Nyungwe National Park

Nyungwe is an ancient montane rainforest in Rwanda's mountainous south-west, a forest that survived the last ice age and now shelters chimpanzees, twelve other primate species and more than 300 birds, many of them found only in the Albertine Rift.

Why visit

Chimpanzee tracking starts at first light and is the main event, but the L'Hoest's monkeys and huge troops of colobus along the roads are almost as good. The canopy walkway — a 160-metre suspension bridge about 70 metres above a ravine — is reached by a guided one-hour hike from the Uwinka reception centre along the Igishigishigi trail, through butterflies, orchids and birds you will see nowhere else. Longer trails such as Imbaraga and Umuyove lead to waterfalls and viewpoints across the forest to Lake Kivu.

Getting there and getting around

Nyungwe is the far corner of Rwanda: five to six hours from Kigali through Nyanza and Huye, which makes it a natural pairing with the King's Palace and the Ethnographic Museum on the way. The main road through the forest is tarmac, but the tracks to trailheads and lodges turn to mud after rain. Our clients mostly take a Prado for this route, and many prefer a driver-guide for the long day and the early starts.

Practical notes

Trails are steep and well maintained but muddy after rain, so sturdy footwear matters. Chimp permits and canopy walk fees are paid to the park and quoted separately. Combine Nyungwe with a night or two on Lake Kivu on the way back — the road north along the lake is one of the best drives in the country.

We would take the Land Cruiser Prado.