In the southwest of Rwanda, Nyungwe Forest National Park is an enormous tropical forest with a high canopy. Covering about 970km², Nyungwe is the largest swathe of montane forest left in East or Central Africa, shown in the Map of Rwanda.
While the accommodation at the ORTPN Resthouse, also known as Gisakura Guesthouse, is rudimentary, this is offset by its friendly team and, especially, by its great location - on the very edge of the forest.
The ORTPN Resthouse in Nyungwe has It is has a, however, all its 12 rooms are pretty simple and share a number of bathrooms. Each block of rooms are made from brick, wood and tiles and offer little more than a bed and some shelving. The traditional home-cooked food is uncomplicated and, depending on the duration of your stay, may get a little repetitive.
However, while you are here, the accommodation will be the last thing on your mind with some of Africa's most arresting scenery only a short guided walk away. You'll rapidly be immersed in the intense flora, with old mahoganies, tall ebonies and giant tree ferns towering above you, whilst orchids and other epiphytes cling to every branch.
The montane forest is awash with colour, with brightly coloured birds everywhere and, if you walk quietly, you may encounter some of the forest's larger residents. It harbours about 275 different birds, hundreds of butterflies and over 75 different species of mammals – including 13 primates (about a quarter of Africa's primates).
The forest walks here are excellent, lasting from one to six or seven hours, and generally follow pathways but may deviate off if you are lucky enough to spot some chimpanzees or other primates. The guides will then take you off through the bush, which can be quite challenging, but will hopefully be rewarding, affording you much better views.
We can arrange for you to track chimpanzees, or search for Ruwenzori colobus monkeys, which can be found here in troupes of several hundred.
The birds are spectacular, though as in most tropical forests, you'll have to look hard for them. Giant hornbills, great blue turacos and red-breasted sparrowhawks are amongst the specials, of which 24 are endemic to this section of the Rift Valley.
Lodge overview
Lodge type: Safari
No. of bedrooms: 12 rooms
Season: Open Year Round
Ideal length of stay: 3-4 nights
Food & drink
Usual board basis: Full Board
Special interests
Wildlife safaris: The ORTPN Resthouse is a simple but well-located base for exploring the forest of Nyungwe National Park. You can track chimpanzees and Ruwenzori colobus monkeys, as well as getting good sightings of other primates such as the grey mangabey and L'Hoest's monkeys, and many amazing birds.
- See more of our suggestions of the best places for wildlife safaris in Rwanda
Children
Attitude towards children: Children are welcome
Age restrictions: The children have to be over the age of 18 to participate in tracking
A pleasant stay
Basic accommodation as expected. Bed comfortable but room and bathroom a bit run down (bedside carpet, lock on bathroom, one broken toilet). Not so clean and cosy as stated in Bradt guide - very dim ...
ORTPN Resthouse review
The bedroom was clean, the food was tasty and plentiful ( though not very varied over the 4 nights) and the staff and service was friendly.
It had been described as basic accommodation and it was....
ORTPN Resthouse review
The food was good. It was really amusing that every day they asked us what we wanted to eat, then would end up giving us whatever they had in the kitchen that day.
As for sharing the showers, that...
