7 Days gorilla trekking safari in Congo

Overview of the 7 days Congo gorilla safari & mount Nyiragongo hiking tour

The 7 days Congo gorilla safari & mount Nyiragongo hiking tour is a 7 days unbeaten track tour to the hidden gem of Africa for mountain and lowland gorilla trekking alongside a hike to Mount Nyiragongo. The lowland gorilla trekking is encountered at Kahuzi Biega National Park in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, mountain gorilla trekking at Virunga National Park (an opportunity to trek 2 different species of gorillas). The hike and descend to mount Nyiragongo (one of Africa’s most active stratovolcanoes) is undertaken within Virunga National Park.

Starting and ending at Rwanda’s Kigali international airport the trip starts with a pick up, Kigali city tour and transfer to a lodging facility in Rwanda. The next morning, you are transferred to Bukavu in Congo arriving in the evening then eastern lowland gorilla trekking the next day at kahuzi Biega National Park. From here, you continue to Goma for mountain gorilla trekking at Virunga National Park on the fifth day. You then after hike and descend mount Nyiragongo before departure at Kigali international airport on the seventh day.

Highlights of the 7 days Congo gorilla safari & mount Nyiragongo hiking tour

Day 1: Upon arrival and clearance at Kigali international airport, you meet a knowledgeable Congo safari guide for a drive to Kigali town for a city tour then after retire for the night at a lodging facility in Kigali.

Day 2: After breakfast, your driver guide picks you up for a transfer to Congo’s capital of Bukavu in Eastern side of the country on a 7-8hours drive.

Day 3: Early morning after breakfast you are driven to Kahuzi Biega National Park for lowland gorilla trekking that takes about 2-6hours.

Day 4: From Bukavu, you are transferred to Goma town close to Virunga National Park.

Day 5: After breakfast, you are driven to Virunga park for mountain gorilla trekking.

Day 6: In the morning, you are driven to Kibat station for a hike to Mount Nyiragongo summit spending the night at the summit of the volcano.

Day 7: You descend from Mount Nyiragongo then after be transferred back to Kigali international airport for a departure flight.

Day by day detailed itinerary of the 7 days Congo gorilla safari & mount Nyiragongo hiking tour

Day 1 of the 7 days Congo gorilla safari & mount Nyiragongo hiking tour

When you arrive to Rwanda’s Kigali International Airport (the closest airport to Congo with daily flights), you are cleared by the airport staff then after you meet your safari guide for a drive to Kigali town. Just about 13km from the airport, you go for a Kigali city tour to the Genocide memorial center of which you hear about the history of Rwanda. You then continue with the drive on this short Rwanda safari through the town to a lodging facility in the town where you spend the night.

Day 2 of the 7 days Congo gorilla safari & mount Nyiragongo hiking tour

After having a relaxed breakfast at the land of a thousand hills, you are picked up using a 4x4 safari Landcruiser by your guide for a drive to Congo. You are driven southwards to Cyangugu boarder for a crossing to Bukavu in Congo with lunch taken en route. Arriving in the evening you check in, have dinner and spend the night in Bukavu as you prepare for lowland gorilla trekking the next day.

Day 3 of the 7 days Congo gorilla safari & mount Nyiragongo hiking tour

7 days Congo gorilla safari & mount Nyiragongo hiking tour Early this morning, you have a cup of coffee at your lodging facility then after be transferred to Kahuzi Biega National Park for a Congo gorilla trekking safari experience here. On arrival, you get a briefing from the park rangers on the Congo gorilla trekking etiquette then after you get into the jungle for gorilla trekking alongside park rangers as you spend about 2-6hours in search of the lowland gorillas then a single hour in the presence of the gentle giants as you take memorable pictures of these elusive species. After the trek, you return to the park headquarters where you meet your driver guide to transfer you back to your lodging facility where you spend the night.

Day 4 of the 7 days Congo gorilla safari & mount Nyiragongo hiking tour

From Bukavu at a lodging facility where you spent the night, you are picked up by your Congo tour guide after breakfast for a drive to Goma. You arrive in the evening spending the night at a close accommodation in Virunga National Park’s Bukima sector where you have dinner and prepare for mountain gorilla trekking the next day.

Day 5 of the 7 days Congo gorilla safari & mount Nyiragongo hiking tour

7 days Congo gorilla safari & mount Nyiragongo hiking tour After your morning breakfast at the foothills of Virunga, you will be driven by your safari guide to the park headquarters in Virunga national park. Gorilla trekking starts at 8:00am after briefing by the park rangers at the park headquarters, allocation of a gorilla family to trek along with 7 other Congo gorilla trekkers. The actual trek lasts about 2-6 hours and only a single hour in the presence of the gentle mountain gorillas. After the trek, you will return to the park headquarters where you meet your driver who will transfer you back to your lodging facility.    

Day 6 of the 7 days Congo gorilla safari & mount Nyiragongo hiking tour

7 days Congo gorilla safari & mount Nyiragongo hiking tour After breakfast, your driver guide will transfer you to Kibat station where the hike to the summit of one of the world’s active stratovolcanoes. The hike to the summit usually takes about 6 hours depending on your energy levels. Also known as the “braves cake”, the hike is an amazing adventure past beautiful flora and fauna species to the lava lakes. During the hike you will be helped with luggage carrying and cooking at the summit by porters who can be hired at the park headquarters. The night is spent at the summit cabins as you take memorable pictures and watching the beautiful lava lake at sunrise.    

Day 7 of the 7 days Congo gorilla safari & mount Nyiragongo hiking tour

On this last day of your Congo gorilla trekking tour, you will descend from the summit of Mount Nyiragongo back to the park headquarters in Kibat. Your driver guide will be waiting for you at the station and transfer you back to Kigali for the end of your trip.

End of the 7 days Congo gorilla safari & mount Nyiragongo hiking tour

Adventures are self made and if you don’t take the prize you never have any great memories. In a single safari, you have the chance to trek two of the gorilla species including the elusive mountain gorillas found only on three of the world countries. A side from Virunga National Park, you can also trek mountain gorillas on a Rwanda gorilla safari to Volcanoes National Park and on a Uganda gorilla trekking safari to Mgahinga gorilla national park all within the same massif. Uganda is blessed to have a second gorilla park which is actually home to the largest number of mountain gorillas known as Bwindi impenetrable national park named so because of the nature of the forest.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WHERE CAN YOU FIND & SEE GORILLAS IN UGANDA AFRICA?

Image
Uganda has only two national parks where one can see gorillas i.e Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and this is where g orilla trekking in Uganda is done to search and find  the rear endangered Mountain Gorillas . With about 1063 mountain gorillas that still exist on earth today, Uganda is home to more than half of all these endangered Great Apes making it one of the only 3 countries in the world where mountain gorillas live and Uganda gorilla tours are only done in there two national parks. Uganda has 20 gorilla families that have been habituated and already set for tourism purposes , 19 of which are tracked/found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and only 1 is found in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one  of the places where you can see Gorillas in Uganda Africa. The appropriately named Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (also called “The Place of Darkness”) is the world’s premier ...
Read more

Mountain Gorilla Behavior,Diet,Threats and Predators

http://www.primeugandasafaris.com/gorilla-safaris/5-days-uganda-gorilla-safari.html Behavior  Although strong and powerful, gorillas are generally gentle,shy ,retiring rather than ferocious and treacherous . They live in groups of 2-40 individuals, averaging about 11. Groups are led by a dominant male, the Silverback, named for the silvery gray hairs that grow when the male matures. The Silverback serves as the chief leader and protector of the group, to whom all group members defer. He decides when and where to go, rest and sleep, arbitrates disputes among his family members and protects them from rival Silverbacks or human predators. Gorillas usually seeks no trouble but will valiantly defend its family group if threatened. An adult male called a silverback named for the silvery gray hairs on its back normally leads each group, serving as its chief protector and defender. Gorillas ...
Read more