Reviews of Nyungwe (From 8 Acclaimed Safari Experts)

Expert

Stuart Butler –

UK

Visited: October

Stuart is a travel writer and author of numerous Lonely Planet guidebooks, including 'Kenya', 'Rwanda' and 'Tanzania'.

Live like Tarzan

Overall rating

4/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

The first time I visited Nyungwe National Park, within the space of 24 hours I watched a habituated troop of colobus monkeys frolic in the branches of great rainforest trees, stared in wonder at a beautiful lime-green snake, was wowed by the iridescent colours of sunbirds hovering above tropical flowers, cooled off in the spray of a jungle waterfall, and watched our closest cousin, the chimpanzee, scour the forest for breakfast. Yes, Rwanda’s Nyungwe Forest is a place you’re unlikely to forget in a hurry.

Despite being considered one of the most biodiverse forest parks in Africa, Nyungwe often plays second fiddle to Volcanoes National Park and its gorillas. Yet I prefer Nyungwe. There is a large variety of activities available – from forest canopy walkways to bird watching – and diverse forest wildlife that is often surprisingly easy to see. One of the best things about the park is the lack of other tourists. Don’t be surprised if there’s no more than a handful of you sharing these rolling rainforest hills. I also really enjoyed the forest hikes to waterfalls and look-out points. Wildlife wasn’t the focus of these walks, but with the help of the expert guides there was always something interesting to see. The one – very minor disappointment – was the chimpanzee tracking. You’ll almost certainly get to see the chimps but they aren’t yet fully habituated to visitors and you can’t always get that close. If you really want to have an in-your-face chimp encounter (and yes, you do!) then Uganda’s Kibale Forest or Tanzania’s Mahale Mountains are better bets. All up though, Nyungwe is possibly the most rewarding park in Rwanda.

Was this review helpful? Yes No

Expert

Philip Briggs –

ZA

Visited: Multiple times

Philip is an acclaimed travel writer and author of many guidebooks, including the Bradt guides to Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa.

1 person found this review helpful.

Superb Forest All-rounder

Overall rating

4/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

Nyungwe protects what is the largest and arguably the most impressive montane forest in East Africa. I’d rate it as one of the top birding sites anywhere in the region, the obvious highlight being the garish great blue turaco often seen gliding between the trees like psychedelic turkeys. For more serious twitchers, its checklist of almost 350 bird species includes 30 Albertine Rift endemics, of which three (Albertine owlet, red-collared babbler and Rockefeller’s sunbird) are only otherwise known from inaccessible parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo).

The main drawcard for most visitors to Nyungwe is the opportunity to track a habituated community of chimpanzees, the closest evolutionary relative to humans. Chimp trekking here used to be quite hit-and-miss, but the chimps are now very habituated and you are almost certain to see them. That said, the main trekking site is quite remote from any accommodation, which enforces a 5.30am start, and conditions underfoot are very steep and muddy compared to most comparable destinations in Uganda and Tanzania.

A dozen other monkey species are present in Nyungwe. The most conspicuous in my experience is l’Hoest’s monkey, a large and unusually terrestrial Albertine Rift endemic rendered unmistakable by its bold white ‘beard’. Also easy to locate is a very habituated troop of 500 to 600 Ruwenzori colobus that’s resident in the forest around the main campsite – this is thought to be the largest single troop of arboreal primates in Africa. Other praiseworthy features of this park are the magnificent setting, high standards of guiding, and an excellent 130km/80mi network of trails that includes the region’s only suspended canopy walkway.

1 person found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No

Expert

Dale R Morris –

ZA

Visited: Multiple times

Dale is a multi-award-winning writer and photographer with more than 500 published magazine articles featured in magazines such as National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, Travel Africa, and CNN Travel.

1 person found this review helpful.

Rainforests and primates (a magical recipe)

Overall rating

4/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

I do so love tropical forests, and walking through them feels like a journey back in time.

The sounds of birds, frogs, insects, and apes offer up an orchestral treat for the ears, especially in the early morning when things are just starting to wake up.

I also love the atmosphere; the swirling mists and the humidity; the dark greens of a thousand species of plants, and the feeling that life abounds all around (even if most of it is hidden from sight behind the trees).

Nyungwe has swamps and bamboo forests, but it’s the jungles that will capture your heart and imagination. Here, you will have the opportunity to track and spend time with habituated chimpanzees, and you’ll also encounter numerous other primates including the charismatic colobus and the chubby-faced l’Hoest’s monkeys.

I’m not much of a birder, but I had an amazing time there on a dedicated guided bird walk and found dozens of different species, including the vociferous great blue turaco (they sound like they are laughing at you).

There are over 300 avian species that call Nyungwe home.

1 person found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No

Expert

Charlotte Beauvoisin –

UG

Visited: October

Charlotte lives in Uganda and is a writer, blogger, volunteer and promoter of birding, conservation and responsible tourism. She writes for Fodor’s, Horizon Guides and Bradt, and runs an award-winning blog.

1 person found this review helpful.

A Rainforest Haven Bar None

Overall rating

4/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

At just over 1,000 km, Nyungwe National Park is unadulterated rainforest: no villages, no people, just a good tarmac road that winds up and round the hills towards the National Park.

I first drove this road on a moto (motorbike) one misty night. It was cold, we didn't know where we would end up, and we spoke no local language. We got the public transport options so wrong that we ended up hitching; luckily enough a member of park staff stopped to pick us up. It’s a remote part of the country.

On a subsequent - better organised – trip, I hiked the pretty waterfalls trail, one of many walks in Nyungwe. (It’s not a long walk but it’s steeper than the blurb suggests). The Canopy Walkway alone is worth driving across the whole country for but it’s not for the faint-hearted, hanging 70 metres above the forest floor. Stand in the middle and look from one horizon to another. There is not a single bit of evidence of human life.

Chimpanzees, l’Hoest’s monkey and a habituated group of the Albertine Rift race (ruwenzorii) of the Angola colobus are a few of the primate highlights. Birds number 351 species, including 31 of the 37 known Albertine Rift endemics. A glimpse of the Technicolor Ruwenzori Turaco made my last trip complete.

1 person found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No

Expert

Sue Watt –

UK

Visited: May

Sue is an award-winning writer who specializes in African travel and conservation. She writes for national newspapers, magazines, Rough Guides and Lonely Planet.

3 people found this review helpful.

A fairytale forest

Overall rating

4/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

Nyungwe only became a national park in 2004, established to protect its lush rainforest that is home to a staggering 13 species of primates. These include huge troops of colobus monkeys that look like aging hippies with long white beards, plus grey-cheeked mangabey and chimpanzees. Chimps are also the main attraction in nearby Cyamudongo Forest and we were lucky enough to see several swinging in the trees and a young mum giving her baby a piggyback.

It really is like walking through a fairy tale here, with towering mahoganies and ebony trees, and it’s home to east Africa’s highest canopy walk where you teeter on a gently swaying bridge some 70m above the forest. Luckily, I don’t suffer from vertigo, but people who struggle with heights might find this unnerving! This is just one part of 130km of walking trails – you’ll have to take a guide, but they serve to enhance the whole experience and help to bring the secret life of the forest alive.

3 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No

Expert

Ariadne van Zandbergen –

ZA

Visited: Multiple visits

Ariadne is a renowned African wildlife photographer whose work is featured in many well-known guidebooks and magazines.

6 people found this review helpful.

A Primate’s Paradise

Overall rating

4/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

Every time I visit Nyungwe, I’m overwhelmed by its scenic beauty. The main road bisects the park and even before you get to your destination, you’ll get some incredible views across the never-ending rainforest extending over rolling hills into the distance. With 15 trails available, you can hike around this fairy-tale forest for a week. Nyungwe is home to 13 different primate species and some of them are remarkably easy to see. The beautiful l’Hoest’s monkeys are most common and you’ll see plenty of them along the main road.

I went in search of Rwenzori colobus monkeys and my guide took me to a troop numbering about 600 individuals. Standing in the middle of the forest with these fluffballs all around me, I didn’t know where to look first. The main attraction in Nyungwe is chimp trekking. In the past, chimps were only semi-habituated, and the quality of sightings was variable. However, my last visit in 2022 was different as I felt these charismatic primates were totally comfortable with our presence. I enjoyed watching a mother shielding her baby from heavy rain pelting down on us.

The 160m-/525ft-long and 70m-/230ft-high Canopy Walkway is a must when visiting Nyungwe. Although I don’t have a fear of heights, I did enjoy the adrenaline rush when crossing this swaying bridge. However, once I got to the other side, I felt I needed more time to take it all in. I backtracked to fully appreciate the views and do some bird watching from this fantastic vantage point.

6 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No