4 Days Lowland Gorillas and Chimps in Kahuzi Biega

4 Days Lowland Gorillas and Chimps in Kahuzi Biega: Catch a flight from your country of residence to Kigali International Airport for an amazing 4 days in the southern part of the Democratic republic of Congo. This package offers you a day in the life of the Kahuzi Biega lowland gorillas and another day with the chimpanzees of the Lwiro chimpanzee sanctuary. Kahuzi Biega national park is located in Bukavu town of DRCongo. This package starts from Kigali and cross to the Democratic republic of Congo and back to Kigali Rwanda.

Trip highlights of the 4 Days Lowland Gorillas and Chimps in Kahuzi Biega

Road trip from Kigali to Bukavu
Butare museum visit.
King’s palace visit.
Lowland gorilla trek.
Lwiro chimpanzee sanctuary visit.

Trip details

Day 1: Pick up from Kigali to Bukavu

Road transfer from Kigali to Bukavu: At the agreed time preferably morning hours, you and your driver guide will set out on the 7 hour road transfer from Kigali city to Bukavu city. You will connect via Nyungwe forest that is famously known for its chimpanzees and other primates. Have an enroute lunch and then drive further to cross into the DRCongo via the Rusizi border where you will go through the immigration office. Connect to your hotel in Bukavu for your dinner and first night in Bukavu town in anticipation for the big day.

Accommodation options in Bukavu;

Hotel Elizabeth for budget
Panaroma hotel for midrange
Orchid hotel for luxury

Day 2: Lowland gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega National Park

Lowland Gorilla Trekking in DRCongo: Big day for this safari is the day 2 where you take on the lowland gorilla trek. Connect to the dining area for a quick breakfast and grab your packed lunch boxes. Connect with your driver guide who will drive you to the park headquarters where the pre-trek briefing happens. This briefing is often done at 7 am so be there in time to also get allocated a ranger and gorilla family to trek. Lowland gorilla trekking is less strenuous than mountain gorilla trekking as the terrain is not a rough and high as for the other gorillas. You will spend about 2 to 4 hours searching for your gorilla family and once you come across it, you get to enjoy one hour of the gorillas’ presence at a 6 meters distance. After the trek, you will have your packed lunches. If it is still early and you are feeling energetic enough, you may take on an optional Waterfall visit in the area or visit a community. Be back to your hotel before the sun comes down and in time for dinner and night stay at the hotel as the night before.

Day 3: Lwiro Chimpanzee sanctuary visit.

Chimpanzees in Kahuzi Biega: Wake up quite early for this day. Have breakfast at your hotel and connect with your driver-guide who will be waiting to dive you to the Lwiro chimpanzee sanctuary in time to join the team that takes care of the animals at the sanctuary. This is a full day activity so be packed up ready for it. Get to feed the orphaned chimpanzees, the rescued primates that survived a poacher’s trap. At the end of the day, you will drive back to your hotel with your driver-guide to rest and reminisce on the past 2 days. The night will be spent at the hotel as the previous night.

Day 4: Drop off in Kigali from Bukavu

Connect back to Kigali with enroute visits: The final day of a safari surely hits different. The flooding memories and mixed emotions make the day an active one. After your leisurely breakfast, you will connect back to your driver-guide to exit DRCongo and back into Rwanda. You will have an enroute visit of the Butare Museum and the King’s palace in Butare with lunch shortly before you connect to Kigali to end your trip with a drop off in the late evening hours. Your driver-guide will drop you off at the Kigali international airport or your hotel in Kigali as you will advise.

End of the 4 Days Lowland Gorillas and Chimps in Kahuzi Biega

Trip quote includes;

Full time fueled safari 4WD vehicle
Accommodation as indicated in the itinerary
French/ English speaking driver and guide
Meals throughout the trip
Lowland gorilla permit
Chimpanzee sanctuary visit
Pick up and drop off
Bottled water in the car at all times
DRCongo tourist visa

Trip quote excludes

International flight fares
Rwanda visa
Personal needs like airtime, laundry, tips, alcoholic beverages
Optional activities not in the itinerary