Nyungwe national Park is the largest remaining tract of a true Afro-montane rainforest in east central Africa, the park covers an area of about 1015 sq. kilometers over the mountainous southwest of Rwanda, forming a contiguous forest block with that of Burundi’s 370 sq. km Kibira National Park. Nyungwe is the most important catchment area in Rwanda, and its central ridge divides Africa in two main and major drainage systems, the Nile and the Congo basin, a spring on the slopes of the 2950m mt Bigugu is now controversially regarded to be the most remote source of the world’s longest river a debate left by the Royal Geographers in the late 1880s
It lying on the western arm of the great Albertine Rift Valley, the positioning makes Nyungwe remarkably rich in biodiversity with over 1,000 different types of plants with numerous orchids endemic to the Albertine Rift Valley, the park has over close to 125 butterfly species, 65 mammals, 310 bird species with higher chances of seeing the Albertine Rift Endemics like the Kungwe Apalis, Red Collard Mountain Babbler, Stripe Breasted Tit among others.
Nyungwe is a very celebrated park as the views are very welcoming and make you curious before enter it. One moment the road is winding through a characteristic rural Rwanda landscape of rolling tea plantations and artificially terraced hills, the next view is of a dense tangle of trees rising imperiously from the fringing cultivation. For a full 50km, the roads clings improbably to steep forested slopes, offering grandstand views over densely swathed hills that tumble like monstrous green waves towards the distant Burundi border. One normally thinks of the rain forest as an intimate and confining environment, and Nyungwe’s dark interior certainly possesses those qualities. But as viewed from the main road, Nyungwe is also a gloriously expansive sight.
Many visitors always have a big focus on primates and the park has 13 species in inhabiting it, including chimpanzee, Ruwenzori colobus, Red Tailed, Blue Monkey and the localized Lhotse’s monkey. However, to birders, given its well-developed trails and the suspended canopy walk, Nyungwe so alluring.
Bisected by the surfaced truck road between Huye and Rusizi/Cyangugu, Nyungwe is unusually easily accessible by car. Partly this is because the forest trails require more stamina than their counterparts in the Volcanoes National Park, without the enticement of mountain gorillas to justify the effect.
- Day 1: Pick up and Kigali City Tourupon you arrival at kigali airport, our driver guide will pick up and transfer you to Kigali for a city tour. You will tour various sites in the city such as the kigali convention centre, national Museum, presidential palace, and the kigali genocide memorial centre among others. Dinner and overnight at Kigali Serena hotel/Frame tree village/Five to five hotel.Day 2:Transfer Nyungwe Forest
After a morning breakfast, you will transfer to Nyungwe forest national park in the south western part of the country via the rolling hills across Rwanda. You will have lunch en-route and reach at the lodge in the evening. Dinner and overnight stay at Nyungwe forest lodge/ Nyungwe top view lodge/ Gisakura Guest House.Day 3: Chimp trekking in Nyungwe forest – Kibuye City
After breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for briefing and then hike into the forest to trek the chimpanzees. You will also encounter other animals such as the elephants, colubuses,blue monkeys and many bird species. In the afternoon, go for a city tour in kibuye and then return to the lodge for dinner and overnight. (day 2).Day 4: Kibuye- Volcanoes national park in Kinigi (PNV)
You will have a morning breakfast and then transfer to volcanoes national park in kinigi via Gisenyi in Ruhengeri. You will pass via tea plantations with a spectacular views of the neighboring communities and and beautiful scenaries reaching in the evening. Dinner and overnight at Mountain gorilla view lodge/Gorilla solution lodge/ Da Vinci gorilla lodge/Kinigi guest house. .Day 5: Gorilla tracking
Wake up early and transfer to volcanoes national park headquarters in Kinigi for briefing about gorilla trekking. At 8:30am, transfer to trekking starting point and then hike into teh forest with the lead of the armed of armed of guide. You will spend an hour with the mountain gorillas and then descend back to the lodge. In the evening, you may go for cultural encounters and interact with the local people. Dinner and overnight at the lodge (day 4).Day 6:Departure
Wake up early, have morning breakfast and then return to kigali for a return flight.
After breakfast, trek up to the mountain for another memorable experience with the gorillas. OR Visit Dian Fossey’s tomb, another option is a Climb of Mt Bisoke, which is topped with a beautiful crater lake.
All the above activities are suitable for those who are reasonably fit.End of the tour