Chimpanzee Tracking in Nyungwe Forest National Park Rwanda

Every tourist interested in Tracking Chimpanzees in Rwanda has to visit Nyungwe Forest National Park located in southwestern Rwanda.

Cyamudongo is a place where the actual chimpanzee tracking begins in Rwanda. It’s approximately a 5 hours drive from Kigali city.

The major tourist activity in Nyungwe forest is chimpanzee tracking which starts off at three reception centers, including; Uwinka, Kitabi, and Gisakura where the tourists meet the park rangers.

chimpanzee trekking in nyungwe national park

The forest can accommodate over 450 Chimpanzees that move constantly around Nyungwe forest and at high speeds, jumping from tree to tree making noise which is not the case with gorillas.

All chimpanzee trackers are expected to be at the reception as early as 4: 30 am. You drive to the starting point of the trek into the forest early enough because the chimps move and rest in different locations each and every night.

You will spend only 1 hour with the chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest National Park, and get to observe them so closely going about their own lives and see the human-like features and behavior that make them our closest relatives like the mountain gorillas.

The Chimpanzee Tracking Permits in Rwanda cost $100 to cheap compared to the permit for the mountain gorillas. There are over 64 permits per day that are issued in Rwanda for chimp trekking and only 8 people per day go for chimpanzee tracking.

Like mountain gorillas, better book your chimpanzee tracking permit at least 2 months in advance to avoid inconveniences of the many chimpanzee trackers in Rwanda.