8 days gorilla trekking safari Congo & mount Nyiragongo hiking trip

Overview of the 8 days gorilla trekking safari Congo & mount Nyiragongo hiking trip

Your 8 days gorilla trekking safari Congo & mount Nyiragongo hiking trip offers 8 days off the beaten track tour to Congo for both mountain and lowland gorilla trekking alongside mount Nyiragongo hike. The tour features lowland gorilla trekking at Kahuzi Biega National Park in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, mountain gorilla trekking at Virunga National Park and a hike and descend to mount Nyiragongo (one of Africa’s most active stratovolcanoes).

With arrival and departure at Rwanda’s Kigali international airport the tour 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. Continuing with your safari in Congo, you are driven to Goma town for mountain gorilla trekking at Virunga National Park on the fifth day. After the hike and descend on mount Nyiragongo you are driven back to Rwanda’s lake Kivu where you relax before departure at Kigali international airport on the last day of the safari.

Highlights of the 8 days gorilla trekking safari Congo & mount Nyiragongo hiking trip

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 driven to Lake Kivu in Rwanda where you relax after your trip

Day 8: In the morning, you can involve in water sports at lake Kivu then after embark on the transfer back to Kigali international airport for a departure flight.

Day by day detailed itinerary of the 8 days gorilla trekking safari Congo & mount Nyiragongo hiking trip

Day 1 of the 8 days gorilla trekking safari Congo & mount Nyiragongo hiking trip

On arrival at Rwanda’s Kigali International Airport, 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 learn 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 8 days gorilla trekking safari Congo & mount Nyiragongo hiking trip

In the morning after 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 town.

Day 3 of the 8 days gorilla trekking safari Congo & mount Nyiragongo hiking trip

8 days gorilla trekking safari Congo & mount Nyiragongo hiking trip In the 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 8 days gorilla trekking safari Congo & mount Nyiragongo hiking trip

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 8 days gorilla trekking safari Congo & mount Nyiragongo hiking trip

Following 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 8 days gorilla trekking safari Congo & mount Nyiragongo hiking trip

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 8 days gorilla trekking safari Congo & mount Nyiragongo hiking trip

From the summit of Mount Nyiragongo, you will descend back to the park headquarters in Kibat where you meet your driver guide waiting for you at the station for a transfer to Rwanda’s Lake Kivu. Arriving to the largest lake in Rwanda, you relax at the shores of the lake where you spend the night at a close accommodation.

Day 8 of the 8 days gorilla trekking safari Congo & mount Nyiragongo hiking trip

In the morning, you opt to relax or undertake water sports that happen at the lake. Here you can opt to swim, bike along the shores of the lake, visit nyamirundi island and many more. You later on have lunch, refresh and check out of your lodging facility as your driver guide transfers you to Kigali international airport for a departure flight.

End of the 8 days gorilla trekking safari Congo & mount Nyiragongo hiking trip

Congo has 2 gorilla species (lowland and mountain gorillas) and this is the only chance for you to trek both species. Adjacent to 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. For Uganda, the country 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.

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