Rwanda is a very safe, friendly, and remarkable destination. Undoubtedly, a significant highlight of this landlocked equatorial rainforest destination is the gorilla trekking.
But this small country is host to many other species, including many of the world's other remaining primates, including chimps, such that the gorillas aren't always the stars of the show!
Nyungwe Forest, one of the country's five national parks, is in the country's southwest, bordering Burundi. The Nyungwe rainforest is renowned as the best-preserved montane rainforest in Central Africa. This is quite a small park; of rainforest, bamboo, swamp, and grassland, and it is the perfect home for monkeys. Including, of course, chimps! The other twelve species are Ruwenzori colobus, L'Hoest's monkey, Silver monkey, Golden monkey, Hamlyn's monkey, Red-tailed monkey, Dent's mona monkey, Vervet monkey, Olive baboon, and Grey-cheeked mangabey.
Gishwati-Mukura is a forested area in the far north of the country; the government created this as the newest national park (it is two parks, Gishwati and the smaller Mukura) in 2015 to protect the forests from advancing farmsteads, deforestation and to protect a small troop of chimps who had somehow survived the war, advancing farming and illegal mining – this is the place to see chimpanzees and fabulous birdlife.
If you’re dreaming of Africa, your journey has already begun!
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