Nyungwe National Park 1 Day Chimpanzee Trekking Rwanda Safari

Our 1-day Nyungwe National Park chimpanzee trekking safari is a fast-paced, early-morning Rwanda adventure focused on locating habituated chimpanzee troops in their natural habitat. This chimpanzee trekking safari from Kigali requires an early 0430 Hours departure to cover the 5-hour round-trip journey.

The itinerary includes a 0500–0530 Hours pickup, morning briefing at Uwinka or Cyamudongo for trekking, 1–2 hours observing chimps, a packed lunch, and an optional canopy walk before returning to Kigali by 1900 Hours – 2000 Hours.

Detailed 1-Day Nyungwe Chimpanzee Trekking Itinerary

0430 Hours – 0500 Hours: Pick up from your hotel in Kigali by a professional driver-guide and depart for Nyungwe National Park.
0830 Hours – 0900 Hours: Arrive at the Nyungwe Park Headquarters (Uwinka Visitor Centre or Cyamudongo reception) for registration and a mandatory briefing on trekking rules.
0930 Hours: Begin the guided chimpanzee trek into the forest or at the nearby Cyamudongo Forest, where the largest group of habituated chimpanzees is located.
1000 Hours – 1230 Hours: Experience the thrill of tracking chimpanzees in their natural habitat. Once found, you will spend one hour observing their behaviors, including feeding, playing, and socializing.
1230 Hours – 1330 Hours: Enjoy a picnic lunch (provided) within the park
1330 Hours – 1530 Hours(Optional): Take a hike to the 160-meter-long canopy walkway, suspended 70 meters above the forest floor, offering stunning views of the lush canopy, birds, and other primates.
1600 Hours: Depart Nyungwe and drive back towards Kigali.
2100 Hours – 2200 Hours: Arrive back in Kigali for drop-off at your hotel or the airport.

Essential Tips for Success

Early Start is Crucial: The trek often begins very early (sometimes 0430 Hours) to locate the chimpanzees, as they are most active in the morning.
Permits & Rules: Book permits in advance, as group sizes are strictly limited (often 8 people). If you have a cold or illness, you will not be allowed to trek to protect the chimps.
Hire a Porter: Hiring a porter is highly recommended, not just for carrying gear, but for providing physical assistance on steep, slippery, and muddy trails.
Stay Local: Stay in lodging near the park (e.g., in Nyungwe or Rusizi) to minimize travel time on the morning of the trek.
Pack Strategically: Bring a waterproof jacket, long-sleeved shirts, long trousers, insect repellent, a camera (no flash), and binoculars.

Trekking and Wildlife Experience

Physical Fitness: While not mandatory, a moderate level of fitness is recommended, as trackers may need to move quickly to keep up with the wild, moving chimpanzees.
The “Cyamudongo Commute”: If your trek is in Cyamudongo (a popular, smaller forest patch), be prepared for a long, bumpy, unpaved road journey from the main visitor center.
Safety Distance: Maintain a distance of 7–10 meters from the chimpanzees and do not eat or smoke near them.

Best Time to Go

Dry Season (June–Sept, Dec–Feb): Best for easier hiking on less slippery trails
Rainy Season (March–May, Oct–Nov): Lush landscapes, but trails can be very muddy

Note: 1-Day Itinerary Tip

If traveling from Kigali, a 1-day trip is highly ambitious as the drive takes approximately 5 hours each way. Our “1-day” package involves a very early departure from Kigali (around 0200 Hours) or staying overnight nearby at places like One&Only Nyungwe House or Chimpanzee Lodge

What to Pack

✓ Footwear: Sturdy, waterproof hiking boots with good ankle support are non-negotiable for slippery slopes
✓ Clothing: Wear long-sleeved shirts and long trousers (tucked into socks or gaiters) to protect against stinging nettles, thorny branches, and safari ants
✓ Outerwear: A lightweight rain jacket or poncho is essential, as rain can occur even during the dry season
✓ Gear: Bring binoculars for spotting chimps high in the canopy and a camera with a zoom lens (flash is strictly prohibited)
✓ Protection: Pack insect repellent (DEET-based), sunscreen, and a hat

Nyungwe National Park 1 Day Chimpanzee Trekking Rwanda Safari is a full-day tour from Kigali to Nyungwe Forest National Park, located 225 km from Kigali, Rwanda. Nyungwe Forest National Park is a 4-5-hour drive from Kigali on good roads.

Nyungwe Forest covers over 1000km² of montane rainforest – the largest intact area of mountain forest in East and Central Africa. The drive from Kigali to Nyungwe offers attractions such as Nyanza King’s Palace and the National Museum, should you wish to break the journey.

Nyungwe is an ideal destination for lovers of primates, and most visitors to Rwanda will go for at least one tracking experience, the most popular being chimpanzee trekking. Our search for chimpanzees takes us into the oldest montane forest in Africa, on foot. Walking through this ancient and biodiverse rainforest is an incredible chance to spot a rich array of exotic and rare animals, birds, plants, and small creatures.

Once we find a troop of chimpanzees, we spend time watching them move noisily through the trees. Sharing 98% of our DNA, chimpanzees are our closest relatives and often behave very similarly to us. 

Nyungwe Forest is home to about 500 chimpanzees, offering excellent opportunities to observe these social apes, along with 12 other primate species (including a 400-strong troop of habituated Ruwenzori Black-and-White Colobus). Nyungwe Forest National Park is the only place where we have seen the troops of many 300 colobus monkeys that travel in the trees.

We are likely to encounter black-faced vervet monkeys and l’Hoest’s monkeys, with grey-cheeked mangabey and Rwenzori colobus monkeys also often sighted.

Along with the abundance of primates, the dense tropical forest of Nyungwe also hosts over 60 species of other mammals, a multitude of orchids, over 120 butterfly species, and more than 300 bird species. Keep an eye out for endemic Grauer’s warbler, Rwenzori Turaco, and Black-and-white Casqued Hornbill in the forest canopy.

We have lunch in this massive old rainforest, and later this afternoon, we make our way back to Kigali city, in central Rwanda, bringing our memorable Rwanda trip to a close.

Other activities in Nyungwe Forest National Park besides tracking the famous chimpanzees include experiencing the canopy walk, bird watching, excursions to Lake Kivu and Gisakura tea factory, scaling Mt Bigugu, and an expedition to Kamiranzovu Marsh. Covering over 1000 square km, Nyungwe is one of the world’s most beautiful and pristine mountain rainforests.

The park is also a birder’s paradise with over 300 species, including 16 endemics, and is home to 75 different species of mammals.

Our 1-day Nyungwe Forest chimpanzee trekking tour begins with an early morning pick-up from your hotel in Kigali.  Our safari driver guide picks you up (0430 hours) and transfers you to the Nyungwe National Park located in South Western part of Rwanda.

Check in to the park (0830 hours) followed by a briefing about the trek at the Uwinka visitors center. During the briefing, you will be briefed on how to behave in the presence of the chimpanzees, the Dos and Don’ts, in order to have an amazing experience while you carry out the activity.

After receiving a briefing and depending on the number of participants on the chimpanzee trek, you will be divided into two groups.  One will track from the Uwinka center, and another from Cyamudongo, which will require your driver-guide to transfer you to the starting point.

Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe National Park can be done within the park or in Cyamudongo Forest, outside the park. The park has two habituated chimpanzee groups, the larger one in the park and the smaller one in the Cyamudongo forest.

Regardless of where you go chimpanzee trekking, the experience is quite the same: engaging, interesting, and, most of all, rewarding.  In the Cyamudongo forest, there is one habituated group, and the other is in the process of habituation, which will increase the number of people participating in chimpanzee trekking. 

In the park, you will have a variety of attractions to look at while carrying out chimpanzee trekking, including other primate species, such as Olive baboons, L’Hoest’s monkeys, Ruwenzori colobus, Vervet monkeys, silver monkeys, Grey-cheeked mangabey, red-tailed monkeys, among other monkey species.

Your range guide will contact the trackers who live early in the morning to locate where the chimpanzees nested the previous night. Chimpanzee trekking is an easy, non-time-consuming activity. The duration of your trek depends on the location of the chimps – this could take from 30 minutes to 2 hours to find them.

Long before you see the Chimpanzees, you can hear their almost deafening screams, their hoots, and cackles. You are allowed to stay with the chimps for only 1 hour after locating them to learn their daily patterns, such as feeding, grooming, playtime, and other activities they carry out in the wild, which is a very captivating experience. Photography is allowed, but remember that flash is prohibited.

Since chimpanzee trekking takes a relatively short time, you can participate in other activities the park offers; for instance, you can take a canopy walk, which lasts 2 hours. The Canopy walk is a guided walk on a 160 m-long suspended bridge 70 m above the great Nyungwe forest.

The walk starts from the Uwinka Reception Centre. It offers walkers great views of the East African region, Lake Kivu, and various sections of the Nyungwe forest as they spot animals, birds, insects, reptiles, and amphibians that live there.

Later, begin the journey back to Kigali.

* We suggest that you dress for the occasion. Have a daypack with binoculars, mineral water, and snacks.
* Wear a good pair of hiking boots, long trousers, a long-sleeved shirt, a light rain jacket that you can put into your backpack, and add a hat that will keep the sun out of your face.

Nyungwe National Park 1 Day Chimpanzee Trekking Rwanda Safari included

✓ Lunch
✓ Bottled water
✓ Professional guide
✓ Hotel pickup and drop-off & Nyungwe Forest National Park fee

Notes:

*The times indicated on the itinerary are estimated (to give you a general idea) and can change due to weather, traffic, etc
* Because of the limited time will have a packed lunch at Huye City (formerly Butare), the second most important city in Rwanda
* Do remember to take plenty of water with you for the trek – your guide will provide extra for you. You may also want to take a snack for extra energy!
* The maximum trekking group size is 8, accompanied by a guide and an armed park ranger. You’ll also have the choice to hire a porter to accompany you on the trek
* Your dedicated driver-guide will be with you for the duration of your trip in Rwanda – they’ll accompany you to the park headquarters, and introduce you to your gorilla trekking guide

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