Nyungwe National Park | Rwanda National Parks
Nyungwe National Park is the ultimate primate safari destination with 13 primate species that can be seen during a Rwanda tour in order to participate in a number of activities like chimpanzee trekking, black and white colobus monkeys. However, the park is also home to over 1000 animals and 310 bird species, 120 butterfly species. For tourists interested in having an amazing time during your Rwanda Wildlife safari, choose Nyungwe National Park to have the most amazing experience as you get to see the different attractions in the park.
Primate species
Nyungwe national park is known for being a home to 13 primate species that can be seen during your tour in the park. Among the 13 primate species that can be seen in the park during a number of activities like nature walks, hiking the different trails in Nyungwe National Park chimpanzees are the most dominant primate species in the park which are over 1000 in number making it the ultimate chimpanzee trekking destination during your Rwanda tour.
There are two habituated chimpanzee groups in Nyungwe national park which make chimpanzee trekking possible and a safe activity because of the fact that primates are trained to get used to human presence. The first group is in Cyamudongo forest and the second in the Nyungwe forest which will give a number of tourists to participate in the activity. Other primate species that can be seen in the Nyungwe National Park include the black and white colobus monkeys, Mona Monkey, olive baboon, red tailed monkeys, Vervet Monkey, L’hoest’s Monkey, silver monkey among other monkey species which can be seen while hiking in the park and hence a rewarding experience during your Rwanda tour.
Bird species
Nyungwe Forest is a habitat to 310 bird species of which 121 are forest birds, 27 are endemic to the Albertine rift which will be quite exhilarating to watch during birding in the park. Birding in the park can be rewarding because you will get to see over 100 bird species daily and some of the species that can be seen, blue turaco, Ross’s turaco, coqui Francolin, long-tailed cisticola, bubbling cisticola, Miombo wren warbler, Chubb’s cisticola, handsome francolin, Ruwenzori Turaco, large blue Turaco sunbirds, purple breasted and the blue-headed sunbird among other bird species.
Canopy walkway
In Nyungwe national park, you will also come across the canopy walkway which is accessed after hiking the igishigishigi trail in the park. The canopy walkway in the park will give you the opportunity to see a number of attractions while participating in the canopy walk, for instance, a number of primate species like vervet monkey, black and white colobus monkeys, Mona Monkey, olive baboon, red tailed monkeys, Vervet Monkey, L’hoest’s Monkey, silver monkey and a number of bird species like blue turaco, Ross’s turaco, coqui Francolin, long-tailed cisticola, bubbling cisticola, Miombo wren warbler, Chubb’s cisticola, handsome francolin, Ruwenzori Turaco and also exceptional views of the park from an ariel view where you will also have a chance to see lake kivu among other views.
Hiking trails
Nyungwe national park is also home to a number of hiking trails which are other attractions in the park that will lead you to a number of attractions. There are a number of hiking trails in the park that tourists can hike in order to see a number of attractions and some of the hiking trails in the park include; Karamba birding trail which will lead you to different bird species in the park, Igishigishigi trail which will lead you to the canopy walkway, Kamiranzovu trail which is famous for its swamp that is believed to have killed a number of elephants in the park while they drowned in it, Irebero trail which will also lead you to a number of bird species and the Isumo waterfalls trail which will lead you to the magnificent waterfalls in the park with a number of attractions including the bird species and the primate species.
Tea plantations
During your Rwanda tour, when you choose to visit Nyungwe National Park, you will have the chance to visit tea plantations that is Gisakura and Gisovu tea estate where you have will have the opportunity to know how to harvest tea, how to process tea among other tea processing activities that can be carried for consumption and at the end of your tour at the tea estates, you will get to taste the processed tea.
Cultural villages
You cannot visit Nyungwe National Park and fail to visit the cultural villages in the park where you will get to know more about the culture of Rwanda. Among the cultural villages that can be visited include the Kitabi cultural village which will take you back to the time when Rwanda was still under the leadership under kingdoms when you get to the Kitabi village, you will be mesmerized by the organization of the village in a way that portrays the kingdom of king Kigeli Ndahindurwa the last king of Rwanda established.
At the ‘’kingdom’’, you will be entertained as you learn by people in the village through cultural dances, basket weaving, making of herbal medicine, medicine making by using plant remains and products, honey collection among other interesting activities that were carried out to ensure smooth living through cultural exchange through cultural dances among other practices that will also help in cultural preservation in the long run. Tourists can also visit Banda cultural village where you will also participate in traditional dances, traditional games like Igisoro game the board game which was a way of bonding with other members of the community in order to promote togetherness.
