The numbers reflect a sustained growth trend from 67,222 visitors in 2023 and 48,813 in 2022, according to park manager Ildephonse Kambogo.
Opened to the public in July 2022 after six years of restoration work, Nyandungu Eco-Park is now one of the capital's most treasured urban nature escapes.
Spanning 121 hectares, including 70 hectares of wetlands and 50 hectares of forest, the park boasts over 62 indigenous plant species and is home to nearly 200 bird species that have returned following wetland rehabilitation.
'The majority of our visitors, about 70 per cent, are Rwandans,' Kambogo told The New Times. 'Foreign residents in Rwanda make up 20 per cent, while international tourists account for the remaining 10 per cent.'
The park is set for a 43-hectare expansion, further strengthening its role in biodiversity conservation and climate resilience. Already, it offers visitors a unique blend of recreation and education through features such as a medicinal garden, Pope's Garden, five catchment ponds, three recreational ponds, 10km of walkways and cycling lanes, an information centre, and a restaurant.
Nyandungu's transformation from a degraded wetland into a thriving eco-tourism park was made possible through a Frw 4.5 billion investment under the leadership of the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA).
The initiative, funded by the Rwanda Green Fund (FONERWA) with support from the UK Government, Italy's Ministry for Ecological Transition, and the UN Environment Programme, aimed to showcase the potential of wetlands in urban flood mitigation, pollution control, and biodiversity recovery.
The restoration effort not only revitalised the wetland ecosystem, including the reintroduction of 17,000 trees from 55 indigenous species, but also created around 4,000 jobs.
IGIHE
