Nyungwe Forest National Park is located in Southwestern Rwanda - along the border with Burundi. The park was established in 2004 and covers an area with rainforests, bamboo, grassland, swamps and bogs.

Ngungwe's centra ridge divides two of Africa's largest drainage systems - the Congo and the Nile rivers. Nyungwe is ranked among Africa's richest biodiverse areas with a wide variety of plants and animals.

Ngunywe Forest National Park is popular with people who want to see chimpanzees in the wild, on a trip to Rwanda. The suspended canopy walkway is a major feature for visitors and makes bird-watching incredible.

Activities

While you are visiting Nyungwe Forest National Park in Rwanda, you can enjoy any of these activities.

  • Chimpanzee tracking
  • Bird watching
  • Suspended canopy walk
  • Tracking monkeys
  • Hiking
  • Community visits
  • Photography

When To Visit

You can visit Nyungwe Forest National Park at any time of the year. Most visitors prefer going to Nyungwe during the summer months when they are travelling to several places in Rwanda or East Africa.

Ngungwe is a common addition to other popular Rwanda tourist activities such as gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park.

Related article: Best time to visit Rwanda for safari

Getting There

Getting to Nyungwe Forest National Park is quite easy. The park is located 270 southwest of Kigali - Rwanda's Capital City. The drive from Kigali to Nyungwe Forest National Park will take you 3 to 4 hours.

A strong 4WD car will make the long drive much more bearable. Along the way, you can also stop at several interesting places if time allows.

The other option is chartering a domestic flight from Kigali International Airport to Kamembe. Kamembe is just 50 kilometres from Nyungwe Forest National Park and the drive will take less than 1 hour.

Where To Stay

There are various accommodation options in Nyungwe Forest NP. You can easily book from several luxurious, mid-range and budget options.

It is advisable that you book your accommodation ahead of time - especially in the high-season summer months.