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The national park gets its name from the protected mountain Aberdares, wildlife in Aberdare national park is well seen singling to lick the salt and to quench thirst from the water holes from the pristine natural forest habitats, this is eased due to the well-designed tree hotels in the park that give you a tremendous animal viewing.

The Aberdare national park is home to all the Big 5 however not the typical destination you would over prefer for these animals. Elephants, buffaloes, hyenas, large spotted genets, giant forest hogs, and some monkey species are easily seen. The lions, leopards, and black rhinos are rarely seen, the park is also a good spot for the elusive Bongo antelope which is rarely seen due to fewer numbers and shyness.

Wildlife viewing is key in June-September and January to February since they are drier. These are great days for animal viewing due to the massive gathering of water, it creates a bigger chance for spotting some rare species, as well. Months of late March, April, May, and October, receive heavy rains and may hinder your experience. To the birders, the park is a paradise with over 290 bird species recorded. Have a great chance to spot the often hotel visitor the Hartlaub’s Turaco and many others such as;

  1. Aberdare Cisticola
  2.  Abyssinian Crimsonwing
  3. African goshawk
  4. African green pigeon
  5. African paradise flycatcher
  6. African yellow warbler
  7. Augur Buzzard
  8. Ayres’s hawk-eagle
  9. Bar-tailed Trogon
  10. Bronzy Sunbird
  11.  Cinnamon-chested bee-eater
  12. Crowned eagle
  13. Doherty’s bush-shrike
  14. Golden-winged sunbird
  15. Hunter’s Cisticola
  16. Jackson’s Francolin (NE)
  17. Montagu’s harrier
  18. Montane white-eye
  19. Moorland chat
  20.  Moorland Francolin
  21. Mountain buzzard
  22. Moustached green Tinkerbird
  23.  Narina Trogon
  24.  Olive ibis
  25. Rufous-chested sparrowhawk
  26. Scarlet-tufted malachite sunbird
  27. Sharpe’s longclaw (NE)
  28. Silvery-cheeked hornbill
  29. Tacazze sunbird
  30. Tambourine dove
  31. White-headed wood-hoopoe
  32. Best Time for Bird Watching

 

Best time to visit

For the hikers dry months of June-September and Jan-Feb are key as heavy rains might be a hindrance to the experience. However, the park is yearly open for any travelers.

 

Getting there;

160km/100 mi from Nairobi city with daily scheduled local flights to Nanyuki airstrip and Jomo Kenyatta being the main national airport.

Located on the shores of Lake Kivu, bordering Rwanda to the southwest, Burundi to the south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west an area of 1,019 square kilometers.. The Nyungwe Forest was declared a national park by the Republic of Rwanda in 2004 and is home to about 13 primate and among these are about 500 chimpanzees living in small families/communities in Nyungwe National Park thorough habituated and monitored by the park rangers. It is also home to 322 species of bird species and various about 1,068 plant species boosting up the forest’s biodiversity. A suspension bridge 160m long and 70m high, as well as a canopy walk. It's also a great spot for bird-watching and photographers.

Activities in Nyungwe Forest National Park

There are important reasons why people choose to explore this great park. The Nyungwe Forest National Park in Rwanda is home to many primates, including chimps, as well as numerous birds, butterflies, and other animals. The forest encompasses an area of 1019 square kilometers and is home to various tourist attractions and activities such as chimp tracking, canopy walks, hiking, and nature walks. The Nyungwe Forest is the largest tropical African mountain rainforest in East or Central Africa, getting about 2000 mm of rain each year and containing 75% of Rwanda’s total water. Both the Congo and the Nile receive water from the Nyungwe Forest. The Nyungwe Forest National Park is approaching the Nyungwe Forest, going here on winding routes through extensive tea farms.

 

This is a wonderful forest with limitless Kamiranzovu wetland, Nyungwe forest canopy walks found exclusively in this forest in the East African region, bird watching activities, and this large forest with primates. Its vastness grows as you get closer. This is an advantage of tracking and observing. Take a stroll amid the flowers, which include the orchids seen here, as well as the variety of butterflies that they attract. Nyungwe Forest is not a densely forested park, but it is a huge forest, and activities in this forest should be well planned so that your Rwanda safari time is not lost on driving. The forest is home to approximately 300 bird species, numerous butterflies and orchids, and 96 mammal species, including 13 primates and the rare golden monkey, Angola colobus. And 63 bats and rodent species. The park also has a plethora of natural wonders and safari activities that should not be overlooked when visiting Rwanda, and these include;

 

Chimpanzee trekking activity

 25% of all African primate species are believed to be found in Nyungwe Forest National Park. The chimp population here is only the second largest after Uganda’s Kibale National Park. There are various trails to hike to observe chimps, but even with a guide, you may have to venture off the established path and into the jungle. The satisfying sights after the hike frequently include acrobatic chimps dangling from branches, mother chimps hugging chimp babies, and other sites that are not only astonishing but also warm your heart. This fascinating chimp trekking trip begins at 5:00 AM, so get up early! Each trekking party is limited to a maximum of eight people. Nyungwe Forest is a rainforest with slippery ground, so bring strong walking shoes, a rain poncho if there is a chance of heavy rain, a warm shirt with long sleeves for colder weather, and long pants to protect from long creeping vegetation. Bring your binoculars and get a closer look at chimps when you spot them high in the trees; this happens off the usual path.

Hiking in the Nyungwe Forest

Nyungwe Forest National Park is ideal for those who enjoy trekking and hiking. The park has 13 separate hiking paths that range in length from 1 to 8 hours and allow visitors to see a vast variety of plants, trees, birds, primates, and butterflies. The Igishgishigi trail is the shortest and includes a canopy walk. Another adrenaline-pumping adventure. Meanwhile, the Bigugu Trail, which may take up to eight hours to hike, is the longest in Nyungwe Forest National Park. Each route provides a unique and diversified wildlife experience, displaying the species most commonly observed on that track. It takes several days to complete all 13 paths, but it's worthwhile to make the effort. It takes many days to traverse all 13 trails, so visiting Nyungwe Forest National Park, especially for the walking safari, is worthwhile.

kimiranzovu swamp Nyungwe
Kamiranzovu Waterfall

Bird watching in Nyungwe Forest National Park

Nyungwe Forest Park is home to over 310 species of birds, 27 of which are endemic to the forests of the Albertine Rift. Such as, the Great Reed Warbler, endemic to the Albertine Rift Valley, is found in mountain swamps such as Kamiranzovu in Nyungwe. You can also find Rwenzori Turaco, White-bellied Robin, Blue-headed Sunbirds, Purple-breasted Sunbird and many others. There’s a lot to venture from orchids to primates, while birding in the Nyungwe forest. It has amazing and breathtaking views and offers beautiful views of virunga and Congo. Nyungwe is pure nature. It is a beautiful, lush green, often seen early in the morning and late in the evening when the fog is cold. In addition to all the animals, birds, and trees, one of the exciting attractions is the canopy walk, which is 50 meters high and 200 meters long. This is an exhilarating experience for many, and this canopy walk is the only one in East Africa.

Nyungwe Forest National Park

Monkey tracking in Nyungwe

There are about 13 species of primates found in Nyungwe Forest Park, including unconfirmed reported sightings of golden monkeys. Besides chimpanzee treks, Nyungwe also offers treks to see Owl-faced monkeys, gray-cheeked mangabeys, Rwenzori colobus monkeys, and many other primates. These monkeys are also found in up to 300 colobus monkeys. If you follow one of a group of primates in the forest, you may also see other monkeys along the walking trails. This includes L'Hoest Monkey, Mona Monkey, and Blue Monkey. The forest is also a primate's country, and you can trek among chimpanzees, gray-cheeked monkeys, and colobus monkeys in the ancient forest.

Nyungwe Night Walking Safaris

This recently launched nature stroll journey revels in a guided nighttime strolling safari inside Nyungwe National Park, and it’s now provided to visitors on a daily basis starting from  5:30 in the nighttime and lasting approximately 3 hours in the dense tract forests of Nyungwe National Park, unearthing all its hidden treasures via nighttime.

Nyungwe National Park is a magnificently beautiful and largest remaining tract of one of Africa’s oldest and most dense tropical and montane rainforests, rich in biodiversity and home to a variety of primate species, the most important of which are chimpanzees. Tourist attractions in Nyungwe National Park include mammal species, over 310 recorded bird species, an outstanding variety of plant species, and populations endemic to the Albertine region, some of which are not visible during the day but are enticing within the visitor sports in Nyungwe National Park completed during the day.

The introduction of night nature walk safaris within Nyungwe National Park now provides travelers with incredible opportunities to experience the splendor of nature, the sounds and breathtaking scents of the rain forests at night, and learn about several of Nyungwe’s inhabitants, particularly the nocturnal flora and fauna species such as bush babies, tree hyrax, and flying squirrel, amongst others.

Visit the mist-protected Nyungwe Forest National Park for thrilling adventures that include not only the most popular Night Nature Walk Safari but also the most popular Chimpanzee hiking experiences, one of the most exciting sports to come across with the chimps in a completely close variety for an entire hour.

combining Activities 

Participate in various sports, such as canopy strolling on an extended suspended steel bridge on the pinnacle of the tree canopies to see the stunning views of the entire Nyungwe Forest, and visit the intriguing tropical waterfalls. See the most sumptuous and breathtaking Izumo waterfalls; observe large groups of black and white Colobus monkeys on an incredible Colobus Monkey hiking adventure; as well as excellent fowl watching. Nature hikes on both short and long nature trails through dense forests, as well as tea plantation trips to Gisakura tea plantation, which sits on the margins of Nyungwe Forest National Park.

You may combine these spectacular adventures with other exciting tourist activities in Volcanoes National Park by visiting Nyungwe National Park. For example, consider the popular and beautiful gorilla trekking trip, on which you may encounter tranquil mountain gorillas in their native habitat from just meters away. You may interact with the entire gorilla group. Golden Monkey Trekking to observe the timid, flashy, and lively golden monkeys generally spotted in bamboo forests, as well as other activities in Volcanoes National Park, such as Mount Karisimbi climbing safari.

If you want to spend more days on a Rwanda safari, add on an exciting wildlife-watching safari in Akagera National Park while embarking on a day or nighttime game drive in Akagera National Park, You can also join a boat trip on Lake Ihema. You can also take part in a unique white rhino chase, which usually takes place in the beautiful Kirara Plain, and spot a rarely seen white rhino, which will be your top 5 big mammals highlight in Akagera National Park.

The best time to track Nyungwe chimpanzees

The best time to trek with chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest National Park depends on the personal preferences of the visitor. Chimpanzee trekking is the most pronounced activity in Nyungwe National Park. However, chimpanzee trekking is open throughout the year and as keen observers; June to September is the best time to spot the famous creatures, it’s dry and less hindered by heavy rains having it in mind that it’s also a high season in Rwanda so most travelers combine with volcano national for mountain gorilla trekking. March, April, May, October and November are a low-season months with too much rains that hinder most of activities in the country. Note, photographers and birders might want to travel in the low seasons as it’s the best time for outstanding wildlife and nature photography, waiting for that clear sky and that right moment for the wonderful shot.

Getting ready 

Chimpanzee trekking nyungwe is an early activity waking up at around 5:00 AM is highly recommended or as advised by the driver guide depending on where you spent a night. Travelers wishing to go for chimpanzee trekking should have a trusted tour operator like Numinous African safaris to advise them on the best times for chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe Forest National Park and to help book trekking permits earlier. It also helps you plan other logistics, such as transportation and accommodation in or around the park, to suit your trek timing. Let us know your requirements and we will help you with everything from designing your itinerary to booking admission tickets, accommodation, and transportation during your stay.

A boat cruise in Akagera National Park

For magnificent waterfowl viewing, take a boat trip around the banks of Lake Ihema, Rwanda’s second-largest lake after Lake Kivu. This is one of the greatest methods to tour the park and see the fauna that lives in Lake Ihema’s waters. This increases the number of animals you see on your safari game drive.  Keep a watch out for crocodiles, buffalos, hippos, colourful kingfishers, majestic storks and herons, Hammerkops and their massive nests, and prehistoric Shoebills during the boat launch. Jacanas, ibises, plovers, herons, malachite kingfishers, and other endemic species.

Boat Cruise Time and Fees

The boat excursion lasts about 2-3 hours between 7:30 am, 9 am, 3 pm, and 4:30 pm with an exceptional experience for the sundowner and the first light.

Tours of Lake Ihema can also be arranged by park managers which are also the best way to explore the lake’s wonders. The boat tour costs $40 per person on a normal schedule and $180 for a private tour. You may also go for a boat safari in Akagera Park, which is located on the shores of Lake Ihema for 30$ per person. Boat tours can be combined with a day or night wildlife drive to Akagera National Park. Note! All these prices can be changed anytime by the authorities 

Evening boat ride​

The evening boat excursion is at 5:30 pm East African time and is about a 5-minute drive from the Ruzizi tribe, pretty magnificent. Spend an hour on this lake, where you’ll see hippos and crocodiles and visit a bird-filled island. The guide is excellent, and this hourly rate is $40 per person. When the sun begins to set on a lake in Rwanda, all of your worries fade away.

Lion

The lion being Africa’s largest carnivore is impressive to observe while on a safari. It's among the top wish lists and each sighting is definitely considered a prerequisite.

Lions are the most sociable of the large cats living in loosely structured pride of typically 15-30 individuals. These usually consist of related females and their cubs, which are often born and communally raised. Primarily nocturnal hunters, their favorite prey are buffalo, medium jobs, and other antelopes. Working as a team lions can put down a mature giraffe and sometimes lack of enough food force them to attack elephants.

As the tagline reads “the king of the jungle”, this is because of its ability to kill and having a distinctive mane that makes look larger and intimidating to other lions.

New mothers are forced to live in dens with their cubs for the first few weeks and shift to new places to avoid predator attacks due to the accumulation of scents.

Quick facts about Lions

  • IUCN status: Vulnerable
  • Scientific name: Panthera Leo
  • Adult weight: 125-225kg
  • Habitat: Savannah and woodland
Simba the lion in the Serengeti

Where to see lions in Africa

Masai Mara national reserve-100%, Serengeti national park-100%, Ruaha national park-100%, Queen Elizabeth national park-55% with an exceptional lion tracking experiential program Murchison falls national park-50%, Kidepo valley national park- 35%, Likipia-100%

Top Tips for viewing lions

  • Lions are well visible in the open grassland in areas like Serengeti and Maasai Mara. They can as well be notified by roars and tracking their footprints.
  • Lions spend almost the whole day snoozing but become more active when the temperatures cool down. Waking up early in the morning for a game drive creates higher chances but also a night game drive is an exceptional experience for our travelers. Areas like Serengeti and Mara create lifetime scenes during the wildebeest migration crossing the Mara and Grumeti Rivers as these felines follow the large herds hunting them down.
Queen Elizabeth National Park

Holiday ideas to see lions

We bring you closer to the lion viewing based on experience and advice given by our experts

OUR SAFARIS

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Leopards

African leopards are most common of the large felines, living often closer to humans but are seen because of their secretive, solitary nature. Having a chance to view this creature is considered the best luck of the safari.

  • Scientific name: Panthera Pardus
  • Adult weight: 30-100kg
  • IUCN status: Vulnerable
  • Habitat: Savannah, forests, and mountains

Quick facts about the leopard

African Leopards are known to be excellent stalkers getting 5m closer to the intended prey before pouncing. They can keep their kill in trees to keep it from being poached by other predators like hyenas and lions. Leopards hunt using power and stealth and can easily be distinguished from cheetahs by their rosette-shaped spots, more powerful build, and preferred habitats such as rocks or woodlands. Leopards are not easy to spot because of high camouflage, but when given a keen observation by our experts then your day can be enlightened.

LEOPARD QUEEN
chilling leopard queen

Where to see leopards in Africa

Leopards are widespread everywhere in most countries but are very hard to spot. Murchison falls national park In Uganda has more chances-80% and also parks like queen Elizabeth national park, Kidepo valley national park, Masai mara has 75%, Serengeti has 75%, Samburu has 45%, South African parks 75%.

Top tips for viewing leopards

  • Like any other feline, the leopard is typically nocturnal but usually visits similar areas for some time. It can be seen during the day in the trees or anywhere by chance. Night drives create high chances and waking up early is also a key factor. Leopards are gentle animals and prefer living a solitary life at a certain age, they can be seen as a family while mating or when still young and groomed by the mother and this brings more hope in seeing these creatures.

Holiday ideas to see leopards

Its an adventure like no other, basing on our experience we bring you to see these mighty creatures

OUR SAFARIS

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De Brazza’s monkeys in Africa

The De Brazza's monkey is an Old World monkey that is endemic to the riverine and swamp forests of central Africa, the largest in the guenon family, and easily differentiated from the other monkeys by its white whitish beard and orange diadem.

  • Mass: 3.8 kg (Male), 3.4 kg (Female)
  • Length: 93 cm (Female), 85 cm (Male)
  • Conservation status: Least Concern
  • Gestation period: 172 days

Quick facts about De brazza's Monkey

Known to be social animals living in troops of 5-10 individuals, although troops of 35 individuals were recorded. The De Brazza's is highly terrestrial and don’t prefer mixing up with other monkeys, regarded to be shyer when approached. De Brazza's monkeys are good swimmers and unlike other monkeys, they use all their legs while moving around. These monkeys are territorial and always fighting for dominancy, they are 99% vegetarian fruits being their delicacy, however, they also feed one termite, mushrooms, leaves, and ants.

Where to see the De Brazza's monkeys

These are widespread but they can easily be seen in western Uganda -Semuliki national park, DRC, Kenya, and Rwanda

the De Brazza's Monkey
De Brazza's Monkey
  • These are fewer migrants but can easily move around for food and insects, waking up so early ready with your camera is the crucial agenda to spot these unique monkeys.
  • They prefer canopies but sometimes go on the ground, meaning they are great chances of seeing them

Holiday ideas to see the De Brazza’s monkeys

Its indeed the primate look out, but our experts shall get more closer to these shyer species .

OUR SAFARIS

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Meet Rwanda’s newborn gorillas at one of the world’s most prestigious wildlife festivals. Kwita izina continues the centuries-old Rwandan tradition of naming children in front of family and friends. Rwanda began officially naming mountain gorillas in 2005. It has evolved into a global celebration of nature. By naming them, we give these magnificent animals the respect they deserve.

why Kwita Izina 

The ceremony is an opportunity to thank the surrounding community, research partners, veterinarians, and dedicated conservationists, rangers, and trackers. About 374 mountain gorillas have been named in the last 18 years to commemorate the country’s dedication to sustainable and responsible tourism. The Kwita izina (Gorilla naming) ritual continues for centuries as an old Rwandan tradition of naming children in front of family and friends as a sign of respect. The Park rangers and researchers named gorilla babies in the Rwandan mountains thirty years before the first formal gorilla naming ceremony, and they observed each gorilla in its family and habitat.

 Kwita Izina positive effect

Kwita Izina is now part of an ambitious effort to safeguard Rwanda’s natural heritage and boost tourism’s role in the country’s transformation. Rwandans from all walks of life now recognize the gorilla’s intrinsic importance and contribution to the country’s economic prosperity as a result of the naming ceremony. Rwandans were trained as gorilla keepers and this has helped it to emerge as the continent’s leading conservation and sustainable tourist destination. For example, the 2010 census counted 480 mountain gorillas in the Virunga Massive, but the 2016 census counted 604 in the same area. These initiatives have helped to increase the global population of mountain gorillas to 1,063 in the whole world which is no longer categorized as endangered. It’s a country’s major income earner and a key aspect to the communities; this is an event that brings all categories of to witness and the chosen ones to name the baby gorillas. A juvenile mountain gorilla named Kwita izina was honored at the foot of Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. You can also make an early inquiry about the event through numinous African safaris to reserve and purchase a ticket for the next gorilla naming event.

Chimpanzee trekking safaris in Rwanda are basically held in the ultimate Nyungwe forest National park. The Nyungwe Chimpanzee Trek primarily starts at three reception centers called Kitabi, Uwinka, and Gisakura. All visitors going on chimpanzee treks are expected to arrive at the Park Center early in the morning. Your driver-guide will pick you up at your respective hotel/safari lodge and take you to the starting point of the hike. There you will meet your ranger guide and receive a keen briefing.

Before embarking on the chimpanzee trek, you will be led by a ranger guide to locate the chimpanzees. Follow your guide’s instructions and hike through a dense tropical forest. After trekking to the chimpanzee, trekkers are given a maximum of 1 hour in the presence of the primates.

During this time, observe how chimpanzees live and interact with nature. Chimpanzees share about 98% of their DNA with humans, so don’t be surprised if they display some human-like traits. If you decide to go chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe, the familiar chimpanzee group in the Nyungwe forest has around 60 individuals, but it is difficult to see due to the rugged terrain. Habitual groups of Cyamudongo are small, about 30 individuals, but there have been some successful sightings. The chimpanzee trekking permit costs 100$ for one night, 150$ for 2 nights, 200$ for 3 nights.  Please note that this is the cost of the permit, not the cost of the tour.

The minimum age for chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda is 16 years old. Remember to bring walking shoes and clothing, including a rain jacket. The Nyungwe Chimpanzee Trek is a wonderful activity and not to be missed when visiting Rwanda. Other than Chimpanzee trekking safaris in Rwanda, there are many incredible activities included in the Rwanda Tour such as Gorilla Trekking, Bird Watching, Kigali City Tour, Rwanda Game Safari, Nyungwe Canopy Walk, lake Kivu visit, Gishwati mukura national park and many others

Wildebeest migration

Every year, a wildebeest travels over 1000 kilometers between Tanzania and Kenya. The eponymous wildebeest is on the move. The migration of wildebeests is claimed to be in search of food and water, although this movement is greatly dependent on rain since they follow the rain and green grass. They migrate from the plains of Tanzania’s southern Serengeti National Park to the savannah of northern Serengeti and Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve at the start of the rainy season, then return to the plains at the start of the next rainy season.

When the rainy season begins, which is normally in February and March of the calendar year (although recent climate change has prolonged the season longer), herds of wildebeest migrate to the south, making the situation more unstable. Begin your journey north from the Serengeti grasslands, via open woodland and the Mara River.

 

Ndutu conservation Area

Wildebeests can be reliably collected at Ndutu in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area at the start of the first rainy season,  January, February, and March as calving normally occur 2-3 weeks away  Following calving, the herd begins to migrate north through the  west of Seronera and the Grumeti River in the Grumeti Reserve. When they reach the Serengeti’s northern grasslands, which border Kenya’s Masai Mara, animals must traverse the untamed Mara River while watching for crocodiles. It is the most significant impediment to wildebeest migration. More than half of the animals that cross the river are thought to be killed in the process. By the start of the second rainy season, the wildebeest have established and depleted the savannah vegetation -September and around October or early November.

True or False?

We don’t know how animals determine their pathways, but some believe it’s just instinct, with the hypothesis that they follow the rain and develop flora and grass in reaction to weather variations.

These large mammals are relentless on the move, but many are injured or killed along the way. Some herds of wildebeest make annual migration journeys with other animals such as zebras and gazelles, eagerly awaiting hunting opportunities in the water, mainly with predators such as lions, cheetahs, leopards, and crocodiles. Beasts of prey wait in the hills and highlands, as crocodiles wait in the water. And 1/3 to 1/2 of the total numbers of migrating herds are killed on the move. These are mostly calves, very difficult to navigate in dangerous terrain, and very vulnerable to predation and disease. Herds travel in long lines, with one animal galloping a long distance behind another. There is no clear start, end, or straight path for the trek, but it moves rhythmically in a clockwise direction.