comfortable base in the area.

Species in the Area

Primates (13 species)

Chimpanzee
Ruwenzori colobus
L’Hoest’s monkey
Grey-cheeked mangabey
Silver monkey
Red-tailed monkey
Olive baboon

Birdlife (Albertine Rift endemics)

Great blue turaco
Rwenzori turaco
Red-collared babbler
Regal sunbird

Chimpanzee

Nyungwe holds Rwanda's largest chimpanzee population, more than 300 animals by the IUCN's count, all of them eastern chimpanzees, a subspecies listed as Endangered. The forest itself is the main protection. Nyungwe was a forest reserve from 1933, became a national park in 2004 and joined the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023, recognized for its unusual concentration of Albertine Rift endemic species. Since 2020 African Parks has co-managed the park with the Rwanda Development Board. Only a few habituated groups are visited by tourists, each for one hour a day, which limits disturbance and helps fund ranger patrols across the forest.

Nyungwe National Park

Chimpanzees and Ancient Montane Rainforest