Nyungwe Forest National Park

One of the oldest rainforests in Africa, and a canopy walkway a hundred metres above the forest floor to see it from. Thirteen primate species live here, including chimpanzees and troops of several hundred Angolan colobus — the largest arboreal primate groups anywhere.

  • The canopy walkway, 160m long and 70m above the ground
  • Chimpanzee tracking at dawn
  • Angolan colobus troops several hundred strong
  • 300 bird species, 29 of them Albertine Rift endemics
  • Tea plantations and waterfall trails on the forest edge
  • Best time to comeJune to September is driest. Chimps are easier to find between February and May when the fruit is up.
  • Good forPrimates, birders, hikers
  • Where it isRwanda
Nyungwe Forest National Park, Rwanda

What you do in Nyungwe Forest National Park

Every one of these is something we run here, not a stock list.

Safaris that go to Nyungwe Forest National Park

Prices are per person and include your vehicle, guide, park fees and accommodation. Every one of these can be changed — they are starting points.

Across Remarkable Rwanda!
10 days

More about Nyungwe Forest National Park

Tucked away in the middle of tea Plantations, the biggest mountain rain forest on this side of the African continent can be a bit deceptive in its vastness if you simply catch a glimpse of it from a far. Nyungwe forest is probably the most preserved forest in Africa. Some say it is the most important site for biodiversity in Rwanda. It is home to over 1000 species of wildlife after all.

The park has amazing and breathtaking scenery and is a vantage point for picturesque views of the Virunga's and Congo. Nyungwe is nature at its very best. It is lush and beautifully green, often seen with cooling mists in the early mornings and late evening.

Also in Rwanda

Most safaris here combine two or three of these.

Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park

Five volcanoes on the Rwandan side of the Virungas, and the forest Dian Fossey worked in for eighteen years. Gorilla trekking here is shorter and better organised than almost anywhere — Kigali is two and a half hours away by road, which means you can land, trek and fly home inside three days.

Akagera National Park

Akagera National Park

Rwanda's only savannah park, on the Tanzanian border, and the story of its recovery is the reason to go. Lion were reintroduced in 2015 and rhino in 2017, so Akagera is a Big Five park again after decades without. Lakes and papyrus swamps make up a third of it, so boat trips sit alongside game drives.

Kigali Genocide Memorial

Kigali Genocide Memorial

The memorial is where more than 250,000 victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi are buried. It is not a sight to tick off; it is a couple of hours that will change how you understand everything else you see in Rwanda. Most visitors go on their first morning, before heading for the gorillas.

Kigali City

Kigali City

Kigali surprises people: clean, green, laid out over a dozen hills and genuinely safe to walk at night. It is where every Rwandan trip starts and ends, and it is worth a day rather than a transfer — markets, a serious coffee scene, art co-operatives and some of the best restaurants in the region.

Thinking about Nyungwe Forest National Park?

Tell us roughly when you can travel and how long you have. We will tell you honestly whether Nyungwe Forest National Park is the right call for those dates — and what it costs.