Trails in Nyungwe Forest : Nyungwe forest forms Nyungwe National Park and it’s the only area where you can find the 13 primates, including the chimpanzees, our close relatives. A Rwanda safari offers additional attractions for visitors to enjoy in addition to the primates. Birds, different types of vegetation, reptiles, and many other things are included. Different trails, therefore, are designed to enable easy access through the forest to take you to the attractions and these include.
Ngabwe trail which covers a distance of 4.7km, takes 3 hours of walking and is good for birding and hiking experiences. As you follow these trails through the Kitabi tea plantations, you can take in the cool breeze from the scrub vegetation and see various primates, including chimpanzees, L’Hoest’s monkeys, and colobus monkeys. You have the option to visit the plantations and spend the entire day there.
Every visitor participating in a canopy walk is required to use the most popular trail, Igishigishigi. After chimpanzee trekking safari, one of the primary activities in Nyungwe National Park is a canopy walk. This trail takes about 4 hours total, including time spent on the canopy walk bridge, which provides breathtaking views of the forest from above while you listen to the various bird melodies an amazing experience.
The Kamiranzovu Marsh Trail is situated in a deep valley called Calder’a. Similar in shape to a swamp in the vast Nyungwe Forest National Park is this Caldera. This national park’s highly significant water catchment area is accessible via a 6-kilometer trail that takes three to four hours to walk. It is strongly advised that short-term visitors to Rwanda avoid this trail due to its difficulty and duration.
The second most popular trail in Igishigi is the Isumo Waterfall Trail. This trail is incredible, offering a wide variety of wildlife that visitors can see while on a nature walk. However, hiking the 10.6 kilometres of the trail takes four to six hours, making it a more strenuous experience. The main draw of this experience is the Isumo waterfall, but you can also enjoy views of various birds, lush vegetation, and more.
The 7-kilometer Bigugu Trail comes to an end at the park’s highest point, Bigugu Peak in Nyungwe Forest National Park. The trail takes its name from this peak, which is 2950 metres above sea level. Being one of the steepest trails, hiking on it during the rainy season is challenging due to its slick conditions. This trail offers a variety of flowering plants and is approximately a 6-hour walk.
The shortest trail, the Umunyovu Trail, is 5.5 kilometres long and takes two to three hours to complete. Much like any other trail, this one offers breathtaking views, flower-covered vegetation, waterfalls, and much more. Grey-cheeked mangabeys, Angolan black monkeys, white colobus monkeys, chimpanzees, and many other primates can be seen.
For those who enjoy hiking and the outdoors, the Uwika Trail is ideal because it offers a plethora of discoveries, including large trees and various primates like grey-cheeked mangabeys and blue monkeys.
The Congo Nile Trail, Muzimu Trail, Imbaranga, Rukuzi, Umugotwe, Karamba Trail, and numerous other trails are among the others. These trails are used for chimpanzee trekking, hiking, nature walks, bird watching, canopy walks, and many other activities in Nyungwe Forest National Park.
It is recommended that visitors pack rain jackets for when it rains, insect repellent to shield them from mosquito bites, hiking boots because the trails are muddy and wet, and a camera because you need to take pictures and record memories. If you go bird watching, don’t forget to bring binoculars and a bird book.
We look forward to speaking with you regarding your Rwanda safari, especially if it takes place in the Nyungwe forest and involves using one of the aforementioned trails.
