How much does it cost to spend time with chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest national park?

How much does it cost to spend time with chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest? Nyungwe forest national park is one of the 4 national parks in Rwanda and it’s the second place to trek chimpanzees in the country. Nyungwe forest national park is located in the southwestern part of the country in Rusizi district. The park is home to 13 primate species and these include Chimpanzees, L’hoest monkeys, blue monkeys, golden monkeys, owl-faced monkeys, crowned monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, dent’s mona monkeys, Angolan colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, olive baboons, and grey checked mangabeys among others.

Chimpanzee trekking is the main done activity in Nyungwe forest national park and the trekking is done at any time of the year. You need to be 12 years and above to trek chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest national park. Tourists can visit Nyungwe forest national park for chimpanzee trekking, the famous canopy walk, birding, primate trekking, and nature walks.

How much are chimpanzee permits in Nyungwe forest national park?

If you are looking for the cost that you will incur to spend some time with chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest national park, you need to know the price of chimp trekking permit in order to come up with the total cost. Trekking chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest national park require one to have a valid chimpanzee trekking permit. The chimpanzee trekking permits are issued out by the Rwanda development board and all people above the age of 12 years can be part of this activity. Nyungwe forest national park chimpanzee permits cost $100 for both foreign non-residents and foreign residents while the citizens of East Africa pay $60. The chimpanzee trekking permit allows travelers to be around chimpanzees for only 1 hour. Travelers intending to visit Nyungwe forest national park in the dry season are advised to book their permits in advance of 3-4 months to avoid inconveniences since permits sell out quickly.

Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest national park

Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest national park starts with a briefing where tourists are expected to be early in the morning. The briefing is conducted by the rangers who teach the trekkers about the dos and don’ts of the chimpanzee trekking activity after which grouping of people not exceeding 8 is done. After the briefing, the ranger guides lead the trekker into the jungle to search for the assigned mountain gorilla family and when the searching is taking place, they get opportunities of meeting some of the park mammals, primates, birds, and different bird species.

On meeting the chimpanzees, the trekkers are given 1 hour to be around these peaceful gentle primates while watching them do daily activities such as hunting, breastfeed, nesting, etc. The trekkers also get an opportunity of knowing more about chimpanzee habits by asking rangers as many questions as they want, and not forgetting to take photos and record of moments is allowed.

How to book chimpanzee trekking permits in Nyungwe forest national park?

You will need to use a local tour operator to book chimpanzee permits for Nyungwe forest national park. Rwanda approved Africa adventure vacations on doing safaris in the country which means that we are allowed to book permits for travelers intending to visit Nyungwe. All we ask from you are the dates that you would want to trek chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest national park and we check for the availability of permits on the dates.

After checking the permits and finding them available, we shall send you an email containing details of how you can send us money and once you have sent and we have received it, we shall secure you a permit. We normally advise tourists planning to trek chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest national park in the dry season to boom their trekking permits in the advance to avoid inconveniences.

Other activities travelers can do on a chimpanzee safari in Nyungwe forest national park

Bird watching in Nyungwe forest national park

Nyungwe forest national park is home to over 300 bird species which makes it one of the best birding spots in Rwanda. Some of the bird species in Nyungwe forest national park include Handsome spur fowls, Albertine owlet, Great Blue Turaco, Eastern Mountain Greenbul, Neumann’s Warbler, handsome francolin, Mountain Illadopsis, regal sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Rwenzori Batis, Kivu ground thrush, grauer’s warbler, thick-billed Seedeater, regal sunbird, Rwenzori Turaco, blue-headed sunbird, Ruwenzori Blue-headed Sunbird, Striped-breasted Tit, swamp warbler, red-throated alethe, Rwenzori Nightjar, Purple Breasted Sunbirds, Ruwenzori Batis, blue headed sunbird, dwarf honeyguide, Slender-billed Starling, buff-throated apalis, strange weaver, White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher, and Red collared babblers among others.

Canopy walks

Tourists on a chimpanzee trekking safari in Nyungwe forest national park can be part of the canopy walk in the park that is believed to be the best in East Africa. The canopy walk in Nyungwe forest national park starts with a briefing at the park headquarters after which travelers head out to a 2-hour walk on the canopy raised 50 meters above the ground. During the canopy walk, tourists get an opportunity to have an aerial view of the park, surrounding areas, monkeys, mammals, birds, and different tree species.

Accommodation on a chimpanzee safari in Nyungwe forest national park

Tourists intending to have a chimpanzee safari to Nyungwe forest national park don’t have to worry about where they will stay because the park has so many accommodation facilities built in and around the park. The accommodation at Nyungwe forest national park ranges from budget to mid-range to luxury options and these include One & Only Nyungwe House, Nyungwe Top View Lodge, Gisakura Family Hostel, Hotel Du Lac, Gisakura Guesthouse, Emeraude Kivu Resort, Nyungwe Nizza Eco-Lodge, Nyungwe Forest Lodge, Peace Guesthouse, and Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel.

What is the best time to spend time with chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest national park?

Nyungwe forest national park can be visited at any time of the year for chimpanzee trekking and other park activities however some months are better than the rest. The drier months are the best to visit the park and spend time with the chimpanzees because during these months, there is little or no rainfall, the vegetation in the park is thin giving clear views of the chimpanzees and good photography, the trekking trails are muddy and slippery and the roads leading to the park are passable.

Tourists can also visit Nyungwe forest national park in the rainy season of October to November and March to May because the park is always open. During these months, the accommodation facilities give out huge discounts and the price of some of the tourism activities is reduced. During the rainy season, there is a lot of rainfall, the roads to the park are bad, the trekking trails are muddy and slippery and the vegetation in the park is thick giving unclear views of the park animals and bad photography.

What to do with Africa Adventure Vacations?

Africa adventure vacations is a tour company based in Uganda licensed by the Uganda Tourism Board and a member of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators. Booking with Africa adventure vacations provides you safety and confidence during your safari courtesy of well-trained safari driver guides who are well conversant with all routes and tourism destinations in Africa. You can book with us any of the activities you want to do in Africa such as mountain gorilla trekking, mountain gorilla habituation, Chimpanzee trekking and habituation, birding, golden monkey trekking, game drives, hiking, nature walks, and community tours among others. Feel free to contact us on how much it will cost you to spend time with chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest national park.