Nyungwe Forest NP
Nyungwe Forest National Park:
Nyungwe forest National Park is the largest block of montane forest in East or Central Africa, and one of the most ancient, dating back to before the last ice age.
Size:
Extending for 1000 square kilometers, it is the largest block of montane forest in East or Central Africa. The conservation area covers approximately 378 square miles (970 square kilometers). The forest is situated in the Albertine Rift, a series of mountain ranges beginning at the Rwenzori Mountains in western Uganda and Congo, continuing south into the Lendu Plateau in eastern Congo.
Famous For:
Nyungwe is most alluring for its primates; 13 species in all, including humankind’s closest living relative the chimpanzee, as well as the handsome L’Hoest’s monkey and hundred- strong troops of the delightfully acrobatic Angola colobus.
The most important ornithological site in Rwanda. Nyungwe harbours almost 300 bird species of which two dozens are restricted to a handful of montane forests on the Albertine Rift. The avian highlight of Nyungwe is the great blue turacle- an outlandish blue, red and green bird which streams from tree to tree like a procession of streamlined psychedelic turkeys.
Nyungwe’s biodiversity is astonishing by African standards and is one of the most endemic species-rich areas in all of Africa. Along with its biodiversity, Nyungwe is an important water catchment area for Rwanda and contains many natural resources integral to Rwanda’s human populations.
Activities:
Chimp Tracking:
Nyungwe does, however, deserve more time: anybody who wants to track chimps and see several varieties of smaller primate will need two days there. The population chimpanzees in Rwanda is about 500 individuals and thought to be confined to Nyungwe national park including a small community in the Cyamudongo Forest. During the rainy season, a troop of chimpanzees often moves into Uwinka and the colored trail as well, and it is up to the tourist to decide whether to pay extra to track.
Bird watching:
Nyungwe Forest National Park is one of the most important bird watching National Parks in Rwanda with over 280 bird species recorded. The majority are forest specialists and 26 are regional endemics whose range is restricted to a few forests along the Albertine Rift. Bird watching in Nyungwe can be rather tiring, since the vegetation is thick and many birds tend to stick to the canopy. You don’t have to be an ardent birdwatcher to appreciate some of Nyungwe’s birds.
An extensive network of well- maintained walking trails leads through the forest to various waterfalls and viewing points.
The Waterfall Trail:
This trail starts at the ORPTN Rest house and takes between three and six hours to cover as a round trip, depending on how often you stop and whether you drive or walk from the rest house. The first part of the trail- in essence following the road to the car park-passes through the rolling tea plantations doted with relict forest patches which are worth scanning closely for silver and other monkeys. The Trail then descends into the forest proper, following flat contour paths through a succession of tree-fern-covered ravines, and crossing several streams, before a sharp descent to the base of the pretty but small waterfall. Monkeys are often seen along the way (The Angola colobus seems to be particularly common) and the steep slopes allow good views into the canopy.
Uwinka and the colored trail:
The Trail goes through the boundary of habituated troop of 400 colobus monkeys. During the rainy season, a troop of chimpanzees often moves into this area as well, and it is up to the tourist to decide whether to pay extra to track them. You can reasonably expect to see some primates along any of the colored trails as well as a good variety of forest birds - though the latter require patience and often stops where there are open views into the canopy.
Golden Monkeys in Nyungwe Forest:
The thirteen primate species which are found in Nyungwe represent something like 20-25% of the total number in Africa, an extraordinary figure which in East Africa is comparable only to Uganda’s Kibale forest. Several of these primates are listed as vulnerable or endangered on the IUCN red list, and Nyungwe is almost certainly the main stronghold for at least two of them. The most celebrated of Nyungwe’s primates is the Rwenzori Colobus a race of the more wide spread Angola colobus which is Restricted to the Albertine Rift. The Rwenzori Colobus is highly arboreal and acrobatic leaf-eater, easily distinguished from any other primate found in Nyungwe by its contrasting black over all colour and snow-white whiskers, shoulders and tail tip. Although all colobus monkeys are very friendly, the ones in Nyungwe are unique in a way, they typically move in troops of several hundred animals.
The Gisakura Tea Estate
A relict forest patch in this tea estate, only 20 minutes’ walk from the ORTPN Rest house, supports a resident troop of around 40 Rwenzori Colobus monkeys. This troop is very, far more so than the larger troop at Uwinka, and the relatively small territory the monkeys occupy makes them very easy to locate and to see clearly. Oddly, a solitary red tailed monkey moves with the colobus, and has done so far at least six years.
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