Best Time for Chimpanzee Trekking in Nyungwe National Park Rwanda
Nyungwe National Park is open for chimpanzee trekking all year round, However, just like any other Rwanda tour activity, there is always a preferable time mostly known as the best time. The best time for chimpanzee trekking is during the rainy or wet season in the months from October to May. The months of October to February are excellent for chimpanzee trekking as there are no heavy rains. June to September are also good months for chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe, however, these are the busier months of the year as it’s also the favorable time for Rwanda gorilla tours in the Volcanoes National Park.
Chimpanzee tracking in Murchison falls national park
Unlike other activities that are best done in the dry season, chimpanzee trekking is during the rainy season when there is plenty of food in the forest for the chimps which limits their movements. In the dry season, chimps go deep into the forest which makes trekking more difficult to track.
For other primate tracking experiences within the Nyungwe forest, trekking is easier in the drier months from June to September.
The peak months for the rainy season are during the months of March, April, May, October, and November. During these times the rains are heavy and therefore less recommended for many activities. The worst of them with high rains are March and April. During these months, the trails are slippery which makes tracking difficult.
Chimpanzee Trekking Experience in Nyungwe National Park
Rwanda has positioned itself as a great primate tracking destination in Africa. Tucked within a thousand hills, Rwanda is an ultimate tourist destination for chimpanzee trekking and gorilla tours. Chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda at Nyungwe National Park (Nyungwe and Cyamudongo forests) is arguably one of the most attractive Rwanda safari activities. Nyungwe forest stretch of the montane rain forest is the largest in Africa which makes it home to several flora and fauna species. These include over 400 chimpanzees and 13 primate species.
Chimpanzees are very intelligent apes with attractive characters to watch. They are man’s closest relatives after Bonobos and share a lot of traits with about 98.7% DNA with humans. Chimpanzee lifespan is estimated to be up to 60 years in captivity.
For the purposes of chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe, two chimpanzee communities (groups) have been habituated (made familiar to human presence). These two groups live in both Nyungwe and Cyamudongo forests, about 60 individuals and 30 chimpanzees respectively each.
Nyungwe Chimpanzee trekking starts very early in the morning and you will be informed by your guide of what time you are required to wake up, this could be as early as 5:00 am. The experience starts with a briefing at one of the starting points which are Uwinka, Gisakura, or Kitabi. Chimps move so much through the forest and therefore to reach them, trekkers have to go out early before they leave their sleeping nests and head out for the day. It is always easy for the tourists to find the chimps because a group of trackers go earlier to the forest and identify where the chimps are then communicated to the guides.
Chimpanzee trekking is a completely amazing experience unique from gorilla trekking in that chimpanzees are much more playful, stubborn, noisy, and very mobile. This is basically because they are lighter than the gorillas and that’s why spend most of their time leaping on trees. After following or trekking the chimpanzees for some time, they may settle down and allow you to observe them more closely and take photos. Take this time to observe and learn more about chimpanzee behavior, how they groom each other, mate, play, socialize, start fights and breastfeed.
Individuals may require to be physically fit trek chimpanzees since they move very fast both on the ground and on the trees. Chimpanzee trekking in the Nyungwe forest may take between 2 to 6 hours or longer.
Note: Nyungwe forest is larger and chimpanzees tend to move deep into the forest which makes trekking harder, unlike Cyamudongo forest that is smaller and easy to cover in a short time on foot.
Within the Nyungwe forest are also over 310 bird species including the spot flycatchers, Chapin’s flycatcher, purple-breasted sunbirds, red-collared mountain babblers, Ruwenzori turacos, and many more. Other activities that can be done in Nyungwe forest include the canopy walk and primate tracking especially monkeys.
For more primate tracking experiences, take the Rwanda gorilla safari to Volcanoes National Park and have a chance to trek the elusive mountain gorillas. Primate tracking offers memorable experiences especially in Rwanda and also during Uganda gorilla safaris or chimpanzee tracking tors. However, the thousands of wildlife Tanzania safaris and Kenya safaris can easily be combined on a single trip.
Uganda Safari Packages
3 Days Gorilla Trekking Safari
3 Days Queen Elizabeth National Park Wildlife Safari
3 Day Chimpanzee Trekking Safari
3 Day Murchison Falls National Park Tour