Nyungwe National Forest Park, and the most important activities that can be done

By: Zeinab Mekky

Nyungwe Forest is one of the oldest and most beautiful rainforests in Africa, it has stunning and stunning scenery, its beautiful green color with the cool mist in the early morning makes it mesmerize the eyes and make the minds go away from its magnificence. 

The Nyungwe Forest is located in southwestern Rwanda, on the border with Burundi, and covers an area of about 1,019 square kilometers of rainforest, bamboo, grasslands and swamps.

The Nyungwe Forest Reserve was established in 1933 by the Belgian colonial government. After Rwanda gained its independence in 1962, the country's forest reserves were administered by the Ministry of Agriculture, in 2005 the Rwandan government made Nyungwe an official national park and granted it protected status, the highest level of protection in the country. 

The Rwanda Development Board signed an agreement with African Parks to take over management of Nyungwe National Park for an initial 20 years.

A magical view of the sunrise in Nyungwe.

The forest contains about 13 main species of animal species, it is an animal group with about 275 species of birds, 1068 species of plants, 75 species of mammals,32 species of amphibians, and 38 species of reptiles, in addition to butterflies, and this is what made it so special, a priority for conservation in Africa and to be a nature reserve.

The park is not only for you to see, but you can do many different and interesting activities inside it, including:

 Hiking: - And this is in Nyungwe National Park, as it is a paradise for hikers. There are also 13 hiking trails that cover more than 130 km of the forest floor, so you can spend a good week walking the many trails and exploring wildlife, inside a primeval rainforest. Which will amaze you with its appearance and the wild life it contains, including birds, monkeys, plants, flowers, and delicate butterflies flying around you, in addition to the ancient trees.
There is also the opportunity to walk short distances, as this activity lasts from one to eight hours, in a good opportunity for those who cannot spend the hiking activity. 

Canopy tour: Enjoying the canopy tour is part of the safari schedule at a height of 50 meters above the ground and it is an amazing height because you will have a unique experience, you will see monkeys moving in the treetops, birds flying above and below you and a beautiful view of the huge Nyungwe forest.

Chimpanzee Tour

It is an activity that is done in the morning, approximately at five in the morning, in a group of eight people maximum, and the chimpanzees play in the trees and they also breastfeed, feed and mate, the chimpanzees are quite used to the presence of visitors.

Monkey tours: The park is home to more than 30 species of monkeys, including blue monkeys, black and white colobus, red-tailed monkeys, yellow monkeys, and others. It is known that monkeys are very playful, so you can take wonderful pictures with them. 

Bird watching

The forest is known as a bird's paradise, as it is home to more than 300 species of birds with about 29 settlements in the Albertine Rift Valley, for bird lovers, we guarantee you the best enjoyable bird watching with the availability of guides and trainers who will help you explain and identify the different types of birds in the forest.

Jesakura Tea Plantation Tour: It is really different and exciting, it is a new activity because you will visit Jesakura Tea Plantation which is located on the edge of Nyungwe Forest National Park, here you will combine a tea plantation tour with other activities, such as learning how to grow tea, harvest it and process it till the final stage to be ready to drink. So you can do it in the evening

 Accommodation in the forest park: - It is a great activity for camping lovers and camping inside the park. You will not feel lonely because the accommodation in the park provides you with all the necessities and protection.

 Showcasing some of the activities that can be done in Nyungwe National Forest Park, we guarantee you a wonderful experience by visiting the park and doing any activity from it

Sources:
_nyungweforest.com
_visitrwanda
_African Parks.org
_Uganda safaristours.com