Rwanda offers chimpanzee trekking in two locations within Nyungwe National Park: the main Nyungwe Forest and the smaller Cyamudongo Forest, a satellite patch 5 km from the main forest boundary. The two locations provide different experiences — Nyungwe offers larger forest, lower encounter certainty but wilder conditions; Cyamudongo has a smaller, more easily tracked community with higher encounter success rates. Both charge USD $150 per person. This guide compares the two in detail so you can choose the right experience for your Rwanda self-drive.
Nyungwe Forest Chimpanzee Trekking
The Community
Nyungwe Forest is home to an estimated 500-700 chimpanzees across multiple communities, of which approximately 100 individuals in the Mayebe community have been partially habituated for tourism. Chimpanzees in Nyungwe were first studied by researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society in the 1990s, and the Mayebe community habituation began in 2003. The community ranges across approximately 30 sq km of forest in the Uwinka-Bigugu area. Encounters are not guaranteed — success rates for finding the community run approximately 60-75% depending on season, ranger tracking quality, and luck.
The Trek
Chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe begins at 07:30 from the Uwinka visitor centre. Rangers use the previous day’s resting sites and knowledge of the community’s movement patterns to guide the group toward the chimps. The terrain involves significant elevation change — Nyungwe’s ridges and valleys create a dramatic landscape where following chimpanzees sometimes means descending 200m then climbing back up. Trek duration: typically 2-5 hours round trip to and from chimp location. When you find the community, you spend 1 hour with them. Chimpanzees in Nyungwe are mobile and noisy — their loud hooting and tree-drumming carries 500m through the forest, helping rangers locate them. Encounters in dense forest involve less direct viewing than in Kibale (Uganda) where the canopy is lower and more open, but the combination of chimp sounds, movement, and occasional close approach is still excellent.
Cyamudongo Forest Chimpanzee Trekking
The Community
Cyamudongo is a small, isolated forest patch of approximately 7 sq km located 5 km north of Nyungwe Forest’s main boundary. A community of approximately 25-30 chimpanzees lives here permanently — unlike Nyungwe’s wide-ranging Mayebe community, Cyamudongo’s chimps have a limited home range and are encountered more reliably. Success rates for finding chimps in Cyamudongo run approximately 85-95% — significantly higher than Nyungwe. The chimps are also reportedly calmer and more accustomed to human presence due to the intensive monitoring in this small forest.
The Trek
Cyamudongo trekking departs from a small ranger post at the forest edge, not the Uwinka visitor centre. The drive from Uwinka to Cyamudongo takes approximately 10-15 minutes. Because the forest is small and the community range is confined, treks to locate the chimps are typically 30-90 minutes. The forest edge creates a different encounter setting — chimps often feed in the canopy trees at the forest margin, providing somewhat better visibility than deep forest encounters. The 1-hour encounter rule applies identically. After the encounter, the return to the forest edge is quick. Total time from arrival at Cyamudongo ranger post to departure: approximately 3-4 hours.
Comparison: Nyungwe vs Cyamudongo
- Permit cost: Both USD $150 per person
- Success rate: Nyungwe 60-75% vs Cyamudongo 85-95%
- Community size: Nyungwe ~100 individuals vs Cyamudongo ~25-30 individuals
- Trek duration: Nyungwe 2-5 hours vs Cyamudongo 1.5-3 hours
- Forest experience: Nyungwe offers larger intact montane forest vs Cyamudongo’s smaller, edge-heavy habitat
- Other primates en route: Nyungwe trek more likely to encounter colobus, mangabeys — Cyamudongo is isolated with fewer other species
- Availability: Both bookable via RDB. Cyamudongo sessions are fewer per day — book further ahead.
Which Should You Choose?
If encounter certainty is the priority: Cyamudongo. The higher success rate means spending USD $150 is more likely to result in a chimp encounter. First-time visitors on a tight itinerary who cannot afford to spend a day in the forest and not find chimps should book Cyamudongo.
If you want the full Nyungwe forest experience: the main forest trek. The lower success rate is the tradeoff for walking through one of Africa’s great ancient forests with the possibility of encountering colobus groups, L’Hoest’s monkeys, and exceptional birds en route. Experienced Africa travellers who value the forest immersion over the guaranteed encounter prefer Nyungwe.
If time allows: do both. Booked on separate days, Nyungwe chimpanzees plus Cyamudongo chimpanzees gives two completely different forest experiences for USD $300 total — still far cheaper than Uganda’s Kibale chimpanzee permit at USD $250 for a single encounter, and the comparison of forest types (open Kibale vs dense montane Nyungwe) is educational. This two-chimp-trek approach requires a minimum 3 nights at Nyungwe (Day 1 arrive and canopy walkway, Day 2 Nyungwe chimp trek, Day 3 Cyamudongo chimp trek, Day 4 depart).
Booking Chimpanzee Treks in Rwanda
Both Nyungwe and Cyamudongo chimpanzee treks are bookable through Rwanda Development Board at rdb.rw. Maximum 8 visitors per session. Nyungwe treks depart twice daily in high season (07:30 and 14:00); Cyamudongo typically once daily at 07:00. In peak season (July-August) book 3-4 weeks ahead. In low season (March-May) same-week booking is usually possible. As a self-drive visitor, you can also book in person at the Uwinka visitor centre on arrival if space is available — worth asking, but do not rely on walk-in availability in peak season.
What to Bring for Chimpanzee Trekking in Rwanda
Same requirements as gorilla trekking but specific to Nyungwe’s conditions: long-sleeved shirt (Nyungwe has biting insects including chiggers), long trousers, waterproof jacket (mandatory — it rains), hiking boots. Unlike gorilla trekking, gaiters are not typically needed for Cyamudongo but are useful for the deep Nyungwe forest sections. A face mask is required in Rwanda for all primate trekking — same disease transmission prevention protocol as gorilla trekking. If you forget a mask, rangers at the visitor centre will provide one.
Camera: a 70-200mm lens is sufficient for chimp encounters. A monopod helps with sharpness in low forest light — chimpanzees move quickly and hand-holding a 200mm lens at 1/125 second in ISO 3200 produces slightly soft images. If image quality matters, bring a monopod or a small tripod. The ground-level encounters common in Kibale (Uganda) where chimps sit within 5 metres are less frequent in Nyungwe’s denser forest, so a longer telephoto helps isolate individual chimps in the canopy.
