NYUNGWE FOREST NATIONAL PARK

Nyungwe Forest National Park is located in the southern part of Rwanda. It is the biggest rain forest in the country and has an area of approximately 970 square Kilometers. The forest its self was established as a reserve in 1993 and was named a National Park recently in 2004 hence making it one of the largest protected high-Altitude Rain forests in East Africa. Nyungwe Forest National Park is located on the southern part of Lake Kivu and it also borders Burundi. The park is located 225 Kms away from Kigali via Butare town.
The forest is reach with biodiversity and besides this; it’s an important water catchment area for the country. It also contains many natural resources which are of great help to the human population of the country. Toutists living in Butare and Cyangugu can take excursions to the Park.

Tourist Attractions in the Park

The Park has a lot of tourist attractions and these include the following:

• More than 275 bird species have been recorded in the park such as the Red-breasted sparrow hawk, White-headed wood-hoopoe, Kungwe apalis, Ruwenzori batis, Blue-headed, Ruwenzori turacco, Ross’s turacco, Red-throated alethe, Grey –cheeked hornbill and the Regal sunbirds
• There are also a lot of different tree species with in the forest which are great hence being rich also in flora
• Mt. Bigugu and Kamiranzovu marsh

Tourist activities in the Park

• Bird watching
• Chimpanzee tracking
• Forest walks
• Hiking Mt Bigugu
• Excursion to Gisakura tea factory
• Excursion to Kamiranzovu Marsh