Nyungwe National Park

Nyungwe National Park, located in southwestern Rwanda on the border with Burundi, is one of Africa’s best-preserved montane rainforests. This stunning park covers an area of approximately 1,019 km2 (393 sq mi) of rainforest, bamboo, grassland, swamps, and bogs. The park is situated in the watershed between the Congo and Nile rivers, and from the east side of the forest comes one of the branches of the Nile sources. Nyungwe National Park has an incredible array of animal and plant species, making it a priority for conservation in Africa. The park contains 13 primate species, including chimpanzees and Angola colobus, as well as 275 bird species, 1068 plant species, 85 mammal species, 32 amphibian species, and 38 reptile species. Many of these animals are restricted-range species found only in the Albertine Rift montane forests ecoregion in Africa. Nyungwe has a wide diversity of animal species, which provides a great span of microhabitats for many different species of plants and animals. The park has a fascinating history. Nyungwe Forest Reserve was established in 1933 by the Belgian colonial government to combat the conversion of forest to pasture. Despite the laws governing Rwanda’s forest reserves prohibiting clearing forests for agriculture, the government maintained community rights to cut and collect firewood and permitted commercial exploitation of valuable hardwood timber. The enforcement of these laws was lax, and local people continued to use the forest for hunting, honey collection, woodcutting, subsistence farming, and gold mining. From 1958 to 1973, Nyungwe Forest was reduced by over 150 km² due to fires, woodcutting, hunting of animals, and small-scale agriculture. Rwanda became independent in 1962, and the country’s forest reserves were managed by the Ministry of Agriculture. In 1969, elephants still numbered in the hundreds in Nyungwe. In 1974, the last buffalo was killed in Nyungwe by hunters. In 1984, Nyungwe was divided into areas that allow for sustainable use and harvesting of timber. The Government of Rwanda developed a plan for a buffer zone that can still be seen today. In 1984, biodiversity surveys conducted by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) documented colobus in groups of up to 400 members. In 1987, the development of the trail system began at Uwinka. In 1994, war and genocide devastated the country and destroyed many of the research and tourist facilities in Uwinka. Most senior staff were forced to flee, but many junior staff members at Nyungwe stayed on to protect the park. The park began to rebuild in 1995, but security and stability were still uncertain. In 1999, the last elephant in Nyungwe was killed in the swamp by poachers. Today, Nyungwe National Park is a thriving haven for many rare and endangered species. It is home to some of the most spectacular and fascinating animals on the planet, including chimpanzees, Angola colobus, and many other species of primates, birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles. Visitors can enjoy hiking, birdwatching, chimpanzee tracking, canopy walks, and many other exciting activities in this remarkable national park.