Canopy Walk in Nyungwe Forest National Park, Rwanda

The canopy walk activity in Rwanda’s Nyungwe Forest National Park is a thrilling adventure that nature lovers and adrenaline junkies should not miss out on if they visit Rwanda and Nyungwe forest for any tour, be it birding, chimpanzee trekking or any other of the nature activities offered in the park. The canopy walk has now become an iconic activity of Nyungwe forest National Park that does not miss on Nyungwe tour itineraries. The walk offers breathtaking views across East Africa’s largest and oldest Afro-montane forest, and also offers a chance to see at eye-level wildlife that live in the forest canopies but is not easily seen from the ground such as monkeys and birds.

The canopy walkway is accessed from the Igishigishigi trail, one of the many hiking trails in Nyungwe Forest National Park. The canopy walk tour therefore involves hiking along the Igishigishigi trail 2.1km long, with the canopy walkway creating a sort of bridge or shortcut along this looping trail. The canopy walkway measures a total of 160 meters in length and is suspended 74 meters from the ground across a deep valley filled with thick forest.

The canopy walk tour starts at Uwinka which is also the park’s headquarters and the round trip takes from 1.5 to 2 hours long. After registering at the Visitor’s Center, visitors take on a forest trail that connects to the Igishigishigi trail. The forest walk offers a beautiful nature experience and one gets to observe wildlife found at the ground level and enjoy beautiful views of forest clad rolling hills.

The canopy walk tour is a guided activity lead by an assigned park guide. Unguided tours are not permitted.

The minimum age for the canopy walk is 6 years and children must be accompanied by an adult

Cost of the Rwanda Canopy walk tour

The canopy walk tour cost = canopy walk activity + park entry + guide

Pricing is as follows:

Price of the canopy walk activity

International Visitor: $40

Foreign Resident in Rwanda/East Africa: $20

Rwanda/East African Citizen: $5

Park entry fees

International Visitor: $100

Foreign Resident in Rwanda/East Africa: $60

African Citizen (other than East Africa): $60

Rwanda/East African Citizen: $10

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International Visitor Child (6 – 12) : $50

Foreign Resident in Rwanda/East Africa Child (6 – 12): $30

African Citizen (other than East Africa) Child (6 – 12): $30

Rwanda/East African Citizen Child (6-12): $5

*Children below 6 years do not pay Entry fees.

*13 years and above are considered adults and pay full fees

Guiding Fees

The canopy walk is led by one park guide for a group not more than 8 tourists at a fee of: $15

Schedules of the Nyungwe Canopy walk tour in day

In a day there are four starting times of the canopy walk activity in Nyungwe Forest: 8am, 10am, 1pm, 3pm

Level of difficulty of the canopy walk

The hike is rated easy. There are some steep climbs/descends along the trek given the terrain is mountainous, however they are manageable. No serious fitness is required.

Those afraid of heights will find the canopy walkway a challenge as it is suspended about 50 meters from the ground.

What you need to carry for the Canopy walk

– hiking shoes/boots

– rain poncho/jacket

– small backpack

– at least 1 liter of drinking water

– camera

A brief About Nyungwe Forest National Park

Nyungwe Forest National Park is situated in the south west of Rwanda, 225 kilometers from Kigali and about 5 hours drive to the park’s headquarters at Uwinka overlook. The park has a remarkable diversity of wildlife which includes 13 species of primates, more than 300 species of birds, 85 species of mammals, over 1000 species of plants, 32 species of amphibians, and 38 species of reptiles. Many of the species are endemic to the Albertine Rift region within which the forest lies.