Nyungwe Forest National Park is one of the few remaining places in Africa to find tropical rain forest. It straddles the country’s border with Burundi. The montane forest is said to have survived during the ice age era, and it is a popular primate destination of Rwanda with 13 kinds present if the ecosystem the most notable is the Chimpanzee. The protected conservation area was gazette in 2005 as a way of protecting the critically endangered species, Chimpanzee Tracking in Nyungwe Forest National Park is one of the most highlight things to do while in the national park and the land of a thousand hills, encountering the primates through the lovely flora and Fauna is thrilling and intriguing. The park stretches 394 square kilometers with an array of wildlife in the national park many of the park features include waterfalls, animals, birds, and a fusion of growing plants.
Chimpanzees are said to have been scientifically proven to share up to 98% of the human DNA, they live in troops of up to 100 members led by a male Alpha, encountering the chimpanzee will lead you to one of the best places in the world the forest is said to originate the source of the Nile one of the world’s longest rivers Nile, the primates love to nest up in the tree canopies, these live within the forest area freely and amicably together with other forest creatures characterized by their social behavior, intelligent with the ability to use tools like sticks to collect insects from ant hills, Chimpanzee Tracking in Nyungwe Forest National Park begins early in the morning from the park visitor center Uwinka at 6:30 am east African time, the morning time is the most active of the wilderness, the walk through the forest is very rewarding, Chimpanzee are loud creatures and messy eaters searching for them will not be very challenging as you will be able to find food remains of the primates.
It takes 2-3 hours to do the walk, along the trail, it is possible to view other primates of the park including the red-tailed monkey, blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, white-cheeked monkeys also known as the L’hoest monkeys, blue monkeys, red colobus monkeys, golden monkeys, crowned monkeys, owl-faced monkeys to mention a few, expect to see many birds of the forest angelically placed in the Albertine region, there are more than 300 birds present in the national park, there are present animals of the park, for example, forest elephants, buffaloes, giant forest hogs although they are very shy to see, the network trails of the park are well developed to enable you to reach the park features. The park can be accessed anytime of the year but is best during the dry season in June – September.
Other things to do while in the national park include the Canopy walk, birding in the Nyungwe Forest National Park, guided nature walks, and monkey tracking among other interesting activities, there are available accommodations available in the park, example facility includes the one and only Nyungwe Lodge, Nyungwe Forest National Park is approximate 6 hours’ drive from the Kigali by road, charter flights can be arranged to the park from the Kigali International Airport.