Nyungwe National Park


World Heritage Identification Number: 1697

World Heritage since: 2023

Category: Natural Heritage

Transboundary Heritage: No

Endangered Heritage: No

Country: 🇷🇼 Rwanda

Continent: Africa

UNESCO World Region: Africa

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Nyungwe National Park: A Biodiversity Haven in Central Africa

Nyungwe National Park, situated in southwestern Rwanda, stands as a testament to the rich biodiversity and unique ecosystems found within Central Africa. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023, this expansive protected area spans over 970 square kilometers and shares its borders with Burundi, Lake Kivu, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

This serial property represents an important area for rainforest conservation in Central Africa. The property is home to intact forests and peat bogs, moors, thickets and grasslands, providing habitats to a highly diverse flora and fauna. The Park also contains the most significant natural habitats for a number of species found nowhere else in the world, including the globally threatened Eastern Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii), Golden Monkey (Cercopithecus mitis ssp. kandti) and the Critically Endangered Hills Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus hillorum). There are also 12 mammal and seven bird species that are globally threatened, and with 317 species of birds recorded, Nyungwe National Park is one of the most important sites for bird conservation in Africa.

Encyclopedia Record: Nyungwe Forest

The Nyungwe Forest is located in southwestern Rwanda, on the border with Burundi, where it is contiguous with the Kibira National Park to the south, and Lake Kivu and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. The Nyungwe rainforest is most likely the best preserved montane rainforest in Africa. It is located in the watershed between the basin of the Congo River to the west and the basin of the river Nile to the east. From the east side of the Nyungwe forest comes also one of the branches of the Nile sources.

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Additional Site Details

Area: 101,963.7 hectares

UNESCO Criteria: (x) — Contains most important habitats for biodiversity

Coordinates: -2.5553 , 29.2473333333

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Image of Nyungwe National Park

© Jonkmania, CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)

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Nearby World Heritage Sites

Memorial sites of the Genocide: Nyamata, Murambi, Gisozi and Bisesero
37 km — Rwanda
Kahuzi-Biega National Park
121 km — Democratic Republic of the Congo
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
175 km — Uganda
Rwenzori Mountains National Park
318 km — Uganda
Virunga National Park
386 km — Democratic Republic of the Congo

Country Information: Rwanda

Flag of Rwanda

Official Name: Republic of Rwanda

Capital: Kigali

Continent: Africa

Population (2024): 14,256,567

Population (2023): 13,954,471

Population (2022): 13,651,030

Land Area: 24,670 sq km

Currency: Rwandan franc (RWF)

Country Data Sources

Last updated: January 18, 2026

Portions of the page Nyungwe National Park are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset and on text from the Wikipedia article Nyungwe Forest, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes made. Additional original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.

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