Facts About Nyungwe National Park

Facts About Nyungwe National Park: Nyungwe National Park is known for its distinctive features, which are harder to find elsewhere in East Africa, such as the lovely canopy green forest and canopy walk, as well as its pleasant climate, which makes for the ideal vacation.

Nonetheless, the park is located in the southwest of Rwanda, near the Burundian border. It is adjacent to Lake Kivu and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, as well as Kibira National Park to the south.

The best-preserved montane rainforest in Africa is found at Nyungwe National Park, which is situated in the watershed between the Nile River basin to the east and the Congo River basin to the west. Even so, one of the branches of the Nile headwaters can be found on the east side of the Nyungwe forest.

Furthermore, the park was established as a national park in 2004 and encompasses an estimated 1,019 square kilometers of grassland, bamboo, bogs, swamps, and rainforest. Nevertheless, the Rwanda Development Board and African Parks inked a deal in late 2020 for the Rwanda Development Board to take over management of Nyungwe National Park for a period of years. Nyungwe National Park is currently listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The multiplicity of animal species found in Nyungwe Forest makes it a top conservation priority in Africa. The forest is situated where numerous large-scale biogeographical zones converge, and the diversity of terrestrial biomes offers a remarkable range of microhabitats for various plant and animal species.

More than 13 primate species, 275 bird species, 1068 plant species, 85 animal species, 32 amphibian species, and 38 reptile species may be found in the park. Many of these animals are unique to the African montane forest ecoregion of the Albertine Rift. Furthermore, the number of endemic species found in the examined Albertine Rift Mountains is also visible.

Because of the presence of chimpanzees and Angola colobus, who are now extinct in Angola due to the harsh hunting they endured, these forests reach a maximum elevation of 3000 meters above sea level.

Common chimpanzees, Ruwenzori colobus, L’hoest’s monkey, Silver monkey, Golden monkey, Hamlyn’s monkey, Red-tailed monkey, Dent’s Mona monkey, Vervet monkey, Olive baboon, Grey-cheeked mangabey, and others are among the primate species that can be seen during your safari in Nyungwe National Park.

Historical facts: The Belgian colonial authority established Nyungwe Forest Reserve in 1933. The colonial authorities then started to worry about the rapid conversion of forest to pasture in the 1920s.

Communities’ rights to chop and gather firewood were upheld by the regulations governing Rwanda’s forest reserve, which prohibited the clearance of trees for agricultural purposes. Despite the lack of strict enforcement, locals kept using the forest for gold mine, hunting, honey harvesting, subsistence farming, and woodcutting.

Thankfully, Rwanda gained its independence in 1962, and the Ministry of Agriculture was already in charge of overseeing the nation’s forest reserves. Unfortunately, fires, animal hunting, and small-scale farming caused the Nyungwe forest to shrink by more than 150 square kilometers between 1958 and 1973.

Elephant populations in Nyungwe then grew by the hundreds in 1966. Later, in 1984, Nyungwe was separated into regions that permitted timber harvesting and sustainable use. In light of its past, the Rwandan government created a buffer zone plan that is still in use today.

Trekking with chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest National Park

Nyungwe was given protection when the Rwandan government designated it as a National Park in 2005.

Things to do at the National Park of Nyungwe

Activities like birding, hiking on the guided nature route, canopy walks, tropical waterfalls, primates trekking, and camping tours are among the many attractions in Nyungwe National Park that draw tourists from all over the world.

Last but not least, a trip to Rwanda Safaris would not be complete without a visit to Nyungwe National Park, which is known as Africa’s longest preserved tropical rainforest and is home to roughly 13 primate species, including the largest number in the world, 400 monkeys and chimpanzees, who make up 25% of the continent’s total population.