Rwanda’s Nyungwe Forest National Park — 1,019 sq km of ancient montane forest in southwest Rwanda, one of the oldest and most diverse tropical forests in Africa (some forest sections estimated to be over 2,000 years old without significant disturbance, producing extraordinary biodiversity including 322 bird species and 13 primate species) — is the most biodiversity-rich protected area in Rwanda and the southern circuit’s counterpart to the gorilla-focused Volcanoes NP in the north. Nyungwe’s distinguishing features: the habituated chimpanzee communities (the Cyamudongo Forest section has a habituated community of approximately 30–35 individuals, and the main Nyungwe forest has several more communities at various stages of habituation), the Africa-first canopy walkway (a 90 m suspension bridge at 50 m above the forest floor providing a forest canopy perspective), and the enormous Angolan colobus monkey troop (over 300 individuals — the largest known colobus monkey troop on Earth). This guide covers Nyungwe for 2025.
Chimpanzee Trekking
Nyungwe Forest chimpanzee trekking permits: USD $75/person (through RDB — rdb.rw). Maximum 8 trekkers per group per day. The Cyamudongo Forest community (a separate forest fragment 25 km west of the main Nyungwe Forest, connected by a corridor) is the primary trekking community — fully habituated, 30–35 individuals, and located in a smaller forest fragment that concentrates the encounter. The Nyungwe main forest communities are at an earlier habituation stage and produce less reliable encounters than Cyamudongo. The Nyungwe chimp trek experience: longer walking distances through more challenging terrain than Uganda’s Kibale (Nyungwe’s steep-sided forest interior trails require 2–4 hours of uphill walking before the community is found), but the encounter in the ancient Nyungwe forest has a different character from Kibale’s more accessible forest — the canopy height (40–50 m) and the density of fruiting trees create a different ecological context for the chimp behaviour observed.
The Canopy Walkway
The Nyungwe canopy walkway (the Igishigishigi Trail, 3 km from the Uwinka Visitor Centre, 50-minute walk from the trailhead) is a suspension bridge system crossing three connected platforms in the mid-canopy at 50 m above the forest floor. The walkway (90 m in length on the central span, the longest suspended walkway in East Africa) was constructed to provide a mid-level vantage point in the forest canopy — previously accessible only to research climbers — where the forest bird and primate life of the canopy tier could be observed by visitors. Canopy walkway wildlife: the forest birds most commonly seen from the walkway (rather than from the dark forest floor below) include: Ruwenzori turaco (Tauraco johnstoni — a large, brilliantly coloured highland turaco), the Great blue turaco (Corythaeola cristata), and various sunbird species visiting the canopy flowering trees. The canopy height view (looking across the green forest canopy to the surrounding hills — the Congo basin visible as a haze beyond the western ridge) is the best landscape image in Nyungwe. Walkway access: USD $25/person (separate from park entry fee).
Access and Accommodation 2025
- Park entry: RWF 30,000/person/day (approximately USD $23)
- Distance from Kigali: 225 km (3.5–4 hours via Huye/Butare and the lakeside road)
- One&Only Nyungwe House: USD $700–1,000/night per person all-inclusive. Rwanda’s most luxurious forest lodge, on a working tea estate adjacent to the park, private pool suite option.
- Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel: USD $100–150/night. Mid-range option at the park boundary.
- Uwinka Campsite (RDB): USD $30–50/night. Basic accommodation at the park’s visitor centre, the budget option for independent travellers.
