Another visit to Nyungwe Forest National Park

A few destinations take my attention like the way Nyungwe forest National Park does, the park covers an area of about 1000sqkm thus being the largest montane rain forest in both East and central Africa. It’s strategically located in the south western Rwanda joining with Kibira Transfrontier National Park in Burundi. This is therefore the largest continuous protected area in Africa.
Nyungwe forest national park is reservoir of water and a place where the continent’s waters dived from including the major springs of water i.e. River Nile and Congo River.
It is this forest that determines the amount of rainfall to be received in either the Nile or Congo basin. Much rainfall is received across these forests with an average annual rainfall of over 2000mm, thus making it one of the wettest places in Africa.

Nyungwe forest was established as a national park in 2014, and since then it is attracting an increasing number of tourists year after year who come its unique biodiversity and one of the first and still the only canopy walk in Africa. The canopy walk was constructed in the same period with the Uwinka Park headquarters which is strategically located along the main road that goes through the park from Heye to Rusizi, previously known as Butare and Cyangugu. The canopy trail is about 70 meters high and 200 meters long that goes through and above treetops, the walk takes about 3 and above hours to complete the trail.
As it is explained earlier, Nyungwe offers more than the canopy walk. More nature trails are offered within the park which can be accesses from either Gisovu or Gisakura side of the forest. The trails range from short ones such as the one which takes less than an hour offering views of a plenty of Colobus monkeys, to hikes of 4-8 hours plus a multi day hike that goes across the entire forest.
The availability of various trails both easier and challenging hikes all over the entire forest attracts more adventure and nature lovers to Nyungwe forest. In addition to the canopy walk, Nyungwe offers other 8 nature trails which are now open plus a 3-4 day Congo Nile Divide trail with basic camping site where hikers can spend an overnight while on this trail. Perhaps, the toughest and most challenging trail is the one with a hike to Mt Bigugu, which goes for about 6-10 hours hike to the highest peak of Nyungwe at 2.950meters and requires a reasonable degree of physical fitness to complete the trail.
While on the trail, inside the forest, tourists are rewarded with sights of the high biodiversity of over 310 species of forest and water birds most of which are endemic to this place, 140 species of orchids, over 13 primate species, more than 240 tree species and 1068 recognized species of plants among which 250 are endemic to the Albertan Graben.

Within the park, accommodations are available in different locations of the park including those in the Rusizi area which is less than an hour drive from the forest also the mora distant Huye but instead close to the Rwanda Development Board’s Tourism and Conservation Department which also offer essential overnight stay services at their Gisakura Park sub headquarters.
Take a visit for more information about the guiding services, available campsites and different accommodations at Gisakura. A few kilometers from Gisakura is the Nyungwe Top View hotel which offers magnificent views from the tallest hills in Nyungwe, also the park has a luxurious Nyungwe Forest Lodge which is operated by the Shamwar but managed by the Dubai’s Istithmar. This lodge is located at the boundary of the forest but inside the Gisakura tea plantations with 22 nice rooms plus 2 suites with a spectacular view of the forest.

Visitors who arrive during a hot afternoon are offered ice cold towels and those arriving when temperatures are low, they are offered a warm/ hot towel to wipe the dust from their hands.
Getting to Nyungwe is simplified by the RwandAir’s flight which has a double flight to and from Kigali to Kamembe on a daily basis. Kamembe is in the same vicinity with Nyungwe forest, an hour drive to the park headquarters. Nyungwe forest lodge also arranges airport pickups at a reasonable cost. Near Nyungwe forest Lodge, is a shop for art and craft work where visitors get a chance to buy different art and craft products which memorize their visits to Rwanda after going back home.

Nyungwe Forest National Park can also be reached by the use of a helicopter from Kigali” Kanombe International Airport to a heliport near Nyungwe forest lodge. Currently, most visitors arrive by car from Kigali which is a 225km, 4-5 hour drive depending on the number of stopovers you have made en route. On the way to Nyungwe, a visit to the Nyanza King’s Palace and the National Museum in Huye are highly recommended because of their incredible views they offer to the visitors.