The largest montane forest in East and Central Africa
Located in the impressive hills of southwest Rwanda, Nyungwe National Park is the country's newest national park, and also one of Rwanda's best-kept secrets. Covering 1,000km², it is the largest area of montane forest remaining in East and Central Africa. Nyungwe dates back to the last Ice Age, making its ecosystem one of the world's most diverse.
A trek through this park will put you under towering mahogany trees wrapped in 100 species of colorful orchids and epiphytes. In fact, with over 200 different types of trees and hundreds of flowering plants, any one of Nyungwe's 50km network of hiking trails is guaranteed to be a unique and memorable experience. Through the rustle of the lush canopy overhead, you will also hear the enchanting calls of almost 300 different bird species, including two dozen of which can only be found on the Albertine Rift.
A quarter of Africa's primates
Hiking Nyungwe's trails can take anywhere from one to seven hours, during which time you might discover any of the park's thirteen different types of primates. From chimpanzees to black-and-white colobus monkeys, Nyungwe contains roughly one quarter of all Africa's primates.
Should one day not suffice, you can also choose to spend the night at the rustic ORTPN Resthouse, or camp right in the forest itself under the magnificent starry sky at Uwinka. Complete another trek on your second day and discover several impressive waterfalls hidden deep in the heart of the forest.
The trails
Nyungwe is a true rain forest in that it receives over 2,000mm of rainfall each year. Its 50km network of trails offers intimate access to one of the richest ecosystems in all of Africa.
- Blue Trail (2.5km) — from the Uwinka campsite, good for sighting any of the thirteen primates and 270 birds that live in the park.
- Red Trail (10km) — more challenging, known for spotting chimpanzees and weaving past four impressive waterfalls.
- Waterfall Trail — begins from the ORTPN Resthouse and takes you through rolling tea plantations, ravines and across several streams to the base of a unique waterfall; three to six hours.
- Kamiranzovu Trail — leads trekkers through marshland replete with colorful orchids.
- Bigugu Trail — for the very fit, a six-hour ascent to Bigugu peak, at 2,950m the highest point in the park.
A further trail takes you through the nearby Gisakura Tea Estate, an impressive rolling tea plantation just outside the park, which also happens to be home to some 40 colobus monkeys.