Driving to Nyungwe Forest National Park – Costs, Routes and Travel Guide

Nyungwe Forest National Park is located in the south-western corner of Rwanda bordering Burundi to the South and near Lake Kivu/Democratic Republic of Congo border and covers an area of 1020 square kilometers of Africa’s oldest montane rainforests.

Nyungwe Forest National Park is a biodiversity hotspot boasting of not less than 1000 species of flora, 75 species of mammals that include the 13 primate species found in the area, more than 120 butterfly species and at least 300 bird species that can take your breath away. This Forest National Park is about 225 kilometers/4-5 hours’ drive from Kigali (Rwanda’s Capital City) and has so far been ranked among the highest priority areas for conserving natural forest cover within the African Continent in addition to offering shelter to one of Africa’soldest forests.

Nyungwe Forest National Park can be reached by either air or road transport but if planning to drive, you are guaranteed to relishing the breathtaking views of the hilly countryside of Rwanda and the verdant vegetation en-route. To be able to cover the 225 kilometers/4-5 hours’ drive from Kigali to Nyungwe Forest National Park, you will need a good and comfortable car. Both private and public means (by bus) can be used to reach Nyungwe Forest, National Park.

For tourists opting for public transport means (preferably by bus), board the bus from Nyabugogo Bus station (in Kigali) to Ruzizi Town/district, but disembark from Uwinka center. Buses travel on schedule and normally take a longer time (up to 8 hours) because there are several stops to pick and drop passengers along the way.

The fastest, easiest and more comfortable way to drive to Nyungwe Forest National Park is by private means (personal or special hire cars). This means saves you from the hassle of booking and longer travel time involved with public transport means. For tourists traveling from Huye Town, the distance is only 87 kilometers/2-3 hours from the National Park and about 55 kilometers/one hour’s drive for tourists connecting from Ruzizi Town. The road trip to Nyungwe Forest National Park is smooth although there are some sharp corners which require caution by the driver.

For more adventurous self-drive tours, you can drive south-westwards from Kigali to Muhanga, then southwards towards Nyanza where you can stop at Nyanza King’s Palace (in Nyabisindi), Gikongoro’s Genocide Memorial site and National Museum, then to Huye Town. You will later continue westwards to Nyamagabe that is just a stone’s throw away from the Park entrance.