A stunning self-drive holiday with Nyungwe National Park and Volcanoes National Park and riding private 4×4 car rental in Kigali and which will show you the most speticularous area of this southern province. Extending for 1000 square Kilometers across the majestic hills of southeast Rwanda, Nyungwe Forest National Park is the largest block of montane forest in East or Central Africa and one of the most ancient, dating back to before the last Ice Age.
A uniquely rich Centre of floral diversity, the forest has more than 200 different types of tree and myriad of flowering plants including the other worldly giant Lobelia and host colourful orchids. This Rwanda tour is for the primate lovers (chimpanzees). My rental car was delivered to me at my lodge stay in Kigali.
With my 4×4 Rwanda car I drove to Nyungwe National Park the most alluring for its primates. 13 species in all, including humankind’s closest living relative the chimpanzee, as well as the handsome L’Hoest monkey and hundred strong troops of delightfully acrobatic Angola Colobus.
I had been interested in Nyungwe because of the opportunity to do a chimpanzee trek, and when I learned that the cost of gorilla trek permits in Volcanoes National Park is reduced by a third for all travelers including another national park for a few days in their itinerary, I was sold. I am so very glad that we spent a few days in Nyungwe.
The landscape became more and lovelier as we drove from Kigali to Nyungwe National Park. During our time there, we did a chimpanzee trek, the guided canopy walk, a colobus monkey trek, and a visit to a nearby tea plantation (with an excellent opportunity to do some birding).
The chimpanzee trek is evidently always unpredictable in terms of length, difficulty, and opportunity to see some chimps, so I consider us lucky to have only had to hike for about 25 minutes down a slippery but manageable slope before first hearing then seeing a whole troop of chimps enjoying breakfast high in a ficus tree.
The canopy walk was pleasant. Our “trek” to see the colobus monkeys turned out to be only a short stroll adjacent to a tea plantation, since that’s where one of the troops of these beautiful creatures had gathered that particular day. Although none ever descended to ground level (not surprising since they are the most arboreal of African monkeys), we saw dozens upon dozens climbing in the trees–some sitting sedately, and others actively leaping from branch to branch. A highlight for us was sighting a mother with a snow-white baby (they don’t develop their black and white fur until they’re older). Mom sat stoically as her little one climbed over, under, and around her.
Do include a visit to a nearby tea plantation when you visit Nyungwe. The gently rolling fields are beautiful and you’ll have a chance to watch the farmers at work. It seems that most people who travel to Rwanda do so to see the remarkable gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. There is so much more to see and do in this beautiful country, and at a minimum, travelers should seriously consider visiting Nyungwe and, once going there, don’t just breeze in and out, as we saw some guests at our accommodation do. Stay at least two days to enjoy some of the wonderful sights and experiences this area has to offer.
The most important ornithological site in Rwanda, Nyungwe harbours almost 300 bird species of which two dozen are restricted to a handful of montane forests on the Albertine Rift. The avian highlight of Nyungwe is the great blue Turaco an outlandish blue, red and green bird which streams from tree to tree like a precession of streamlined psychedelic turkeys.
An extensive network of well-maintained walk trails and canopy walk leads through the forest to various waterfalls and viewing points. A comfortably rustic rest house and perfectly situated campsite lie alongside the main road and the reserve can readily be visited as a day trip from the towns of Butare and Cyangugu. Nyungwe does, however deserves more time: anybody who wants to track chimps and see several varieties of smaller primate will need two days there and dedicated birdwatchers might never want to leave.
There are also good forest tracks for birding based around the ORTPN Guesthouse at Gisakura and the ORTPN Campsite at Uwinka , where some of the more skulking species can be seen such as the red throated alethe, Archer’s robin chat, Kivu ground thrush, collared apalis and shelley’s and dusky crimson wing. Other special birds here include white bellied robin chat, Doherty’s and Lagden’s bush shrikes, white tailed blue flycatcher, great blue Turaco, barred long tailed cuckoo and white-bellied crested flycatcher. At night, Rwenzori night jar is not uncommon, Albertine owlet may be found and there might be a possibility to see the Congo bay owl. Add to this the presence of 13 primates, including chimpanzee more than 100 different.
