The canopy walk in the Nyungwe forest National Park
The canopy walk is one of the activities tourists on a safari in Rwanda can do and this can only be done in Nyungwe forest national park. The canopy walk in Nyungwe forest national park is 90 meters long and is raised 50 meters high from the ground. The walk usually takes 2 hours of beautiful aerial views.
The canopy walk is strategically located in Nyungwe forest which happens to be the largest pristine rain forest in Africa. Nyungwe forest national park is home to over 13 primate species and these are the chimpanzees, blue monkeys, L’hoests monkeys, golden monkeys, owl-faced monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, Dent’s mona monkeys, crowned monkeys, vervet monkeys, grey-checked mangabeys, olive baboons, and Angolan colobus monkeys.
Most of the tourists that visit Nyungwe forest national park want to trek the endangered chimpanzees and thereafter canopy walk in the afternoon. The canopy walk starts with a briefing and then the guides lead the tourists on a 2 hours walk and this helps them have an aerial view of the park surroundings, trees, monkeys, and different bird species are spotted on trees.
The canopy walk in Nyungwe is done by all people above the age of 6 years and to be part of it you need to pay a fee of $60. Young children on the canopy walk are supervised by the ranger guides. travelers can do the canopy walk in the Nyungwe forest at any time of the year so you can book with Africa Adventure Vacations limited at any time of the year.
You can enjoy the canopy walk in Rwanda in the dry season when there is little rainfall which might interrupt the activity. But since Nyungwe forest is a tropical rainforest, it can rainy at any time of the day but later it will still shine. The canopy walk in Nyungwe forest will give you a distant view of Lake Kivu, Nyungwe forest itself, birds, and different primate species on the tree branches.
Nyungwe forest canopy walk starts from the Uwinka reception center where briefing takes place. If you have excess luggage, you can hire a porter at a fee, and then a ranger guide will lead you through the 2 hours walk. During the canopy walk, you will be able to spot different bird species like the white-tailed crested flycatcher, handsome francolin, blue turaco, kungwe apalis, Rwenzori nightjar, and different mammals can be spotted such as duikers, leopards, and bush pigs among others.
The canopy walk in Nyungwe forest national park is done in two shifts and the first one starts at 8 am to 10 am and there is the afternoon one which you can do after a successful chimpanzee trekking activity from 1 pm to 3 pm.
What is the best time to have a canopy walk in the Nyungwe forest national park?
The canopy walk in Nyungwe forest national park can be done at any time of the year but there are months that are better than the rest and these are the drier months. The drier months in the Nyungwe forest occur from June to September and December to February and they are characterized by little or no rainfall which means the activity won’t be distracted by the bad weather.
Tourists can still have the canopy walk in Nyungwe forest in the rainy season (October to November and March to May) to enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities and this favors the budget travelers. Tourists intending to visit Nyungwe forest for the canopy walk are advised to book with their tour operators in advance before the final trekking day to avoid last minute booking disappointments.
Where to stay on a canopy walk safari in Nyungwe forest national park
There are so many places where tourists on a canopy walk safari in Nyungwe forest national park can stay and these range from budget to mid-range to luxury options. Some of the accommodation facilities you can use on a canopy walk include Gishwati Lodge, Nyungwe Top View Hotel, Emeraude Kivu Resort, Peace Guest Hotel, Uwinka Campsite, Comoran Lodge, Golden Monkey Hotels, and Gisakura Family Hostel among others.
What to pack for a canopy walk in Nyungwe forest?
We normally inform our clients coming for a canopy walk to come along with essential things in their backpacks during the canopy walk time such as waterproof hiking shoes, a camera, and extra batteries, drinking water, energy-giving snacks, a raincoat, long-sleeved clothes, insect repellent, sunglasses, sunscreen, a hat, sanitizer and face mask.
