Rwanda National Parks
Looking to taking a safari in Rwanda? Welcome to Rwanda National Parks, your one-stop resource for planning the ultimate safari holiday in Rwanda. Find everything you need to know to plan a safari holiday to Rwanda, the land of a thousand hills highlighting the best places to go, things to see, do, safari planning advice and tips! Start planning your safari in Rwanda with our free trip planning information including specific park information, best things to see and do, when to go, trip itineraries, travel tips, safari deals and more.
Discover the different national parks in Rwanda; Volcanoes National Park, Nyungwe Forest National Park, Akagera National Park as well as game reserves; Gishwati Forest Reserve. We offer detailed information about each national park, the highlights of each park, things to see, things to do, as well as travel tips to help you plan an authentic and intimate safari experience.
Read reviews on the finest destinations, safari lodges and camps, information on when to visit, weather and best times to travel to Rwanda on this complete park planner… then create and share your dream safari with our exclusive online travel guide!
Rwanda National Parks
There are three national parks in Rwanda: Parc Nationale Des Volcans in Northern Rwanda, Nyungwe national park and Akagera National Park in Eastern Rwanda.
- Akagera National Park – Akagera National Park is the top visited on Rwanda national parks. Located in Eastern Rwanda along the Tanzanian border, Akagera can be visited by both day trippers and those looking for a Rwanda safari combining other national parks in Rwanda.
- Nyungwe Forest National Park – This is the best place for ecotours in Rwanda. Located in South Western Rwanda, Nyungwe Forest is a vast untouched tropical rain forest with a high, dense canopy. Nyungwe is an ideal destination for lovers of primates, with 13 different species living here.
- Volcanoes National Park – Located in northern Rwanda, the popular Volcanoes National Park is the most famous destination to travelers visiting Rwanda. The park is most ideal place for mountain gorilla trekking and a safari in Rwanda cannot be complete without visiting these endangered giants.
Volcanoes National Park
The Volcanoes National Park is the most popular destination in Rwanda. It is located in northwestern Rwanda along the Virunga volcanic chain, a mountain system formed through tectonic activity along the western branch of the East African Rift. The park forms part of a larger transboundary ecosystem shared with Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda.
Mountain gorillas are the park’s central conservation priority. The park protects almost a third of the world’s total population of mountain gorillas. The global population currently exceeds 1,060 individuals, with a significant proportion living within the Virunga Massif ecosystem.
Rwanda’s sector of the range hosts several habituated gorilla families monitored daily by conservation teams and veterinary specialists working with the Gorilla Doctors programme and the Rwanda Development Board.
Gorilla trekking is the most popular adventure activity to do within the park and gorilla treks are conducted under a tightly regulated permit system designed to control human contact with primate groups. Rwanda currently issues 96 gorilla trekking permits per day, reflecting the number of habituated families available for visitor access.
Each permit costs US$ 1,500 per person, and visitors spend up to 1 hour observing the gorillas once contact is made. Park authorities enforce strict health and distance regulations, including a recommended seven metre viewing distance to minimise disease transmission between humans and primates.
Although gorillas dominate public attention, the park supports a broader primate community and montane fauna assemblage. Golden monkeys inhabit bamboo zones at elevations between 2,800 and 3,200 metres, forming social groups that occasionally exceed 100 individuals. Bird surveys have recorded over 200 bird species in the Virunga landscape, including several Albertine Rift endemics such as the Rwenzori turaco and the handsome francolin.
Conservation history remains deeply connected to the work of primatologist Dian Fossey, who established the Karisoke Research Center in 1967 between Mount Karisimbi and Mount Bisoke.
Her long-term behavioral research transformed scientific understanding of mountain gorilla social structure and contributed significantly to anti-poaching advocacy in the Virunga region. The research centre continues operating today as an active field research site.
Nyungwe National Park
Nyungwe National Park lies in south-western Rwanda along the Congo Nile divide. Ecologists recognise Nyungwe as one of the oldest surviving mountain forests in Africa, with continuous forest cover dating back several thousand years.
This long ecological continuity explains the concentration of endemic species associated with the Albertine Rift region. Botanical surveys record over 240 tree species across the forest canopy, including large individuals of Entandrophragma and Newtonia reaching heights of 35 to 40 metres.
Primate Communities
Nyungwe contains one of Africa’s most concentrated primate assemblages. Field researchers have identified 13 primate species, including eastern chimpanzees, Angolan colobus monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, L Hoest’s monkeys, and owl-faced monkeys.
The Angolan colobus population attracts particular scientific interest. Troops in Nyungwe sometimes exceed 300 individuals, making it one of the largest known social groupings of any colobus monkey species.
Chimpanzee trekking operates in two primary sectors of the park: Uwinka and Cyamudongo. Treks usually begin around 05:00 in the morning, when trackers locate chimpanzee calls before sunrise and guide visitors through sections of dense forest canopy.
Hydrological Importance
Nyungwe plays a critical role in regional water systems because the forest lies directly on the Congo-Nile watershed divide. Streams emerging within the park feed two major continental drainage basins.
Hydrological surveys identify more than sixty water catchments within the forest. Some streams flow westward into the Congo River basin while others feed tributaries of the Nile system through Rwanda’s eastern river networks.
Research and Conservation Infrastructure
In 2020, the conservation organisation African Parks entered a long-term management partnership with the Rwanda Development Board to strengthen research capacity and park operations.
This collaboration introduced expanded ecological monitoring systems and improved ranger infrastructure across the forest.
International recognition followed soon after. In September 2023, Nyungwe National Park received inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List, acknowledging its ecological significance within the Albertine Rift forest corridor.
One feature often mentioned in field reports is the Nyungwe canopy walkway, a suspended bridge measuring roughly 160 metres in length and rising about 70 metres above the forest floor.
Standing at that height gives you a clear sense of the vertical complexity that defines a mature tropical montane forest. It is an unusual vantage point. Slightly intimidating at first, though you adjust quickly.
Akagera National Park
Akagera National Park sits in eastern Rwanda along the international border with Tanzania. The park forms part of the larger Akagera Kagera ecosystem, where savanna grasslands intersect with freshwater lakes, papyrus swamps, and seasonal floodplains. More than ten lakes are located in the eastern sector of the park, including Lake Ihema, Lake Rwanyakizinga, and Lake Shakani. These water bodies support extensive wetland vegetation dominated by papyrus and aquatic grasses.
Africa’s Big Five Destination
In 2010, the conservation organization African Parks entered a long-term management agreement with the Rwanda Development Board to restore wildlife populations and strengthen ranger capacity.
Akagera supports a complete assemblage of large African wildlife species following major conservation reintroductions during the past decade.The lion populations returned to the park in 2015, when seven individuals were translocated from South Africa through a partnership between the Rwanda Development Board and African Parks. Later, eastern black rhinoceros followed in 2017, when 18 individuals were relocated from South Africa to restore the species after decades of absence. Additional white rhinoceros introductions occurred in 2021, bringing the total rhino population in the park to more than thirty individuals under active monitoring.
Large herbivore populations within the park include elephants, buffalo, giraffes, zebras, topi, and elands. Antelope communities contain species such as impala, bushbuck, waterbuck, and roan antelope. Predator populations include lions, leopards, spotted hyenas, and side-striped jackals.
Birdlife also attracts scientific attention. Ornithologists have recorded over 520 bird species within the park’s lakes, wetlands, and woodland habitats. The shoebill stork appears occasionally in papyrus marshes along Lake Ihema and Lake Rwanyakizinga.
Gishwati Mukura National Park
Gishwati Mukura National Park covers approximately 34 square kilometres across two forest blocks located in Rwanda’s western highlands. The park lies within the Congo-Nile divide at elevations ranging from 2,000 to 2,950 metres.
Historical records show that the original Gishwati forest once covered over 250 square kilometres during the early twentieth century. Agricultural expansion and livestock grazing had gradually reduced the forest to small fragments by the 1990s.
Government restoration programmes initiated in the early 2000s began reconnecting forest patches through reforestation and watershed protection projects. The national park designation consolidated these efforts into a long-term conservation framework.
Primate and Wildlife Communities
Despite its relatively small size, Gishwati Mukura supports a notable primate population adapted to montane forest conditions.
Surveys conducted by conservation biologists have identified six primate species, including eastern chimpanzees, golden monkeys, blue monkeys, and L Hoest’s monkeys. The Chimpanzee groups inhabit the larger Gishwati forest block and are continuously monitored by ranger teams and research staff. Population estimates suggest around twenty chimpanzees currently occupy the forest, with ongoing habitat restoration expected to support population growth.
Birdlife surveys have recorded more than 230 bird species, including several Albertine Rift endemics such as the Rwenzori batis and the red-throated alethe.
Things to See
Mountain Gorillas:
There are a few mountain gorillas left in the whole world. Rwanda protects almost a third of the world’s remaining population of the mountain gorillas within the Virunga Mountains of Central Africa.
Chimpanzees:
Would you like to see chimpanzees in the wild? Nyungwe Forest National Park and Giswati Mukura Forest protect a good population of chimpanzees.
Golden Monkeys:
Meet the golden monkeys, an ancient monkey world order that lives in the Volcanoes National Park, Northern Rwanda. Golden monkey tracking is done in the morning hours.
Virunga Volcanoes
Top Things to Do
Rwanda is a well known destination in tourist circles given the different adventure activities that one can engage in while on a holiday in Africa. Today thousands of tourists flock to the “land of a thousand hills” to enjoy the richly endowed tourist attractions in the region. From visiting the genocide memorial centers, to gorilla trekking in PNV there are lots of things to do on a holiday in Rwanda. Visit Rwanda and engage in forest walks, village walks, golden monkey tracking, see the beautiful locally made art crafts like weaved baskets etc. For those interested in a leisurely holiday take a holiday to Lake Kivu or go game viewing in Akagera National Park.
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Find a selection of pre-planned trip itineraries that have been put together by an expert team to help you with your trip planning for your next trip in Rwanda. These itineraries offer the best ways to explore some of the many Uganda National Parks and Monuments. Whether you are looking for a gorilla trekking safari in Volcanoes National Park or a special interest trip, there are many offers for you!
You can visit multiple parks on one trip itinerary and experience several different types of scenery. From Volcanoes National Park to Akagera National Park, check out some of these wonderful trips.
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