Nyungwe Forest National Park

Nyungwe is a world apart. One of Africa's oldest rainforests�perhaps 10 million years old�it drapes the mountains of southwestern Rwanda in an emerald blanket that seems impenetrable from above. Within its depths, 13 primate species move through the canopy, including habituated chimpanzee groups and troops of colobus monkeys numbering in the hundreds.

Chimpanzee tracking

The forest survived the ice ages that claimed most of central Africa's rainforests, becoming a refuge for species found nowhere else. Orchids festoon the trees, giant tree ferns create prehistoric groves, and the calls of rare birds echo through the misty valleys. With over 300 bird species, including numerous Albertine Rift endemics, Nyungwe is a birdwatcher's paradise.

The canopy walkway, suspended 50 meters above the forest floor, offers a unique perspective on this vertical world. Walking among the treetops, visitors witness life that usually remains hidden from ground-level observers�monkeys leaping between branches, birds displaying in the canopy, and the forest stretching endlessly toward the horizon.

Chimpanzee tracking here requires patience and stamina, as the groups range through steep terrain in search of fruiting trees. But the reward�watching our closest relatives socialize, feed, and interact in their natural habitat�justifies every challenging step through this ancient, mystical forest.