NYUNGWE NATIONAL PARK now has its own Canopy Walk
The first ever hanging platform which allows tourists to view different animal species in Nyungwe forest was unveiled on October 15. And as officials here announced, it will be the first in this region and just the third on the African continent.
The Canopy Walkway is 40 meters above the ground level, and 90 meters long, above a steep, deep valley, that affords the clients the dizzying platform from which to be at the ” eye-to-eye level ” with different primate species, and many bird species, all of which are fond of inhabiting the upper scales of the forest.
Facts about the park and the walkway:
Its a high altitude montane rain forest
the biggest in East Africa
it is a 200m walkway with three towers
it was finished in the middle of 2010
Tourists will be at the “eye-to-eye level” with different primate species, and many bird species. (by RNA Reporter )
Canopy Walk in Nyungwe Forest – Rwanda
The Canopy Walkway which has been competed in the Nyungwe Forest National Park in south western Rwanda is 50 meters above the ground level, and 90 meters long. The dizzying platform is above a steep and deep valley trotting across massive forest.
Tourism officials at the Rwanda Development Board say at that height, tourists will be at the “eye-to-eye level” with different primate species, and many bird species, all of which are fond of inhabiting the upper scales of the forest.
The 200m walkway with three towers are the biggest in East Africa, said RDB in an online statement.
Spread over hundreds of square meters Nyungwe is said to be largest and most ancient Afro-Montane forest remaining in the East & Central Africa, dating back to the last ice age.
The forest has 13 rare primate species, the world’s largest ever recorded arboreal troop of black/white colobus monkeys, over 300 species of birds and 100 types of orchid.
Nyungwe Forest and chimpanzee tracking is the ideal compliment to any gorilla safari.
It also has the five-star Nyungwe Forest Lodge – owned by United Arab Emirates holdings firm Dubai World.
Celebration of World Migratory Bird Day (May 9th – 10th, 2009) in Rwanda
Rwanda on Saturday May 9 joined the rest of the world to mark World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD), with a big turn up of bird watchers. The celebration was organized by the Association for the Conservation of Nature in Rwanda, (ACNR), the BirdLife Partner in Rwanda, in collaboration with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB). The highlight of the celebration marked under the theme, “Barriers to Migration” was bird watching excursion at a man-made Lake in Nyarutarama, on the outskirts of Kigali City.
Similar, on May 10th, 2009, bird watching excursion was carried out at Lake Rumira in Bugesera District in eastern Rwanda. This area is probably expected to be a habitat for migratory waterbirds in Rwanda.
Over 100 people attended the event including pupils and teachers from school Wildlife Club called “Coeur Joyeux” drawn from Anglican Church located near Kigali City Park, the representatives from some nature clubs affiliated to ACNR such as “Rwanda University Club for Conservation of Biodiversity (RUCCB)”, “Amis Muyaga” from ASPESKA College, journalists from print and broadcast, etc
During this celebration the “Coeur Joyeux” Wildlife Clubs played a sketch demonstrating local barriers to migratory birds in Rwanda including intensify agriculture activities, wetlands drainage and other activities related to ecosystems disturbance, etc.
This awareness campaign was to protect migratory birds and their habitats. Annually, on the second weekend of May, people around the world organise public events such as bird festivals, education programmes and birdwatching excursions as part of activities to mark the World Migratory Bird Day. “This campaign had a major impact on how Rwandans perceive migratory birds and it has the potential to unite many different communities to rise against buriers met by migratory birds and humanitarian perils facing them today,” he added. Meanwhile, Birdlife International has launched a new programme called “Born to Travel Campaign” aimed at protecting migratory birds along the African-Eurasian flyway.
Also, this event has attracted more teams and spectators than ever before, including both government institutions, local NGO’s working in wildlife conservation and private sector. There has been a considerable effort to get more teams, including females and males, to participate, in the events. As this event has started to produce a significant contest of skills, awareness and friendship, we hope that the campaign will involve more people for the protection of birds and biodiversity in general in Rwanda. Actually, this year saw the arrival of several new teams of Kigali birdlovers.
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