{"id":56664,"date":"2025-12-27T13:45:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T13:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/exploring-rwanda-s-longest-trail-in-nyungwe-national-park\/"},"modified":"2025-12-30T10:04:30","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T10:04:30","slug":"exploring-rwanda-s-longest-trail-in-nyungwe-national-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/exploring-rwanda-s-longest-trail-in-nyungwe-national-park\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Rwanda&#8217;s longest trail in Nyungwe National Park"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Rwanda is home to four major national parks that attract a significant number of tourists: Akagera National Park, Volcanoes National Park, Gishwati-Mukura National Park, and Nyungwe National Park.<\/p>\n<p>Among these, Nyungwe National Park, recently designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, is home to the longest trail in any of Rwanda\u2019s national parks. This trail is known as the Nshili-Uwasenkoko-Gisovu trail.<\/p>\n<p>The trail stretches from the Nshili Sector in Nyaruguru District to the Twumba Sector in Karongi District, offering a unique opportunity to explore one of Africa\u2019s oldest rainforests.<\/p>\n<p>The Nshili-Uwasenkoko-Gisovu trail stands out for several reasons. Not only is it the longest trail in Rwanda\u2019s national parks, but it also ends at the source of the Nile, the longest river in the world. This makes it a particularly special and sought-after hiking route.<\/p>\n<p>Protais Niyigaba, the CEO of Nyungwe Management Company told IGIHE that the trail spans a remarkable 110 kilometers. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The trail is now open and fully operational. Our goal is to promote it so that everyone knows about it. The trail is divided into a southern and a northern section, but we treat it as one continuous journey,&#8221; he explained. <\/p>\n<p>The route follows the chain of mountains that separates the watersheds of the Nile and Congo Rivers, offering hikers both stunning views and a chance to immerse themselves in the natural wonders of the region.<\/p>\n<p>Niyigaba added, &#8220;At 110 kilometers, this is the longest trail we have in any park in Rwanda. What makes it even more unique is that it passes through Nyungwe\u2019s extraordinary forest. It starts in Nyaruguru District and ends in Karongi District.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This trail is designed for experienced trekkers, as it typically takes about five days to complete. However, those with more experience or greater stamina may finish in less time.<\/p>\n<p>Niyigaba explained that these five days represent the average duration for tourists to trek through the Nyungwe forest, which is home to an incredible array of wildlife, including 300 species of birds, 13 species of primates, and over 1,000 species of plants.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s an excellent way to relax and stretch your muscles, while also being a great workout,\u201d he said. \u201cThis trail will be a valuable asset for international tourists who enjoy long treks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nyungwe National Park offers a variety of attractions for visitors, including Munazi Lodge, a hotel nestled deep within the forest, the iconic Nyungwe Canopy Walk, a rope course for physical challenges, and the Zipline, a thrilling cable ride connecting two mountains.<\/p>\n<p>In 2024, Nyungwe attracted over 26,000 visitors, up from 24,726 in 2023.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-99774\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/_-70-ee7a3-3.jpg\" alt=\"The Nshili-Uwasenkoko-Gisovu trail stands out as the longest trail in Rwanda\u2019s national parks. \" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-99773\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/inzira_nshili-uwasenkoko-gisovu_ihuza_nyaruguru_na_karongi_inyuze_mu_ishyamba_rya_nyungwe-1e791.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-99776\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/pariki_ya_nyungwe_irimo_amasumo_abiri_asurwa_na_ba_mukerarugendo-8425c.jpg\" alt=\"Nyungwe National Park offers a variety of attractions for visitors. \" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-99777\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/pariki_ya_nyungwe_irimo_amoko_y_inyoni_arenga_300-61caa.jpg\" alt=\"Nyungwe National Park is home to over 300 bird species. \" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-99775\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/iyi_nyoni_yafotorewe_mu_ishyamba_rya_nyungwe-c75ec.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rwanda\u2019s national parks are renowned for their breathtaking beauty and the various trails that allow tourists to fully experience the rich landscapes within them. These trails, often named after the regions they connect or the unique natural features they pass through, are an essential part of the adventure for anyone exploring these parks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":2000099778,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[75],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-56664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tourism","tag-homenews","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"featured_image":{"id":2000099778,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/_-70-ee7a3-2.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/_-70-ee7a3-2.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/_-70-ee7a3-2.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/_-70-ee7a3-2.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/_-70-ee7a3-2.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/_-70-ee7a3-2.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56664"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56664\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000099778"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56664"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=56664"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=56664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}