Trekking chimpanzees of Nyungwe forest national park

Trekking chimpanzees in Rwanda is done in two national parks which are Nyungwe forest national park and Giswati Makura national park. Chimpanzee trekking in the country is mainly done in Nyungwe forest national park which is located in the southwestern part of the country. Nyungwe forest national park covers a total area of 970 sq. km that is made of rainforest, bamboo, swamps, grasslands, and bogs.

Nyungwe forest national park harbors over 500 chimpanzees but there are only 2 fully habituated chimpanzee families. One habituated chimpanzee family is found in Nyungwe forest and the other is found in Cyamudongo forest. Trekking both of the chimpanzee families in Nyungwe gives the same experience and tourists are all given 1 hour to be around these apes.

Chimpanzee trekking permits in Nyungwe forest national park

For anyone to trek chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest national park, they need to have a trekking permit issued out Rwanda development board. Chimpanzee trekking permits for Nyungwe forest in Rwanda do cost $90 for foreign non residents and foreign residents and $60 for East African citizens. Tourists that are coming to visit Nyungwe forest national park for chimpanzee trekking are advised to book the trekking permit in advance to avoid disappointments.

To book the chimpanzee trekking permits for Nyungwe forest national park, the tourist can contact African adventure vacations and we shall book the permit for you. All you need to do is send us an email containing the days you want to travel and using them we shall check for availability of the permits with the Rwanda Development Board. Once the chimpanzee permits are available, we shall show you different ways you can send us money for the permits and when we get it we shall book the permits for you.

Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest national park

Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest national park starts as early as 6 am. Tourists are expected to be at the briefing pints which are Uwinka, Kitabi, or Gisakura. While at these offices, the trekkers are asked for the necessary documents such as trekking permits, identity cards, and they are briefed about the rules and regulations of chimpanzee trekking permits.

During the briefing, the trekkers are grouped not exceeding 8 and each group is given armed ranger guides to lead them into the jungle. The armed ranger guides take the trekkers through different trails looking for the chimpanzees at the same time protecting them from dangerous wild animals. While searching the chimpanzees, the trekkers do meet different park animals such as vervet monkeys, grey checked mangabeys, blue monkeys, birds, and different plant species.

When the trekkers meet the chimpanzees that is after 2 to 6 hours of search, the one hour according to the rules of chimpanzee trekking starts counting. During the time around these chimpanzees, the trekkers do get a unique opportunity of knowing how these apes behave, watch them do daily activities such as playing, hunting, coupling, and you will be allowed to take the chimpanzees photos using flashless cameras.

What to pack for chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest national park?

After confirming your chimpanzee trekking safari to Nyungwe forest national park, you need to think about the equipment you need in order to have the best chimpanzee safari. Some of the things we think are necessary to make you have the best of your chimpanzee trekking safari include waterproof hiking shoes, long-sleeved clothes, a pair of gaiters, a rain jacket, a hat, garden gloves, sunscreen, insect repellents, a pair of binoculars, a camera and extra batteries, backpack, drinking water bottle, energy-giving snacks, face mask, and sanitizer.

Best time to trek chimpanzees of Nyungwe forest national park

Trekking chimpanzees of Nyungwe forest national park can be done at any time of the year since the national park is always open however there are months that are better than the rest. The drier months are good for chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest national park and they do occur from June to September and December to February. During the drier months, rainfall is little, the chimpanzee trekking trails are dry, the vegetation in the park is thin giving unclear views of the park animals and the roads leading to the park are passable.

Tourists can still visit Nyungwe forest national park in the rainy season of March to May and October to November to enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities. There is plenty of rainfall, the vegetation is tall giving unclear views of the park animals and the roads leading to the park are impassable. Tourists most especially those coming to the park in the dry seasons to trek the chimpanzees should book their trekking permits in advance to avoid inconveniences.

Accommodation on a chimpanzee trekking safari in Nyungwe forest national park.

Tourists intending to visit Nyungwe forest national park for chimpanzee trekking don’t have to worry about where they will stay if they are planning to spend some nights in the park. The national park had np lodges inside it but there are several that are constructed outside the national park and they do range from budget to midrange to luxury options with where to stay depending on the travelers’ budget. Accommodation of Nyungwe forest national park includes Nyungwe Forest Lodge, One & Only Nyungwe House, Gisakura Family Hostel, Nyungwe Top View Hotel, Nyungwe Nziza Ecolodge, Gishwati Lodge, Peace Guest Hotel, Delta Resort Hotel, Chimpanzee lodge, Comoran Lodge, Golden Monkey Hotels, Katabi Eco-Center, and Uwinka Campsite among others.

What else to do after trekking chimpanzees of Nyungwe forest national park

Canopy walk

This is the second most done activity in Nyungwe forest national park after chimpanzee trekking. The canopy walk activity is done by persons above the age of 6 years and it’s the ranger guides that take tourists through a 90-meter long bridge that is raised 50 meters above the ground. Canopy walk in Nyungwe forest national park enables travelers to have an aerial view of Nyungwe forest national park, the plats, the monkeys, the birds, and surrounding features.

Birding

Tourists on a chimpanzee trekking safari to Nyungwe forest national park can have birding because the park is listed among the best birding spots in Rwanda. Nyungwe harbors over 310 bird species and these can be spotted in the different hiking trails of the park with the help of a guide. Birds of Nyungwe forest national park include Albertine owlet, Archer’s robin-chat, Rwenzori turaco, yellow-eyed black flycatcher, regal sunbird, Rwenzori Apalis, strange weaver, Neumann’s warbler, buff-throated Apalis, Rockefeller’s sunbird, Kivu ground thrush, red sunbird, stripe-breasted tit, and red-throated alethe among others

Nature walks

There are so many hiking trails in Nyungwe forest national park which are used for nature walks and these include Buhoro trail, Imbaraga trail, Igishigishi trail, Umuyove trail, Bigugu trail, and Ngabwe trail to mention but a few. Walking through these trails with a help of a ranger guide gives you opportunities of exploring the park on foot as you meet different park animals like monkeys, birds, water sources, and different plant species.