The Joy of Meeting Chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest
The Joy of meeting the chimpanzees, our closest relatives in the animal Kingdom in Nyungwe Forest is something that cannot be described in words because in so doing, you get to learn their incredible and mind-blowing human-like behaviour. The journey to Rwanda’s most popular chimpanzee trekking safari place, situated on the southwestern side of the country takes about 6-7 hours with breathtaking sceneries along the way. Book Now
In Nyungwe Forest, there are two habituated communities of chimpanzees living in two separate locations. While there are over 500 chimpanzees in this 1000-square-kilometer Protected Area, only less than 100 individuals have been habituated (the process of training them through continuous visits to make them accustomed to human presence). This lasts several years (typically between 2 and 3 years) until when researchers and Rangers ascertain whether the Great Apes feel threatened by human presence or not. Nyungwe chimpanzees, like those in other places, share 98.7% of DNA with humans and live in communities but of the many in this Protected Area, only two are open for tracking by visitors.
The smaller community lives in Cyamudongo Forest, a small forest patch on the Eastern side of Nyungwe Forest, and is physically detached from the larger Forest. There are about 30 individuals in this community but surprisingly offering the most successful sighting due to the small size of the Forest that is usually covered even when these Great Apes move deeper into the Forest.
The larger one is the Uwinka community living in the main Nyungwe Forest around Uwinka Visitor Center. There are about 60 individuals in this community and given the rugged terrains and denseness of the forest, it is sometimes difficult for visitors to sight them hence there are lesser chances of meeting them compared to the Cyamudongo community.
The Joy of finally meeting chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest
Securing your chimpanzee permit well in advance is very important for your on-foot journey to meet the Chimpanzees in their natural habitat starts with a briefing at the Visitor Center (by 5:30 am or 5:00 am depending on the community). This is followed by the walk through the jungle to search for the Great Apes and this is expected to last anywhere between 2 to 4 hours, spending on the location of the chimpanzees.
After hours of walking and exploring the Forest, the chimpanzees are sighted. This is the time most visitors’ hearts race, as they crouch perfectly still and fight the urge to express excitement in seeing these adorable Great Apes. Watch the chimpanzees play, feed, groom each other, rest, or take care of their young ones. Unfortunately, your moment of excitement ends in an hour’s time as you are requested to now say your last goodbyes to the chimpanzees and the forest. Therefore, make good use of the one hour to take as many photos as possible or watch them as they restlessly go about their daily routines.
When is the perfect time to see Chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest?
The Chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest can be tracked and sighted all year round, but some seasons provide easier opportunities than others. Tracking them in the dry months (July to September and December to February) is considered less challenging as there are drier trails (thanks to the reduced rainfall levels) compared to the wet months (March to May and October to November) when higher precipitation levels contribute to muddy/slippery trails hence more challenging walk.
Packing for chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe Forest
Your packing list for Nyungwe Forest Chimpanzee tracking should include a long-sleeved shirt, long safari pants, gaiters, strong hiking boots, a good camera, a rain jacket, a waterproof backpack, cotton socks, a pair of binoculars, gardening gloves, an insect repellant, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, to mention but a few.
