Southern Rwanda
Gisakura Guest House
Gisakura is a National Park-run guesthouse adjacent to a lush tea plantation just outside the Nyungwe Forest National Park boundary. Accommodation is quite basic and the bathrooms are shared but do have hot water and are kept very clean. Meals are fairly simple but plentiful and the staff are always friendly and hospitable. There is usually a campfire at night offering the perfect opportunity to meet other guests and swap wildlife encounters.
Gisakura Guesthouse is located 2km away from Nyungwe Forest National Park, the largest area of intact montane rainforest in East and Central Africa. The lodge also sits on the edge of the Gisakura Tea Estate and has numerous trails that guests can explore.
The highlight of a visit to Nyungwe Forest is to track and watch the habituated troops of chimpanzees that inhabit the park as well as the 13 other species of rare primates and much other wildlife.
Facilities
Restaurant, lounge, bar, camp fire and private bathrooms with hot water showers.
Local Wildlife
13 species of primate and great ape including habituated chimpanzees, L’Hoest’s monkey, grey-cheeked mangabey, Angolan black-and-white colobus, owl-faced monkey and mona monkey. The park is home to a total of 86 mammal and 120 butterfly species as well as 5 species of chameleons and 280 birds including 26 central highland endemics.
Optional Activities
Chimpanzee and primate tracking in the park. Treks to waterfalls and scenic viewpoints and a canopy walkway are also available.
Jonathan Morris
Area Specialist
The walking here is along very steep and slippery trails: the chimps and other primates may be many hours’ walk from the park headquarters and are often fast moving. Thus, a good level of physical fitness is essential.
If you have any questions regarding our Rwanda tours, please feel free to contact me on +44 (0)1803 866965
I am sorry for taking so long to let you know my thoughts on my tour of Rwanda in August. It was such an amazing experience that I had to write a journal of it while everything was still fresh in my mind. There was so much to say that it took a while and of course having to go back to work and come down to earth again! Janice Booth is an excellent tour leader and I appreciated the background information she sent me beforehand so making it even more interesting. I learned and gained so much. We were fortunate to locate the Sabinyo group [of gorillas] quite quickly and the hour with them was an exhilarating experience… Hopefully Reef and Rainforest will do another trip there again sometime. I will certainly recommend it to friends.
