Why this ride
On the way it passes Gisakura Natural Forest, Cyamudongo Natural Forest and back through Gisakura Natural Forest. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 2,200 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Nyungwe National Park and Cyamudongo Natural Forest
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 148 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 40
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Rwanda Congo Nile Scenic Road
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 38 km this is Rwanda Congo Nile Scenic Road, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 38 km
- Named road
- Rwanda Congo Nile Scenic Road
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Nyungwe National Park
Nyungwe is one of the oldest rainforests in Africa, a mountain forest spread over the ridges of south-western Rwanda between Lake Kivu and the Burundi border. It is high, wet and green in a way that makes the rest of the world feel dry: tree ferns taller than a house, orchids on the branches, mist pouring through the valleys in the morning, and the sound of water everywhere. The ridges here form part of the great divide between the Congo and Nile basins, and Rwanda proudly claims one of the remotest sources of the Nile in these hills.
Read the complete Nyungwe National Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Nyungwe National Park is where the day begins. Next is Gisakura Natural Forest.
2. Gisakura Natural Forest
In the far southwest of Rwanda, a small patch of forest surrounded by tea plantations is home to one of the most charming wildlife encounters in Africa. Gisakura forest lies on the western edge of Nyungwe National Park, near the tea estate that shares its name, and a large troop of Ruwenzori colobus monkeys lives there, black and white with long tails and flowing capes of fur. Watching them leap through the canopy, sometimes in groups of dozens, is a joy. The forest is a remnant of the great montane rainforest that once covered these mountains, isolated now by the tea fields.
Read the complete Gisakura Natural Forest write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Gisakura Natural Forest comes up about 38 km into the recorded legs. Next is Cyamudongo Natural Forest.
3. Cyamudongo Natural Forest
In the far southwest corner of Rwanda, the land drops toward Lake Kivu and the Ruzizi river, and the green hills here are mostly tea, banana and small farms. Cyamudongo is the exception: a patch of natural forest, a few hundred hectares at most, standing as an island of tall trees in the middle of cultivation. It is separated from the great Nyungwe forest by a belt of farmland, yet it still shelters a small population of chimpanzees, along with other primates and a remarkable range of birds and butterflies.
Read the complete Cyamudongo Natural Forest write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 72 km into the recorded legs you reach Cyamudongo Natural Forest. Next is back through Gisakura Natural Forest.
4. back through Gisakura Natural Forest
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Gisakura Natural Forest write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Gisakura Natural Forest, late in the day. Next is Nyungwe National Park.
5. Nyungwe National Park
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Nyungwe National Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Nyungwe National Park. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Nyungwe National Park to Gisakura Natural Forest
Nyungwe National Park → Gisakura Natural Forest is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Gisakura Natural Forest to Cyamudongo Natural Forest
Gisakura Natural Forest → Cyamudongo Natural Forest is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cyamudongo Natural Forest to back through Gisakura Natural Forest
Cyamudongo Natural Forest → back through Gisakura Natural Forest is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Gisakura Natural Forest to Nyungwe National Park
back through Gisakura Natural Forest → Nyungwe National Park is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Nyungwe National Park and Bisesero · 240 km