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The Rwandan Government makes Nyungwe an official National Park, giving it protected status, the highest level of protection in the country.
Revenue Sharing and Outreach projects
Benefits from TourismHandicrafts and beverages purchased by tourists create local income and the Rwanda Development Board gives a portion of park revenue to surrounding communities, who help protect the forest.
Community Tourism at Banda VillageWhen tourists come to Banda, they pay to watch dancers and purchase handicrafts.
Tourists buy food, water, and soda.
This began as a nature conservation club.
The objective was to transmit messages, and people used dancing.
In 2003, the community got a permit to be a cooperative with the general aim of ecotourism development of Nyungwe National Park using Banda culture and handicrafts.
The objective is to reduce poverty in the cooperative and in the general population while promoting nature conservation.
(Nyanwi Fidele, VP Banda cooperative).
Teaching kids about the forest through nature clubs will protect the park for generations to come.
Nyungwe Communities Depend on the Forest
Rwandans depend on Nyungwe as a source of natural resources and water, and protection from erosion.
A Source of Income
People depend on Nyungwe to make a living--it provides jobs for guides and trackers, and opportunities for the local economy, like the selling of handicrafts.
Environmental ServicesNyungwe forest provides estimated hundreds of millions of US dollars (billions of RFW) worth of ecological services to surrounding communities, Rwanda and the entire planet every year--such as slowing global warming and watershed protection.
Natural Resources
Rope, bamboo, and other traditionally used forest plants are still important to people for weaving, medicines, building and more.
They must be harvested sustainably to protect the forest's integrity.
Local LoreThe bark of the umugote tree makes a good cough medicine.
Medicinal plants in Nyungwe National Park: Several plants found in Nyungwe have important medicinal value.
A list of these can be see by clicking here.
Some medicines have yet to be discovered!Animal life
Nyungwe forest has a wide diversity of animal species, making it a priority for conservation in Africa.
The forest is situated in a region where several large-scale biogeographical zones meet and the variety of terrestrial biomes provide a great span of microhabitats for many different species of plants and animals.
The park contains 13 different primate species (25% of Africa's total), 275 bird species, 1068 plant species, 85 mammal species, 32 amphibian and 38 reptile species.
Many of these animals are restricted-range species that are only found in the Albertine Rift montane forests ecoregion in Africa.
In fact, the number of endemic species found here is greater than in any other forest in the Albertine Rift Mountains that has been surveyed.
The forest, which reaches its maximum altitude of 3000 meters above sea level, is of particular interest for the presence of colonies of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes - Blumenbach, 1775) and Angola colobus (Colobus angolensis - Sclater 1860), the latter now extinct in Angola for the intense hunt for which they were subjected.
Primate species
Nyungwe is home to 13 species of primates.
Nyungwe Forest
Common Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes
The only ape in Nyungwe, 500 live in this park.
Your guide can help you spot them and their signs: calls, nests, or scat.
Adolf Friedrich's Angolan Colobus (Colobus angolensis ruwenzori
Nyungwe is the only forest in Africa where these monkeys form large supergroups of over 350 individuals.
L'Hoest's Monkey (Cercopithecus l'hoesti)/Sun-tailed Gabon/Preuss' Cameroon
These three monkeys were most likely one species that lived in a continuous larger forest before the last ice age.
Over time the forest split into fragments and each monkey adapted to its own forest.
Today they are separate species.
Blue Monkey ( Cercopithecus mitis doggetti
These tree-dwelling guenons can be found around Uwinka.
Silver Monkey (Cercopithecus doggetti
Golden Monkey (Cercopithecus kandti
Hamlyn's Monkey (Cercopithecus hamlyni
Red-tailed Monkey (Cercopithecus ascanius
Dent's Mona Monkey (Cercopithecus denti
Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus
Olive Baboon (Papio anubis
Grey-cheeked Mangabey (Lophocebus albigena)Birds of Nyungwe
Nyungwe is classified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA), which means that the park has true significance for the international conservation of bird populations... In their fact sheet, they say that Nyungwe is one of the most important forests for conservation of montane birds in the region.
A birder's paradise, Nyungwe is home to 278 species of birds--26 of those are found only in the few forests of the Albertine Rift.
Grauer's Rush Warbler is an Albertine Rift endemic that thrives in isolated mountain swamps, such as Kamiranzovou.
Turacos such as this Ruwenzori Turaco are rare elsewhere but abundant in Nyungwe.
You are likely to hear their loud repetitive call resonate in the forest.
Spectacular and rare sunbirds, such as the endemic Purple-breasted and Blue-headed can be seen feeding in flowering trees.
The Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill, one of two hornbill species in the park, is known by its huge bill and honking call.
Epiphytes are mosses, ferns, orchids and other plants that live high in trees without needing soil.
These air plants are characteristic of moist mountain rainforests.
This fruit is from a Carapa grandiflora, a tree commonly found in Nyungwe.
Monkeys and squirrels eat the large round seeds, while chimps, monkeys and people eat the young fruits.
Entandrophragma excelsum, or African mahogany (locally called umuyove) is one of the largest trees in the forest!As altitude changes, so does vegetation.
Nyungwe's varied vegetation provides a diversity of habitats for its many species.
Nyungwe has over 1000 different kinds of plants, many of which you will only find in the Albertine Rift.
The western part of Nyungwe was refugium for rare forest species and still has richer, taller forest with more biodiversity today.
The eastern part of Nyungwe forest was grasslands and shrub during the last ice age, about 10,000 years ago.
Only in NyungweNyungwe's great variety of plants and animals, some found nowhere else, makes it one of the most important protected places in all of Africa.
This impatiens is named in honor of President Kagame for his efforts in environmental protection.
It is endemic to the Albertine Rift and found in Cyamudongo and parts of Congo.
Impatiens kagamei)This impatiens is endemic to Nyungwe, found only on Mt.
Bigugu--it grows nowhere else in the world!
Impatiens nyungwensis)This begonia is found only in western Nyungwe.
Abundant Plant Species
Don't let all the green fool you, Nyungwe forest is comprised of over 1,000 different kinds of plants, many of which you'll only see in the Albertine Rift.
Medicinal plants
Nyungwe National Park is home to many medicinal plants.
The following list includes some of the plants that can be found in the Park.
Descriptions of some of these plants can be found in the Handbook of African Medicinal Plants by Maurice M.
Another book that might be of interest is Medicinal Plants of East Africa by John O.
Scientific name / English name / Kinyarwanda name / Traditional UsesErythrina abyssinica/ Lucky bean tree/Flame tree /Umuko
Gonorrhea, Burns, Joint pain, Fresh cuts/wounds, Backache, Syphilis.
According to the World Agroforestry Centre, it is also used in Kenya to treat diseases such as anthrax, and the bark is boiled with goat meat for treating gonorrhoea.
The bark of the green stem may also be pounded and then tied into a fine piece of cloth and the liquid from it squeezed into the eyes to cure inflammation of the lids.
Zanthoxylum gilletii/ East African satinwood/ Umuturirwa
Cold and fever, Malaria, Tuberculosis, Ulcers, ToothacheVernonia amygdalina/ Bitter leaf/ Umubirizi
Malaria, Fever, Worms, Abdominal pain, Diarrhea, AsthmaCrassocephalum vitellium/ Isununu/
Sterility in men, High blood pressurePrunus African/ Bitter almond/ Umwumba
Fever, Stomachache, Benign prostate cancer, Diabetes, CoughFicus natalensis/ Bark-cloth fig/ Imvuvumu
Stimulation of pregnancy, Cold, Cough, Wounds, Bed wettingSyzygium guinense/ Waterberry/ Umugote
Amoebas, PoisonCarapa grandflora/ Bitter Oil/ Umushwati
AmoebasMyrica californica/ California Bayberry/ Umusengesi
Poison, Stomach acheOrchidsIf you visit at the right time and you look closely, you can see lots of these in the park.
How many kinds can you find in Nyungwe?
Nyungwe has over 140 species of orchids!The main entrance is at Uwinka on the main Cyangugu - Huye road.
It's about 55km from Cyangugu and 90km from Huye.
The road is mostly in good condition.
There are regular buses along the route and hitching is also an option.
Buses are often full when they reach here so if you're getting a bus out it may be best to try to book your ticket in advance.
If travelling from Cyangugu ignore the sign in town that says it's 20km and further ignore the sign 15km from Cyangugu directing you right up a dirt track.