Rwanda’s ancient rainforest in three days: track chimpanzees at dawn, walk the canopy walkway high above the trees and watch huge colobus troops among the tea estates.
Nyungwe National Park is one of Africa’s oldest montane rainforests and, since 2023, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This three-day trip from Kigali focuses on its two signature experiences: chimpanzee trekking at dawn and the canopy walkway, the only one of its kind in East Africa, plus the chance to see huge troops of colobus monkeys.
Nyungwe is high, cool and wet, with steep valleys covered in forest and the bright green tea estates of Gisakura at its edge. The chimpanzee trek starts very early and can involve steep, muddy walking. The canopy walk is easier, a gentle forest walk followed by the thrill of the bridge.
Lodges near Gisakura, among the tea estates, are closest to the chimpanzee trailheads, which matters for early starts. Options range from comfortable guesthouses to a luxury lodge on the forest edge.
Drive south from Kigali through rolling hills to Huye (Butare), where you can visit the Ethnographic Museum, one of the best in East Africa, or the King’s Palace at Nyanza on the way. Continue west into the mountains to Nyungwe, where the road crosses the forest, and arrive at your lodge near the Gisakura tea estate in the late afternoon.
Leave before dawn for chimpanzee trekking. Trackers locate the chimps at their night nests, and you follow on steep, sometimes slippery trails to spend an hour with them as they feed and call. Sightings are good but less predictable than in Uganda’s Kibale, because the chimps range widely.
In the afternoon, drive to the Uwinka centre and walk about an hour through the forest to the canopy walkway, a 160-metre suspension bridge strung more than 70 metres above a forested ravine. Look out over the treetops for monkeys, turacos and sunbirds.
Start the day with an optional guided walk to find a troop of Rwenzori black-and-white colobus, which in Nyungwe can number in the hundreds, leaping across the canopy at the forest edge. Alternatively, stroll through the tea estate at Gisakura or bird the roadside for turacos and sunbirds. After lunch, drive back to Kigali through the hills, with a stop in Huye if you missed the museum on the way in, arriving in the evening.
Lodges shown match the quoted price. Ask us about mid-range and luxury upgrades.
Good, especially in the dry seasons, but less reliable than in Kibale. Trackers leave before dawn to give you the best chance.
It is very stable but high: more than 70 metres above the ravine. Most visitors enjoy it; those with a strong fear of heights may prefer the forest trails.
Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe requires a minimum age of 15; the canopy walk is open to children aged about six and over.
Yes. Rusizi and Karongi on Lake Kivu are 1–2 hours away.
Yes, between November and May a stay in Nyungwe can qualify you for the 30% discount on a Rwanda gorilla permit.
Over a dozen marked trails, including the Isumo waterfall trail through tea estates and forest, and the Igishigishigi trail that leads to the canopy walk.
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Change the dates, add a night, upgrade a lodge or combine it with Rwanda or Kenya. Tell us what you have in mind and we’ll send a revised plan and price.
