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. Apart from the primates, there are other attractions any tourist can enjoy while on the Rwanda safari. Among others are the birds, vegetation covers, reptiles and much more. 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. These trails can take you through the Kitabi tea plantations and you will spot primates like L’hoest’s monkeys, colobus monkeys, chimpanzees, and many others as you enjoy the cool breeze from the scrub vegetation. You can opt to take a whole day’s experience and end up visiting the plantations.

The Igishigishigi trail is the most common and each visitor taking a canopy walk must use this trail. A canopy walk is one of the main activities taking place in Nyungwe National Park after chimpanzee tracking. This trail takes about 4 hours including the time spent on the canopy walk bridge which offers great scenery and an aerial view of the forest as you hear the melodies from different birds hence an incredible experience.

Kamiranzovu Marsh Trail is located in deep Calder a depression. This Caldera is in form of a swamp like in the mighty Nyungwe Forest National Park. This is a very important water catchment area in this national park and the trail covers 6 kilometres hence taking 3 to 4 hours’ walk. Tourists on short time visit Rwanda are highly discouraged from taking this trail since it’s difficult and time-consuming.

Isumo waterfall trail is the second sought-after Igishigishigi trail. This trail is amazing with diverse wildlife any tourist can spot while taking a nature walk although, the trail is long taking about 4 to 6 hours covering a distance of 10.6 kilometres and difficult to hike hence a more adventurous experience. The Isumo waterfall is the main attraction in this experience but you will gaze at the different birds, vegetation cover and much more.

Bigugu trail is 7 km long and it ends at Bigugu peak the highest peak in Nyungwe forest national park. The peak stands at 2950 meters above sea level and the trail derives its name from this peak. This trail is one of the steepest and makes it difficult to hike during the rainy season since it’s slippery. A lot of flowering plants are enjoyed during this trail for about 6 hours walk.

Umunyovu trail is the shortest trail taking about 2 to 3 hours hence covering 5.5 kilometres. Like any other trail, you can enjoy great scenery, vegetation covered with flowers, waterfalls and much more. Primates that can be spotted are the Grey-cheeked mangabeys, Angola black monkeys, white colobus monkeys, chimpanzees and much more.

Uwika trail is the best for tourists who like hiking and nature since there is a lot to discover such as the big trees, and also different primates like the blue monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys and many more others.

Other trails include the Congo Nile trail, Muzimu trail, Imbaranga, Rukuzi, Umugotwe, Karamba trail and many more others. The activities that are carried out in Nyungwe forest national park using these trails are chimpanzee trekking, nature walks, hiking, bird watching, canopy walk and many others.

Visitors are advised to carry rain jackets during the rainy season, insect repellant to protect you from insect biting like the mosquitos, hiking boots since the trails are muddy and waterlogged, and a camera shouldn’t be forgotten since you need to capture memories, for those who do bird watching, don’t forget to carry a pair of binoculars and bird book.

We are waiting to hear your inquiry about your Rwanda safari and particularly in the Nyungwe forest and be part or use one of the trails above.