Nyungwe National Park covers more than 1,000 km² of dense highland rainforest, bamboo-covered slopes, grassland and swampland. This biodiversity and endemic species hotspot is a haven for chimpanzee trekking, primate spotting (13 species) and bird-watching (278 species). There are 75 mammal species in Nyungwe.

The Nile and Congo rivers, two of the world's largest rivers, both start their journeys here, and nearby Lake Kivu is one of the world's deepest inland lakes.