Nyungwe Forest
Rwanda UNESCO World Heritage Site
Nyungwe Forest is a 1,010-square-kilometer national park and World Heritage Site located in the Southern Province of Rwanda. Established in 2004, the area is designated as an Important Bird Area. It ranks as the 5th most looked-up sight in Rwanda on English Wikipedia.
Planning a visit
The best time to visit is during the drier months of June, July, and August, which experience the least rainfall. During this period, rain occurs on only about 3 to 6 days per month. The remainder of the year sees significantly higher precipitation, particularly from March to April and November to December, when it rains on more than 20 days each month. Temperatures remain cool and consistent throughout the year, with daily highs ranging from 18 °C to 20 °C and nightly lows between 8 °C and 10 °C.
To reach the forest, the nearest airport is Kamembe Airport, located 42 kilometers away. The site is 113 kilometers from Kigali. For those arriving from further afield, Bujumbura Melchior Ndadaye International Airport in Burundi is 89 kilometers away. Visitors can combine a trip to the forest with visits to the Murambi Genocide Memorial Centre, which is 33.5 kilometers away, or Kibira National Park, located 46.4 kilometers from the site.
Weather by month
Temperatures stay much the same all year, around 14 °C on average. The wettest is April, with about 313 mm of rain.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high, °C | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 |
| Average low, °C | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
| Rainfall, mm | 213 | 195 | 270 | 313 | 201 | 38 | 20 | 49 | 130 | 249 | 288 | 192 |
| Rainy days | 22 | 19 | 24 | 26 | 16 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 21 | 26 | 25 |
Temperatures and rainfall: 1981–2010 averages for this spot (4 km grid), from CHELSA. Rainy days: 2015–2024, NASA POWER.
