Nyungwe Forest National Park: Where 400 Colobus Monkeys Move Together

In 1984, a Wildlife Conservation Society survey in Nyungwe recorded a single troop of Angola colobus monkeys numbering approximately 400 individuals. Four hundred primates moving together through the canopy of a montane rainforest is not something the scientific literature had prepared anyone for. It remains one of the largest primate aggregations ever recorded. The forest still holds troops of 300 or more.

Nyungwe National Park covers 1,019 square kilometres of montane rainforest in southwestern Rwanda, near the borders with Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It sits at elevations between 1,600 and 2,950 metres, which is why the forest is cool and misty rather than humid and tropical. It received UNESCO World Heritage status in 2023. African Parks took over management from the Rwanda Development Board in 2020 under a 20-year agreement, and the conservation infrastructure has improved significantly since then.

Beyond the colobus, the park holds 13 primate species including habituated eastern chimpanzee communities, 345 bird species (making it one of Africa’s premier birdwatching destinations), over 1,100 plant species, and 200 types of orchid. It is one of the largest surviving montane rainforests in Africa and a source of multiple rivers that feed the Nile.

Permits and Fees

Chimpanzee trekking is the main paid activity. Permits for foreign non-residents cost approximately $150-250 per person (rates have varied; confirm with the Rwanda Development Board or your tour operator at time of booking). Groups are limited to eight people per trek. You must be at least 15 years old. Book well in advance; the habituated chimpanzee community has limited daily visitor slots, and peak season (June to September and December to February) fills months ahead.

The canopy walkway costs around $60 for foreign non-residents. It is East Africa’s first canopy walkway, stretching one kilometre and reaching 70 metres above the forest floor. The walkway offers a level of immersion in the mid- and upper-canopy that ground-level trails cannot match. The sound alone, with wind through the canopy at that height and birds calling from the same level as your head, justifies the price.

Park entry fees are charged separately. Confirm the current full fee structure at rdb.rw or through a licensed Rwandan tour operator.

Getting There

Nyungwe is approximately 220 kilometres southwest of Kigali by road, around 4.5 hours by car along the main road through Huye (formerly Butare). The road is tarmacked for most of the route and passes through the tea estates that surround the park before descending into the forest. The drive itself, through Rwanda’s terraced hillscapes, is worth doing slowly.

There is also a domestic flight option from Kigali to Kamembe Airport (near Rusizi, on the DRC border), followed by a 45-minute drive to the park’s Gisakura entrance. Flight time is about 45 minutes. For guests at One&Only Nyungwe House, helicopter transfers from Kigali take around 30 minutes and arrive directly at the lodge’s helipad.

Where to Stay

One&Only Nyungwe House is the luxury option, adjacent to the park boundary on the edge of the Gisakura tea estate. It has 22 rooms across five wooden villas, each with views over the tea gardens and forest. Rooms run $600-900+ per night in season. The on-site dining uses Rwandan ingredients and is genuinely good. The lodge arranges all park activities including guided chimp treks and canopy walks, and the naturalists on staff are a real asset. If budget allows, this is one of the better wildlife lodges in the region.

Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel offers a more affordable alternative, with simple cottages on a hillside near the park. Rates are considerably lower and the setting is pleasant.

For budget travellers, basic guesthouses exist in the towns of Gisakura and Cyangugu (Rusizi). These are functional and cheap.

Activities

Chimpanzee trekking at Cyamudongo sector or the Uwinka sector gives you access to habituated groups. Success rates for sightings are high (the habituation process has been underway for years and the animals are accustomed to carefully managed human presence), but the terrain is steep and muddy. Wear proper hiking boots and bring a waterproof layer.

The canopy walkway at Uwinka is the other headline activity. The walk begins at the Uwinka visitor centre and takes 1.5 to 2 hours at a relaxed pace. Morning visits, when colobus groups are often active in the canopy nearby, offer the best combination of wildlife and views.

Birdwatching. With 345 species including 30 Albertine Rift endemics (birds found nowhere else on Earth), Nyungwe is a serious destination for birders. The Albertine Rift endemics include the Albertine owlet, handsome francolin, and red-throated alethe, among others. The best birding is in the early morning in the forest interior.

Colobus trekking is a separate permit from the chimpanzee trek and allows you to spend time with one of the large troops. Given the troop sizes at Nyungwe, this is not like colobus watching elsewhere; seeing 50 or more individuals in the same trees simultaneously is normal.

Hiking trails range from gentle half-day walks to multi-day routes through the forest interior. The Bigugu Trail to the park’s highest peak is a full day and involves significant elevation gain.

Practical Notes

The park is generally accessible year-round, but the dry season (June to September, and January to February) offers better trail conditions and more reliable chimp tracking. The rainy seasons (March to May and October to December) make the forest greener but trails muddier and certain access routes more difficult.

Rwanda uses the Rwandan franc (RWF). Most accommodation and tour operators accept major credit cards, but having some cash for smaller purchases and tips is advisable. The country is notably safe, clean, and well-organised for tourism, particularly after the reforms that followed the 1994 genocide. The combination of Nyungwe with Volcanoes National Park (gorilla trekking, in the north) makes for a compelling two-park Rwanda itinerary, with Kigali as the hub.

One detail most guides skip: the drive through Nyungwe forest on the main road between Huye and Cyangugu (approximately 60 kilometres of road running through the park interior) passes through one of the most visually striking forest road sections in Africa. If you are self-driving, take this section slowly.