Nyungwe Forest: A Hidden Gem in Rwanda

Be honest, have you ever heard of Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda?

I hadn’t, which in retrospect is rather surprising given it’s the largest high altitude montane forest in East and Central Africa.  Even more impressive to me, it’s also home to an incredible 13 species of primate – 25% of primate species found in all of Africa! So it was rather surprising that I had never heard of Nyungwe Forest.

Black and white colobus monkey in Nyungwe Forest

Not only that but four species of primate are habituated (used to people). As a result, the park offers guided tours to see chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, Blue monkeys and Mangabeys.  I did guided tours to see the chimps and the colobus monkeys and loved every single minute of both tours – so much so that I’ll be writing in more detail about them in a later post – with some photos of the cutest baby monkey I have ever seen!

I watched this 30 year old male chimp for a full hour.

Nyungwe Forest is not just for primate lovers though.  It’s also an exceptional place for bird watching.  It’s home to 275 species of birds and 25 endemic birds, including the Turaco.  You will hear its loud call before you see it, making it relatively easy to seek out. It’s a crested bird, who when it spreads its wings reveals beautifully colored red feathers!

Turaco, a bird endemic to Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda

I would also recommend one of the guided hikes offered.  No solo hiking is allowed in the park, and there are scheduled hikes (check with the park office), or book your own in advance.

I was rather excited when David my guide asked if I wanted to take a small detour to see the source of the Congo River while on one of the guided hikes.  Of course I did.  But somehow it looked rather different from I had anticipated:

The source of the Congo River is much smaller than I was expecting.

There’s also a three day hike which is the furthest source of the Nile.  After seeing my disappointment over the wee source of the Congo River, David warned me that while the hike is beautiful, the Nile source was even smaller than the Congo source.  Still, I would love to come back and spend more time in the forest.  There’s nothing like hearing pant hoots from wild chimps or with a little bit of luck come across a monkey or two!

East Africa’s only canopy walk is in Nyungwe Forest.

Nyungwe is also home to East Africa’s only canopy walk.  If you’re afraid of heights forget it.  David said that about half of visitors take the detour after taking one look at the bridge which towers over a valley in the rainforest.  This includes the Prime Minister of Rwanda! Of course being a politician, I’m sure he had a good excuse.

I spent two days in Nyungwe but wish I could have spent three more.  I would have loved to have done the Blue monkey and Mangabey guided treks which are only done in the morning.  I also would have liked to have done a full day hike or perhaps even the three day hike to the source of the Congo.

The only downside to Nyungwe is that it’s not cheap.  Guided hikes start from $40, a trek to see Colobus, Blue monkey or Mangabeys is $70 and a visit to the chimps will set you back $150.  Discounts are provided if you do the activities over multiple days.  accommodation is also not cheap.  There are only three different options.  I stayed in the cheapest, which was VERY basic, with a shared bathroom. It cost $70 a night, which was a LOT for what it offered.  I didn’t see the other two hotels, but my guide Omar from Amahoro Tours told me that the one hotel had rates starting from $200 a night, while the other was over $300.