Activities in and around Nyungwe National Park
Nyungwe National Park is a top ecotourism destination with a growing network of hiking trails that offer visitors great opportunities for world class bird watching, chimp tracking, monkey watching, and orchid ogling. Camping is also possible at a few sites in the Park. And, of course, the Park also offers the only Canopy Walk in East Africa
Nyungwe offers 13 hiking trails, some with tongue-twisting names. Try pronouncing "Igishigishigi" quickly, which is the name of an easy 1.7 km trail that begins near the Uwinka Reception Centre. By the way, Igishigishigi means tree fern. The trails range from easy to difficult and from 1.7 kms to 10.6 kms in length.
Nyungwe is home to at least 278 bird species, 26 of which are endemic to the Albertine Rift Valley. It is one of the best bird watching destinations in Africa. Some of the birds that can be seen here include the Great Blu Turaco, the Crowned Hornbill and the Blue-Headed Sunbird.
Thirteen species of primates are known to inhabit Nyungwe Forest, including chimpanzees, owl-faced guenons and Angolan black and white colobus monkeys. In a 2002 report by the Wildlife Conservation Society, they found the latter living in groups of more than 300 individuals.
Nyungwe is home to 154 species of orchids, eight of which are endemic to Rwanda. The Park hosts 68% of the orchid flora of Rwanda. It is one of the world's greatest concentrations of orchids.
