Western Province
Nyungwe National Park
One of Africa's oldest rainforests
01The place
Nyungwe is old. It survived the last ice age when much of Africa's forest did not, and what grew back elsewhere started from what had been preserved here. The result is a rainforest of unusual depth and density, running along the ridge that divides the Congo and Nile basins.
Thirteen primate species live in it. Chimpanzees are the draw, but the Angolan colobus are the spectacle: troops several hundred strong moving through the canopy in a way that few other places in Africa can show you.
It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023, and has been managed by African Parks since 2020. For visitors it is a walking park — trails run from gentle hour-long loops to full-day hikes out to waterfalls.
- Region
- Western Province
- From Kigali
- About 5 to 6 hours by road
- Habitat
- Montane rainforest
- Known for
- Chimpanzees, canopy walkway, colobus
- Recommended stay
- 2 to 3 nights
02Why visit
- 01
Chimpanzee tracking
An early start into the forest following the calls. Chimps move fast and high, so this is a more demanding and less predictable encounter than the gorillas — and thrilling when it comes off.
- 02
The canopy walkway
A suspension bridge strung between forest giants above a steep ravine, level with the crowns of the trees. The best way to understand the scale of the forest.
- 03
Colobus in the hundreds
Nyungwe holds exceptionally large troops of Angolan colobus. Watching several hundred move through the canopy at once is genuinely unusual.
- 04
Trails and waterfalls
A well-marked network of trails, including the long walk out to Isumo waterfall through tree ferns and over log bridges.
03Nyungwe in pictures
04Things to do
- Chimpanzee tracking
- The canopy walkway on the Igishigishigi trail
- Colobus monkey tracking
- Isumo waterfall hike
- Guided forest and birding walks
- Tea estate visits on the park edge
- Night walks
05Attractions
The canopy walkway
Suspended high above a forested ravine near Uwinka, reached on the Igishigishigi trail. Not for anyone uneasy with heights.
Isumo waterfall
A steep descent through tea fields and forest to a tall waterfall. A half-day out and back, and a real hike rather than a stroll.
Uwinka
The main reception and trailhead on the ridge, where most walks begin and where the forest falls away on both sides.
The Congo-Nile divide
The watershed runs along the crest of the park: rain falling on one side reaches the Atlantic, on the other the Mediterranean.
06When to go
Drier months make the trails safer and the chimps easier to follow, but this is rainforest and it rains in every month.
- JanJan: best time to visit
- FebFeb: best time to visit
- MarMar: shoulder season
- AprApr: shoulder season
- MayMay: shoulder season
- JunJun: best time to visit
- JulJul: best time to visit
- AugAug: best time to visit
- SepSep: best time to visit
- OctOct: shoulder season
- NovNov: shoulder season
- DecDec: best time to visit
- Chimpanzee tracking is harder in the wet months when the troops range more widely for fruit.
- Trails become genuinely slippery after rain — boots with grip matter here.
07Getting there
- From Kigali · Road
- About 5 to 6 hoursA long but scenic drive through the southern hills.
- From Lake Kivu (Karongi) · Road
- About 3 to 4 hours
- From Huye · Road
- About 2 to 2.5 hours
08Where to stay
- A small number of lodges on the park boundary and in the surrounding tea estates.
- Simpler guesthouses are available in the villages around the park.
- Chimp tracking briefings start very early, so proximity to the trailhead matters.
09What to do here
Experiences in Nyungwe
Chimpanzee Trekking
Following the calls through Nyungwe at dawn
An early start into one of Africa's oldest rainforests to track habituated chimpanzees, guided by their calls and by trackers who set out before you.
Half day, from a very early startChallenging
Canopy Walk
A suspension bridge level with the crowns of the trees
A walkway strung high above a forested ravine in Nyungwe, reached on the Igishigishigi trail — the clearest way to grasp the scale of the forest.
About 2 to 3 hoursModerate
Nature Walks
Out of the vehicle, at walking pace
Guided walks in forest and savannah, from gentle hour-long loops to full-day hikes — the small things you miss entirely from a vehicle.
1 hour to a full dayModerate
Bird Watching
Papyrus swamp, savannah and rainforest in one small country
Rwanda packs wetland, savannah and montane forest into a short drive, which makes for a very long bird list — including shoebill and dozens of Albertine Rift endemics.
Half day to a full itineraryEasy
10Journeys that go here
Tours including Nyungwe
7 days · 6 nights
7-Day Rwanda Discovery
Gorillas, rainforest and the lake in between
Kigali, the Virungas for gorillas, down the shore of Lake Kivu, and into Nyungwe for chimpanzees and the canopy walk.
ClassicModeratePrice on request
10 days · 9 nights
10-Day Rwanda Complete Experience
The whole country, at a pace that lets you enjoy it
Kigali, Akagera's savannah, the Virunga gorillas, Lake Kivu and Nyungwe's rainforest — every landscape Rwanda has, without a forced march.
ClassicModeratePrice on request
No, and any operator who promises otherwise is not being straight with you. Nyungwe's chimps are habituated but wild and fast-moving, and success rates are good rather than certain. Trackers go out ahead of the groups at dawn to locate them.
Plan Nyungwe
Build a trip around Nyungwe
Tell us roughly when you want to travel and what you want to see. We will come back with an itinerary built around it, not a package pulled off a shelf.