Chimpanzee habituation in Gishwati Mukura National Park Rwanda.

Chimpanzee habituation in Gishwati Mukura National Park, Gishwati Mukura  National Park is a newly established park located in western Rwanda in Rutsiro and Ngororero districts covering 13.2 square miles. The park was gazetted in 2015 as another safari destination park in addition to Volcanoes National Park, Nyungwe National Park and  Akagera National Park. The park was formed after merging Mukura and Gishwati forests which are part of the Albertine rift montane forests.

Combining the two parks has created a new park with a remarkable biodiversity characterized by rolling hills, lush forests, and scenic views providing a comfortable atmosphere for different wild animal species like bushbucks, red river hogs,  duikers, and tree hyraxes.  The park is home to five primate species including chimpanzees, baboons, golden monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, blue monkeys, and several bird species.

Chimpanzee habituation experience

Among the many activities in Gishwati Mukura National Park is the chimpanzee habituation excursion.  Chimpanzee habituation is where trained personnel, especially game rangers, make continuous visits to wild chimps to make them accustomed to human presence without altering their natural behavior. In most cases, the first reaction is to flee or attack. Visits are done for 2-3 years until the chimps realize that humans are not a threat and start tolerating them as human faces get more familiar. As time goes on, chimps are introduced to an increased number of humans.Visitors can always engage in the habituation experience with the guidance of experienced game guides and researchers as they track and follow the chimpanzee groups that are undergoing habituation. The experience begins at the park headquarters where participants are briefed on how to behave while in the jungles.  After the briefing, the excursion begins with the leadership of game guides.

Unlike with trekking, chimp habituation in this new park takes 4-6 hours as you walk in the jungles.When you come across them, keep watching and following them as they come from their nests, feeding and guarding their young ones, jumping on tree branches, and at times come to lower branches to pick fruits and insects. Chimps love playing and hugging and holding each other’s hands tightly. You will also listen to their voices which can even be recorded. The park is home to a community of 25 semi-habituated chimps that are already aware of the trackers, but one should not take it for grunted forgetting that they are wild animals. Sighting these interesting primates in their natural habitat is a memorable experience. The habituation exercise is so ideal for wildlife enthusiasts, researchers, conservationists, photographers, and all those interested in the nature and behaviour of primates.

Best time to visit Gishwati Mukura National Park for chimpanzee habituation.

The best time for different activities, especially wildlife viewing in Gishwati National Park, is during the dry season from June to September. This is so because the trails through the forest are less slippery, making hiking easier.  The vegetation cover is not thick in the dry season which allows quick sight of animals.

Other activities in Gishwati Mukura National Park

Chimpanzee trekking 

 early in the morning when tourists converge at the park headquarters for a briefing about the dos and don’ts of the activity. After the session, you will embark on a journey into the jungles to search for a habituated chimpanzee group. On finding them, you will spend one hour enjoying their interesting behavior and features.  You will come to see that the females get red swellings on their bottoms, the females breastfeeding and grooming the young ones you will be allowed to have photography then return to the reception.

Guided nature walks

Gishwati Mukura National Park has well-established trails that make exploration of the park easy. With trained game guides’ guidance, tourists can traverse the park’s natural beauty at close range. Encounter various plant species, butterflies, insects, birds, and primates. The park has over 60 tree species including bamboo, Macarang kilimand, orchids, and Mahogany. To conserve the forest park, more tree species have been introduced to the park, including eucalyptus, hagenia Abyssinia, dombeya torida, polyscias fulva, and macaranga.

Bird watching

 For a memorable birding experience, tailor your itinerary to Gishwati Mukura National Park. the park is home to over 232 bird species, 15 of which are endemic to the Albertine Rift. Some of the birds that can be spotted in this park include the Black-faced Apalis, strange weaver, Rwenzori Turaco, Swamp Warbler, Sunbird, Abyssinian Ground Thrush, Mountain Yellow Warblers, Red Throated Batis, African Stonechat, Angola Swallow, Pied crow, Black Cuckoo and many others.

Waterfall hiking

Something that should not be left out on the trip to Gishwati Mukura National Park is visiting the Kazenenza waterfalls. The falls are found in the middle of the park and offer rewarding sceneries; different plantations and many animals can be spotted at the bottom of the falls trying to quench their thirst.  The falls are also best for picnics and photography.

Cycling along the Congo Nile Trail

Biking and cycling along this trail provides the best experience of exploring the park with the best views of Lake Kivu and takes you through different communities where you can interact with the locals in the nearby communities.

How two access Gishwati Mukura National Park 

This park is located on the main road between Rubavu and Karongi so it can be easily accessed by road transport. From Kigali International Airport it is only a  4 hours drive to reach the park. Park offices are on the main road at the edge of the forest and it’s where all the park activities start. Tourists can also take chartered flights from Kigali International Airport to Gisenyi Airport then connect by road to Gishwati Mukura National Park.