Visit Cyangugu Town
Cyangugu town which was formerly known as Shangugu is located at the southernmost tip of Lake Kivu in Rwanda. The town is overlooking DR Congo’s Bukavu town and it’s one of the best places to relax for a day or two on your safari to or from Nyungwe forest national park.
Nyungwe forest national park is a beautiful place that is famous for hosting over 13 primates among which include chimpanzees, L’hoest’s monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, owl-faced monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, crowned monkeys, golden monkeys, dent’s mona monkeys, olive baboons, and grey checked mangabeys.
Attractions in Cyangugu town in Rwanda
Cyamudongo forest: This is a small montane forest covering about 19 sq. km of land in the southwestern part of the country. Cyamudongo forest was part of the famous Nyungwe forest but it was separated for some reasons such as deforestation, bush burning, and agriculture by the people who survived the 1994 Rwanda genocide.
Cyamudongo forest is not a gazetted area protecting endangered chimpanzees of which some are habituated for tourism activities. Cyamudongo together with Nyungwe forest form Nyungwe forest national park one of the places famous for protecting chimpanzees in a small country Rwanda.
Cyamudongo forest hosts a number of attractions and among these include the plant species, vervet monkeys, dent’s mona monkeys, small mammals such as duikers, otters, giant forest hogs, birds such as red-thighed sparrowhawk, kungwe apalis, dusky crimson wing, and Albertine owlet among others.
While in Cyamudongo forest, tourists can encounter the chimpanzees for 1 hour but these are only those that have trekking permits. another activity can be birding where a number of birds are seen such as eastern mountain greenbul, chin spot batis, crowned hornbill, African paradise flycatcher, long-crested eagle, and regal sunbird among others. Lastly, nature walks can be done in Cyamudongo forest to explore the place on foot, and during the activity, participants will be able to spot different bird species, mammals, primates, and different plants.
Nyungwe forest national park: This is another attraction that is located near Cyangugu town. Nyungwe forest national park is located about 60km from this town so tourists to this town can get the time and visit Nyungwe forest national park or add it to their itinerary in advance. There are so many activities that tourists coming from Cyangugu town can do when they visit Nyungwe forest national park.
Some of the activities in Nyungwe forest national park from Cyangugu town include chimpanzee trekking and with this, you will have to buy a permit before accessing the park for the activity, birding where you can encounter over 310 bird species, nature walks, canopy walk where you have an aerial view of the park and then Angolan colobus monkey trekking.
Bugarama hot springs: Situated about 60km from Cyangugu town, Bugarama hot springs are one of the attractions you can visit in Cyangugu town while on a safari to Rwanda. Bugarama hot springs are located in Rusizi area in the western province of Rwanda and a trip to the place gives tourists an opportunity to see water flow into a pig pool.
Activities you can do while staying in Cyangungu town
Bird watching: Tourists staying in Cyangugu town can have birding activities around lake Kivu, Cyamudongo forest, or Nyungwe forest national park. Birding activities in these areas require a birding permit and with a help of a tour operator, you can be able to get these permits before the final day of birding.
The birding activities require you to have a birding book, a pen, a camera, a pair of binoculars, and the activities are guided. Birds likely to be seen in these areas include African pied wagtail, common waxbill, common kestrel, cardinal woodpecker, spotted yellow-throated greenbul, archer’s robin-chat, Rwenzori nightjar, and dusky crimson wing.
Other notable bird species in the above areas include shelley’s crimsonwing, stripe-breasted tit, handsome francolin, Rwenzori batis, Albertine owlet, neummann’s warbler, kungwe apalis, Rwenzori apalis, red-collared babbler, mountain sooty boubou, white-tailed flycatcher, regal sunbird, yellow-eyed black flycatcher, barred long-tailed cuckoo, great blue turaco, white-tailed flycatcher, crowned hornbill, long-crested eagle, and eastern mountain greenbul among others.
Visiting Lake Kivu: Tourists in Cyangugu town can visit Lake Kivu which is located a few km from the town. While at Lake Kivu, they can do a number of activities among which include birding which is done around the lake shores and the activities will give you an opportunity to spot birds such as common waxbill, African pied wagtail, cardinal woodpecker, and common kestrel among others.
The other activity tourists from Cyangugu town can do at Lake Kivu is have a boat cruise. The boat cruise on Lake Kivu is done in the morning and evening hours with a help of a guide and participants get an opportunity to explore the lake on a boat. The lake has no dangerous animals such as hippos and crocodiles and it’s also said to be bilharzia-free.
Chimpanzee trekking: While on a safari in Cyangugu town, tourists can organize a chimpanzee trekking activity in Nyungwe forest national park but the permits have to be booked in advance maybe with a help of a local tour operator. On the day of chimpanzee trekking, tourists will have to wake very early in the morning to catch up with other trekkers at the briefing center. This is where they will be taught about the dos and don’ts of the trekking activity before ranger guides lead them into the jungle to search for the primates.
While the rangers lead the trekkers through different trekking trails, they are able to see different park animals such as monkeys, mammals, olive baboons, birds, waterfalls, and different plant species. Once the chimpanzees are located, trekkers will be given 1 hour to be around these apes, watch them do daily activities, take photos and learn about their habits.
Visit Nearby hot springs: Tourists in Cyangugu town can visit Bugarama hot springs which are about 60km from the town. Visiting this hot spring is done at a fee of $45 per person and this fee includes a local guide fee who tells you different information about how this hot spring came into existence and much more. A visit to Bugarama Hot spring will give an opportunity to encounter the spring flow up into a big pool of green-like water.
Community tours: There are over 100,000 people living in Cyangugu town and so tourists to this place can have a visit to any of the nearby communities. The community tours enable tourists to interact with the local people get to know how they live their day to day lives, see them do home activities such as digging, raring animals, and much more. In the end, they will be entertained by the local traditional dancers through cultural dances and drama.
Accommodation facilities in Cyangugu town
Tourists intending to visit Cyangugu town have several accommodation facilities where they can spend a night or more depending on the budget. The accommodation facilities do range from budget to mid range to luxury options such as Villa Isango, Chimpanzee Lodge, Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel, Nyungwe Nziza Ecolodge, Katabi EcoCenter, Rwiza Village, Spa Shallum, Rebero Kivu Resort, Delta Resort Hotel, and Kibuye Sweet Home among others.
