Nyungwe is a true rain forest, typically receiving in excess of 2, 000 mm of precipitation annually. It is also one of the oldest forests in Africa, which is one of the reason it boasts such a high level of diversity. Scientific opinion is that Nyungwe, along with other forests of the Albertine Rift, was largely unaffected by the drying up of the lowland areas during the last ice age, and thus become a refuge for forest plants and animals which have subsequently recolonized areas such as the Congo Basin.

One of the central planks in ORTPN’s tourism – diversification programme is Nyungwe National Park, 980 square kilometers of hilly jungle cloaked terrain in the country’s South – West, o the boarder with Burundi and the DRC, and surely one of the undiscovered gems of African environmental tourism.

Ranging between 1,600 and 2,950 meters in altitude, the park is contiguous with Kibira National Park in Burundi, together with the two protected areas form the largest block of forest in East Africa. Nyungwe was originally set aside as a reserve in 1933, which although relatively effective, still saw it lose about 20 per cent as its area by 1984, when a coordinated forest-protection plan was implemented. It was elevated to national park status in March 2004 and is famously known now for primates trekking in Rwanda.

Explore the Primates Haven

There are still many other trails in this forest that provide different views. These include:

• Buhoro trail (exceptional views, big trees, good birding and pretty wildflowers)
• Umuyove trail (waterfalls, birds, flowers and massive trees)
• Karamba trail (the best bird walk & fairly easy)
• Kamiranzovu marsh (orchids and wetland birds)
• Ngabe trail for primates (L’hoest, silver and colobus monkeys)
• Cyamudongo&Uwinka (chimps)