Hiking in Rwanda is an adventurous activity that can get you on your feet, crossing borders just to get more and better experiences. Nyungwe Forest is one of the best national parks for hiking in Africa, with amazing nature trails.
Hiking in Rwanda is a wholesome, exciting experience, but a surprise above all the surprises is that it can be done right here within Nyungwe Forest National Park.
Nyungwe Forest National Park is the first thing that comes to mind when the topic in question is tourism in Rwanda.
This is one of the largest national parks in the country, providing over 70% of the country’s water. It is also believed that the furthest source of the River Nile is found in Nyungwe.
The park is often called a birds’ paradise for being one of the best bird watching sites, with over 300 bird species, 13 primate species, 85 mammal species, over 200 tree species, 248 orchid species, and 1,068 plant species.
Canopy walking is another unique activity that Nyungwe offers, one that cannot be found anywhere else in East and Central Africa. The park has over 15 nature walking trails, with hiking distances covering about 130 km in total and ranging from 4 hours to 3 days.
List of Nyungwe Hiking Trails
Below are some of the Nyungwe Forest National Park hiking trails.
- Bigugu Trail: Named after the highest mountain in Nyungwe Forest National Park, Mount Bigugu. This 13.2km nature walk takes about six hours, offering the freshness of the area and different species along the way. Trekkers should take full caution before and during this trail, as it’s rated difficult.
- Ngabwe Trail: Begins about 3km from the park entrance at the Kitabi ranger station and offers some of the best views for bird watching. It is a 4.7km trail that takes roughly 3 hours and is rated moderately challenging.
- Buhoro Trail: The shortest trail, beginning at Uwinka. Its name means “slow” in the local Kinyarwanda language. It covers only 1.8km, takes about 1.5 hours, and is rated easy, suitable for amateurs.
- Igishigishi Trail: One of the most interesting hiking trails in Nyungwe, as it connects to the canopy walk. It is named after the giant tree ferns found along the trail. It covers 2.1km, takes about 1.5 hours, and is rated easy.
- Umugote Trail: Rated moderate, covering over 3.6km round trip with road segments. It gets its name from a distinctive tree called syzygium found along the trek. On a clear day, trekkers can view the mountains of Burundi from this trail.
- Muzimu Trail: A moderately rated trail that starts in the forested buffer zone and opens into open terrain. This 5.2km round trip trail lasts about 3.5 hours, giving trekkers views of the park, Lake Kivu in the distance, and volcanoes on a clear day.
- Irebero Trail: Its name means “viewpoint,” and it delivers on that promise. Trekkers can view Rwanda’s borders and Lake Kivu from this high altitude spot. It is a moderately rated 3.6km round trip that takes about three hours.
- Umuyove Trail: Named after the mahogany tree (“Umuyove”), a gigantic tree found along the way. Tourists on this trail can see waterfalls and different plant and flower species. Covering 5.5km including the Imbaraga trail spur, this moderately rated hike takes about 3.5 hours.
- Kamiranzovu Marsh Trail: The park’s largest wetland, named from an ancient belief that the last elephant disappeared here (“Kamira” means swallowing, “Nzovu” means elephant). This moderately rated trail covers 5.9km, including road segments, over about three hours.
- Karamba Trail: Characterized by open terrain, making it ideal for bird watching. It is rated easy, covering a 4km round trip in about three hours.
- Isumo Waterfall Trail: Named after the biggest waterfall in the park (“Isumo” locally means waterfall). This moderately rated trail covers 10.6km, including road segments, with natural views along the way, taking about four hours.
- Uwinka Trail: Starts at the Irebero trailhead and finishes at the Kamiranzovu marsh trailhead. Not for the faint hearted, this difficult trail covers a 17.8km round trip over about 8 hours.
- Imbaraga Trail: A difficult trail, as its name, meaning “strength,” suggests. It is not suited to amateur trekkers due to its tough terrain and requires good physical fitness. It covers 9.8km over about 6 hours.
- Rukuzi Trail: Rated difficult, this is the most used trail for chimpanzee trekking and also offers tremendous views of Lake Kivu. It has a one way distance of 9.1km, covered in about 5 hours.
- Congo Nile Divide Trail: Covers a distance of 42.2km, including a spur to the source of the River Nile. This is a multi-day trek, taking three full days to complete. It is the only trail where trekkers can view the point where the Nile and Congo river basins separate. See our guide to the Congo Nile Trail for more.
For nature lovers, Nyungwe National Park has trails to suit every level, from easy hikes taking about 1 to 2 hours, to moderate trails taking 3 to 4 hours, to difficult ones lasting 6 to 8 hours, plus the extraordinary Congo Nile Divide Trail, a 3 or more day trek covering 42.2 km.
