Night Walks in Nyungwe Forest National Park
Night Walks in Nyungwe Forest National Park
Night Walks in Nyungwe Forest National Park, Aside from day-guided chimpanzee trekking, canopy walks, and normal nature walks, Rwanda safari holidaymakers can now add night walks to their bucket-list experiences in Nyungwe Forest National Park. They are a newly introduced experience in Nyungwe Forest, offering nature enthusiasts a remarkable opportunity to soak themselves deeper in the park’s jungles while enjoying a close encounter with a diversity of nocturnal species.
The night walks in Nyungwe begin at 5:30 pm each day and visitors are led by an experienced park guide. The 1-3 hours guided walk brings you closer to different nocturnal species. The new activity is aimed at boosting visitor experience on the Rwanda tour in Nyungwe Forest National Park. The revenue collected from night walks will be used to support conservation activities in Nyungwe Forest National Park, especially community involvement and law enforcement.
Nocturnal species to see on night walk in Nyungwe Forest
Nyungwe Forest is a rich habitat for nocturnal species. On a night walk, expect to encounter the tree hyrax, flying squirrel, and bush babies. To birders, you will come across birds like square-tailed nightjar, Ruwenzori nightjar, Albertine owlet, and montane nightjar.
Other wildlife in Nyungwe Forest National Park
They include chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, olive baboons, grey-cheeked mangabeys, silver monkeys, owl-faced monkeys, vervet monkeys, Dent’s monkeys, and blue monkeys. There are also several forest elephants, bushbucks, klipspringers, black-fronted duikers, Congo clawless, blotched serval, buffaloes, western tree hyrax, impalas, golden cats, carnival genet, mongoose, giant forest hogs, otters and more.
When to visit Nyungwe for a guided night walk?
Nyungwe Forest National Park night walk begins at 5:30 pm, lasting for 1-3 hours. The best time to travel to the park to take part in this experience is during the dry season. The dry season in Nyungwe National Park starts around June, July, August, September, and December, from January to February.
Some of the essentials to consider packing for your night walk include a headlight/torch/spotlight, waterproof walking shoes/boots, a camera, long trousers, a long-sleeved shirt, a rain jacket, a sweater, and a daypack.
Normally night walking safari in Nyungwe Forest National, park runs from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm so it presents you can enjoy observing the sunset in the wilderness. by 8:00 to 9:00 pm, the safari guide will escort you back to the safari lodge for loosening and a midnight sleep.
What else can you do besides night walking safaris?
Chimpanzee tracking
Nyungwe Forest National Park alone contains up to 500 chimpanzees and tourists can visit already habituated communities. The habituated chimp communities exist in the Cyamudongo and Uwinka areas. Before encountering chimpanzees, you will embark on a guided trekking tour with an experienced park guide.
Canopy walk
Canopy walking is one of the new experiences Nyungwe Forest National Park has to offer the world. It is the first experience to be introduced in East Africa, and visitors begin their walk from the Igishigishigi trail, taking you through the scenic view of the rainforest, bird sightings, and more.
Birding
About 310 bird species survive within the different habitats in Nyungwe National Park. These include Albertine rift endemic species and resident birds. The birds of interest on the birding tour in Nyungwe National Park include archer’s robin chat, Doherty bush shrike, Rwenzori nightjars, white-bellied robin chat, Rockefeller’s sunbirds, red-throated lathe, Kivu ground thrush, cinnamon chested bee-eaters, red-faced woodland warblers,
Blue-headed sunbirds, Neumann’s warblers, red-collared mountain babblers, Grauer’s rush warblers, Great blue turacos, strange weavers, and chested Kakamega to mention but a few.
Hiking
It allows visitors to immerse themselves in Nyungwe National Park. Hiking opportunities are available on the numerous walking trails. Nyungwe hiking trails include Bigugu, Ngabwe, Congo Nile divide, Muzimu Trail, Rukuzi Trail, Buhoro, Igishigishigi, Irebero, Imbaraga Trail, Umuyove, Umugote, Isumo and Kamiranzovu marsh trail.
Where to stay while on a night walking safari in Nyungwe Forest National Park.
Visitors planning to Kazembe to take part in this thrilling activity in Nyungwe Forest National Park have a variety of accommodation options. these facilities offer both budget, mid-range, and luxury levels they include One& Only Nyungwe House, Mantis Kivu Manna Bay Hotel, Ear Ken Brahma Guesthouse, Nyungwe Hill View Hotel, Keza Nyungwe Lodge, Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel, Chimpanzee lodge, Nyungwe Nzisa Ecolodge, Rebert Kivu Resort, Gisakura guesthouse hotel and Kitabi Eco-center among others
How to Get to Nyungwe Forest National Park
By Car; Driving is the most popular option. The journey from Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, takes approximately 6-8 hours, depending on traffic and road conditions. You can rent a car in Kigali or hire a driver to take you to the park.
By Flight; for those short on time, consider taking a flight from Kigali to Kazembe Airport, located near Nyungwe Forest National Park. The flight duration is approximately 45 minutes, and there are several flights per week. From Kamembe Airport, you can hire a taxi or take a bus to reach the park.
