The montane rain forest of Nyungwe is the most popular spot for chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda alongside the majestic Rwanda’s fourth national park Gishwati-Mukura in the northeastern part of the country. It should also be noted that primates remain the key attraction in the land of a thousand hills.
NYUNGWE FOREST NATIONAL PARK.
Dominated by huge montane rain forests, Nyungwe Forest National Park is one of the largest forests on the African continent. It is also the most popular spot for chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda and home to a variety of several primate species including monkeys, baboons and chimpanzees as the main attraction. Nyungwe forest is also a great research spot for scientists, researchers and conservationists interested in primate research and therefore has attracted many of them. Aside from the primates, birds are also another popular attraction in the forest large forest. There are about 310 different bird species in Nyungwe Forest National Park and some of them that can be spotted include red-collared mountain babblers, paradise flycatchers, Ruwenzori Turaco, purple breasted sunbirds, to mention but a few.
There are about 400 chimpanzee individuals in Nyungwe Forest National Park and therefore the largest host of these primate species in Rwanda. Several other primate species about 13 in total can also be spotted in the vast forests and these may include silver monkeys, baboons, vervet monkeys, Grey-cheeked Mangabeys, Dent’s monkeys, Mona monkeys, blue monkeys, Rwenzori colobus, black and white colobus monkeys. Unlike other primate species like mountain gorillas that are kind of heavier, chimpanzees are way lighter and therefore spend most of their time on top of the trees. Visitors who are eager to participate in chimpanzee tracking activities in Nyungwe Forest National Park are advised to be in their best health since the whole process involves hiking and walking for longer distances as a result of their quick movements.
Chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe Forest National Park kicks off at around 5:00 am in the wee hours of the morning with a simple breakfast followed by a briefing led by tour guides and park rangers. There are about 3 briefing spots in Nyungwe including Gisakura, Kitabi and Uwinka. Chimpanzee trekking is way different to gorilla trekking since the former involves a group of trackers who first go ahead of the tracking team to locate and confirm the location of chimpanzees. After confirming their location they will then send signals to the tour guide or park ranger alongside the whole tracking team. The whole process of chimpanzee tracking can take about 2 to 6 hours or sometimes longer than that depending on their location.
Once the chimpanzees are located, one will observe the most noticeable trait of how these primate species behave absolutely the same way as human beings. They are stubborn, jumpy, mobile and very curious about human beings even though they always keep their distance. They also engage in fights, family politics, mate, feed and breastfeed their young ones. It should however be noted that it’s not a guarantee that one will be able to fully encounter chimpanzees in Nyungwe since they are very quick and mobile hiding out in lush thick forests and therefore visitors can sometimes opt for Chamudongo given of its smaller size and isolated location. Unlike mountain gorillas where visitors are restricted to only one full hour of encountering them, visitors can spend as much time as they want with the chimpanzees.
Other thrilling tourism activities that visitors can engage in while at Nyungwe Forest National Park aside from the chimpanzee trekking may include canopy walks, spotting other primate species, bird watching, nature walks, to mention but a few. Only children above the age of 16 years can access and track chimpanzees in Nyungwe and Chamudongo forests. Tracking the primate species of chimpanzees is one of the lifetime experiences witnessed by most of the travelers and tourists in Rwanda. Participating in chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe has no particular season and therefore the exciting activity can be carried out throughout the whole year. However, chimpanzee tracking in the dry season can be quite challenging as the chimps tend to move for longer distances in search of enough food. The primate species of Chimpanzees are also characterized by swift movements making the whole chimpanzee experience a challenging one. Yet once located, spending time with the chimps is one of the most thrilling and exciting activities while in Nyungwe.
Other chimpanzee populations can be found in the popular Gishwati Mukura National Park, one of the most popular tourism destinations in Rwanda. Even though chimpanzees have no particular season for chimpanzee trekking, chimpanzee tracking in Gishwati Mukura can best be done with less challenging experience in the wet season of the year. The wet season of October to May is characterized by the availability of enough food hence keeping the chimps around and easing their tracking.
