Tourist Activities in Nyungwe National Park 2021
Tourist Activities in Nyungwe National Park 2021: Nyungwe national park located in southwestern Rwanda is one the must-visit places in Rwanda in 2021. Named after the great Nyungwe forest that makes up the largest percentage of the park, this park is a wonder of nature, wildlife and birdlife. The great Nyungwe forest itself is an assortment of over 1000 tree species and has a unique landscape of swamps, valleys and flat land. The unique nature of the forest makes the perfect habitat for over 100 bird species and several animal species that include the great primates the chimpanzees.
This National Park, just like many other parks has been closed for most of 2020 due to the COVID19 pandemic, but the good news is it was recently reopened and is already welcoming guests that want to experience its beauty, nature, birdlife and wildlife.
Because the park has been closed you must be wondering what activities are in the park now, well in this article we explore the activities in Nyungwe National Park that are open to its visitors in the remaining part of 2020 and throughout the year 2021. The activities include but not limited to:-
Chimpanzee trekking
Chimpanzee trekking literally means taking long walks into the forest to find the chimpanzees and spend an hour with them. As stated above, some of the animals that live in the great Nyungwe forest are the famous primates the chimpanzees. These chimpanzees in this forest have been habituated and available for trekking purposes. The forest is currently home to over 400 chimpanzees that can be trekked by people on a daily. Chimpanzee trekking is at 60 USD per trekking permit.
Canopy Walk
Above Nyungwe forest there is a canopy walk way hanging 60 meters high about 200 meters long; this is the only canopy walk way in East Africa and visitors to Nyungwe National Park get to enjoy the great experience of walking above the forest on this canopy walk way. The canopy walk gives you an opportunity to enjoy the spectacular views of the Nyungwe forest and its surroundings from above; you are also able to see some of the Virunga massif, part of the East African region and a couple of animals and birds from above. The walk is open to all persons 6 and above and it takes about 1and ½ hours or 2 hours. The walk fee for all individuals is at 60 USD.
Forest Nature Walks
Explore the beauty of the Nyungwe forest on amazing forest Nature walks; on these walks you get to see the numerous tree species in the forest, several flower species, a variety of butterfly species, birds and wildlife, you will also see some waterfalls. Forest Nature walks are normally guided by the forest guides and they take half day or full day; you choose one that you feel is okay for physical fitness.
Hiking
The Landscape of the Nyungwe forest is unique with some hilly rock parts that add to the beauty of this forest. This unique landscape has different hiking trails that adventure lovers can take on as they explore the forest. The hiking trails include but not limited to .. Igishigishigi trail, Rukuzi trail, Isumo waterfall trail, Kamiranzovu marsh trail, Bigugu trail, Irebero trail, Muzimu trail, Imbaraga trail, Ngabwe trail, Karamba birding trail, Source of the Nile trail, Umoyove trail, Congo Nile trail and many more. Some trails are longer and tougher than others thus each trail requires a different kind of fitness so you should inquire on which one would work for your physical fitness. Each trail also ends at a waterfall point that is refreshing and just beautiful.
Birding
You can also take birding adventures in the great Nyungwe Forest to explore the several bird species that make their home in the forest. The bird species in the forest have forest birds and endemic albertine rift valley species that include but not limited to Rockefellers sunbird, Chapin’s flycatcher, red collared mountain babbler, Rwenzori Turaco, white tailed flycatcher, Rwenzori batis, Rwenzori nigh jar, Rwenzori hill babler, Congo bay owlet, mountain sooty boubu and many more.
Other activities that are done in Nyungwe National Park are:-
- monkey trekking, where travellers take on treks to find the different monkey species in the forest like the L’ Hoests monkeys, blue monkeys, black and white colubus, red tailed monkeys etc
- Cultural tours in the areas surrounding Nyungwe National Park
- Community encounters, this is where you visit the different communities that live in and around the park.
- Vegetation tours; just a few meters from the park are several coffee vegetation that you can tour to experience the different processing stages of Rwanda coffee.
