Nyungwe Forest Birding Tours are remarkable as you journey through one of East Africa’s oldest rainforests. The Forested National Park is located in southwestern Rwanda about a 5 to 6-hour drive from Kigali Rwanda’s capital. It covers a land area of 1,019 square kilometers of Montane rainforest.
It also has other ecosystems including swamps, bamboo, and tropical rainforests. These are home to several wildlife species including the highest primate species in Rwanda. There are over 1,050 plant species, 85 mammals, reptiles and amphibians. Such diversity makes Nyungwe Forest iconic and it was on such basis that it was inscribed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Even better, Nyungwe forest lies in the Albertine Rift Valley. It is an important water catchment area with one of the furthest sources of the Nile River. The Forest is ideal for Rwanda birding tours and other Discovery Journeys expeditions. Below is a brief about Nyungwe Forest Birding Tours and other epic safari tours you can be part of on your visit there.
Nyungwe Bird species
Nyungwe Forest is Rwanda’s most Important Birding Area. It is home to over 300 bird species including Albertine Rift Valley endemics. The forested park is among the best places to see highland forest birds given its bird species diversity.
Birding Tours and safari adventures in Nyungwe however mainly depend on calls. The forest is thick and it is not easy to spot bird species like it is in the open savanna ecosystem. Notable birds you can see in Nyungwe include the Great Blue Turaco, Rwenzori Turaco, and Rwenzori Apalis among others.
Nyungwe Forest Birding Tours are among the best Rwanda adventures you can ever be part of. Birding is done following the different trails with chances of seeing other wildlife species in the park. Other iconic attractions you can explore on Nyungwe Forest Birding Tours include waterfalls and caves.
Best Time for Nyungwe Birding Safari
Nyungwe Forest Birding Tours are best enjoyed from November to May. During this time many bird species are in full plumage. It is also the time migratory birds are present in Rwanda. These come from as far as Europe which increases the bird diversity and chances of viewing.
Since Birding in Rwanda mainly depends on calls, several birds are more vocal from March. With this, they can easily be identified saving time compared to just randomly hiking the forest without any guidance.
These months from November to May however also double as the wet season months when rainfall is highly unpredictable. December to March are relatively dry and the chances of rainfall are a bit minimal. The dry months from June to October are generally great for wildlife viewing including birding. They are dry and it is easy to hike through the forest with minimal rainfall disturbances.
Nyungwe Primates
Nyungwe forest is most famous for primate trekking. It has the highest chimpanzee population in Rwanda with 3 communities open for tourism. Apart from chimpanzees, the forested park has a high population of colobus monkeys, L’hoest, and Blue Monkeys.
Chimpanzee trekking is the commonly done primate safari adventure in Nyungwe. The two major communities that are tracked include one at Uwinka and the other at Cyamudongo. On the day of the chimpanzee trek you are expected at the park headquarters by 7:00 am. There you are briefed about the dos and don’ts during the trek. After the briefing, you are then guided by a ranger guide and hike for 2 to 3 hours until you meet the chimpanzees. This is a remarkable encounter though limited to only one hour. Chimpanzees have the highest DNA similar to humans at 98% and can easily adapt to human behavior if interaction is not limited.
Other primate treks are also guided by the well knowledgable range guides who have traversed the Forest for year. Primate trekking in Nyungwe is doable throughout the year.
Nyungwe Forest has a chimpanzee habituation experience in Gisovu. This is more experiential and takes you behind the scenes following the routine of the chimpanzees. It involves following a chimpanzee community observing and studying their routine with interactions intended to make them accustomed to human beings’ presence. The hike also takes 2 to 3 hours and on getting to the chimpanzees you can stay up to 4 hours in their presence.
This chimpanzee habituation experience has limited slots and it is therefore advised to book it in advance.
Other Discovery Journeys Birding Destinations
Rwanda has several other birding tour destinations. These include Akagera National Park which is Rwanda’s second most important bird area. It is also East and Central Africa’s largest protected wetland. Akagera’s ecosystem is also diverse with open savanna grasslands and woodlands as well. It is the only place in Rwanda where you can see the shoebill stork.
Nyandungu Eco Park is another Rwanda Birding destination. It is located in Kigali just a few minutes’ drive from the city center. The eco-park is predominantly a wetland that was recently restored after several years of degradation. It now boosts over 200 bird species including the Grey Crowned Cranes. The eco park can easily be accessed and it is the most convenient Rwanda birding destination. It works well for those with limited time in Rwanda.
Beyond Rwanda, Uganda has many Birding safari tour destinations. These include the Mabamba wetlands, Royal Mile, and Semuliki Valley among others. Kenya and Tanzania are also great birding safari destinations. They are the best savanna wildlife safari destinations for Big cats and Mammal experiences.
We feature all these destinations and safari adventures on our Discovery Journeys expeditions. All our tours are customized and range from a day depending on one’s preference and convenience. Contact Us now to have your Safari tour preparations.
English
Afrikaans
Albanian
Amharic
Arabic
Armenian
Azerbaijani
Basque
Belarusian
Bengali
Bosnian
Bulgarian
Catalan
Cebuano
Chichewa
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Corsican
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dutch
Esperanto
Estonian
Filipino
Finnish
French
Frisian
Galician
Georgian
German
Greek
Gujarati
Haitian Creole
Hausa
Hawaiian
Hebrew
Hindi
Hmong
Hungarian
Icelandic
Igbo
Indonesian
Irish
Italian
Japanese
Javanese
Kannada
Kazakh
Khmer
Korean
Kurdish (Kurmanji)
Kyrgyz
Lao
Latin
Latvian
Lithuanian
Luxembourgish
Macedonian
Malagasy
Malay
Malayalam
Maltese
Maori
Marathi
Mongolian
Myanmar (Burmese)
Nepali
Norwegian
Pashto
Persian
Polish
Portuguese
Punjabi
Romanian
Russian
Samoan
Scottish Gaelic
Serbian
Sesotho
Shona
Sindhi
Sinhala
Slovak
Slovenian
Somali
Spanish
Sudanese
Swahili
Swedish
Tajik
Tamil
Telugu
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
Urdu
Uzbek
Vietnamese
Welsh
Xhosa
Yiddish
Yoruba
Zulu