NYUNGWE NATIONAL PARK

Day 1: Journey to the Forest & Canopy Walk Thrill

Morning (approx. 7:00 AM – 1:00 PM)

Your adventure begins bright and early in Kigali. Around 7:00 AM, you’ll start the beautiful drive south toward Nyungwe National Park. This journey takes approximately 5-6 hours and is a fantastic way to see Rwanda’s famous thousand hills. To break up the drive, you’ll make a cultural stop around mid-morning. The highlight here is a visit to the Ethnographic Museum of Rwanda in Huye (Butare), which offers deep insight into Rwanda’s history and culture. Following this, you’ll pause for an en-route lunch near Huye before continuing to the park gates.

Afternoon (approx. 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM)

You’ll arrive in Nyungwe in the early afternoon, heading directly to the Uwinka Visitor Center for the main event: the Canopy Walkway. Following a quick briefing, you’ll embark on the short, scenic trek along the Igishigishigi Trail to reach the metallic bridge. The walk itself is a truly thrilling experience, where you cross a 200-meter-long suspended bridge, hovering about 70 meters above the forest floor. This gives you a unique, “eagle’s-eye view” of the dense, ancient rainforest canopy. You’ll have an excellent chance to spot diverse bird species and primates moving far below you in the trees.

Evening (After 6:00 PM)

After the exhilarating walk, you’ll drive to your chosen accommodation (likely in the Gisakura area) for check-in and dinner. Be sure to get an early night, as tomorrow is the earliest morning of your trip!

📅 Day 2: Chimpanzee Trekking & Return to Kigali

Day two features the primary wildlife attraction of Nyungwe trekking to find the chimpanzees—followed by the drive back.

Pre-Dawn & Morning (approx. 4:30 AM – 1:00 PM)

Today requires a very early start! You’ll have a pre-dawn breakfast around 4:30 AM and head to the ranger post (such as Uwinka or Gisakura) for the chimpanzee trekking briefing at about 5:00 AM. This early timing is crucial to locate the highly mobile chimps. By 6:00 AM, you will enter the forest with your guides to begin the trek. The time it takes to find the chimpanzees is unpredictable, lasting anywhere from 2 to 5 hours, but the search itself is an incredible nature walk. Once the chimps are located, you will spend a magical one hour observing their playful behavior, feeding, and socializing in their natural habitat before trekking back out of the forest.

Optional Alternative: If the chimp trek is short, you may have time to opt for a Colobus Monkey Trek, where you can easily find large troops of the striking black-and-white primates.

Lunch & Afternoon (approx. 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM)

Upon returning from the forest, you’ll have a late breakfast or an early lunch at your accommodation before checking out. You’ll then begin the scenic, long drive back to Kigali in the afternoon, with beautiful views of the Rwandan countryside along the way. Your guide will drop you off at your hotel or the airport in Kigali, concluding your 2-day Nyungwe National Park adventure.