Nyungwe National Park — Attraction in Bweyeye

The top things to see and do in Nyungwe forest in Rwanda which is also a land of thousand hills is also home too many natural wonders and the forest is one of them. This forest also covers an area of over 1000 sq kilometers and it’s even larger than it extends into Burundi where Kibira National park.

This national park is also the largest tropical afro Montane rainforest east or central Africa and a rainforest it is and receives over 2000mm of rain each year and its Rwanda’s largest water catchment area and its home to 2/3rds of all Rwanda’s water.  The forest also feeds both the river Congo and the River Nile with water.

When you arrive in Nyungwe forest, you come here on the winding roads through the huge tea fields and then there is Nyungwe forest national park, like developing its massiveness like a national Geographic Video and only better since you are here in that large forest with its endless Kamiranzovu swamp, the trails through out, the forest canopy walk, which is the only one in East Africa, the chances for birding, the primate tracking and viewing and taking in the flowers like the orchids that are found here and the many butterflies that they attract.

Nyungwe is also not a compact park but large forest and the things to do and see here also take some planning as that your time on the safari is not wasted with drive times. The Nyungwe forest has a wide diversity of animal species, making it a priority for conservation in Africa. The forest is situated in a region in which several large-scale biogeographical zones meet and the variety of terrestrial biomens provides a great span of microhabitates for many different species of plants and animals. You can also find over 300 different bird species,many butterflies, orchids, 75 mammal species including the 13 primates, and there have also been the sightings of the golden monkeys. Also the park is with its uncountable of the natural wonders and is not missed if you are coming to Rwanda and it will be one of those items to mountain gorilla tracking in Rwanda.

The heart of Nyungwe Forest is like a scene from a fairy tale. Tall old mahoganies, ebonies and giant tree ferns tower above you, whilst orchids and other epiphytes cling to every branch. Brightly coloured birds flit around, butterflies are everywhere, and walking quietly you may even encounter larger forest residents, including a variety of primates for which Nyungwe National Park is renowned.

To get a real sense of the scale of Nyungwe, try East Africa’s highest canopy walk with a metal bridge suspended 50 metres above the forest. It’s not for the vertiginous but the views of Nyungwe sprawled out below are...

Nyungwe National Park is in the Southern Province in Rwanda. Getting to this park is a big challenge if you are a backpacker but I believe this review is going to help you guys. So if you are coming to Rubavu(Gisenyi) you alight at Nyamasheke and wait for the bus. For me I went directly to Rusizi(Kamembe) where I took a bus from the bus park. Kindly note Volcano and Omega bus companies are the ones that go to this place. From Rusizi to Nyungwe I paid 2100rwf one way. It will drop you at Uwinka which is the place where there is the canopy walk.

You need to present a recent Covid test not more than 72hrs. It should be printed coz they put it together with the indemnity form that every visitor signs. Canopy Walk is 5usd and 10usd for entrance for East Citizens including Rwandans. When you pay the 15Usd( for other nationalities kindly check the rates you should pay on the Nyungwe National Park website) you are provided with a guide without any extra cost but tipping your guide is highly recommended. Canopy walks happen at 8am, 10am, 1pm and 3pm. If you miss the first one you wait for the next time. So keep time on that.

There is a coffee shop with not very expensive means. The food there is delicious and fairly priced. I had a plate of French Fries that cost 5000rwf per plate.

The Canopy walk/experience is around 3hrs long, and is 2.1km roundtrip. So bring your hiking boots, rain jacket(it rains every day in Nyungwe), drinking water and a backpack to carry your items.

When leaving the park, you can request any of the other tourists to give you a lift but we were not so lucky. This is where patience pays. You will have to wait for the bus. We waited for almost two hours and got a direct bus to Rusizi which is about an hour and 30-40 minutes away. Kindly note that the weather at Nyungwe changes very often. So bring your warm clothing with you.

Enjoy your trip to Nyungwe.

Catch some more adventures with me on...

We did the chimp trekking and colobus trekking. The rating is based on the beauty of the forest, the abundance of monkey and chimp sightings, and the trails. Some of the trails had steps and benches. Daniel happened to be our guide on both occasions and he was terrific. He was also a maestro at taking pictures with our phones through the binoculars. Visitors should be aware of a few things though:

Chimp Trekking - Long day. The terrain was dry and in some places steep. However, the trek was worth the reward. The trackers were amazing. We found the chimps after about 45 minutes of walking and they were on the move. The trackers kept on their heels and we saw them on the ground (one was even running). They continued to track them until a resting spot and we stayed there for a good hour and watched them climb and eat. There were several ant colonies. Definitely tuck your pants into your socks. The porters were valuable both with helping on steep areas, and also clearing ants from your shoes/clothes if needed.

Colobus - short hike, some through tea fields. Markedly easier than chimps. The trackers again were amazing finding and following the monkeys. No porters needed. Total trip was 3 hours.

Canopy tour was under maintenance,...