5 Days Lowland gorillas and Nyiragongo hiking

5 Days Lowland Gorillas and Nyiragongo hiking

5 Days Lowland gorillas and Nyiragongo hiking

5 Days Lowland gorillas and Nyiragongo hiking: Catch a flight from your country of residence to Kigali International Airport for an amazing 5 days in the southern part of the Democratic republic of Congo and the heart of DRCongo that is Virunga National park. This package offers you a day in the life of the Kahuzi Biega lowland gorillas and a night at the top of the active volcanic Nyiragongo mountain. Kahuzi Biega national park is located in Bukavu town of DRCongo. Mount Nyiragongo is situated in the Virunga National park in Goma city. This package starts from Kigali and cross to the Democratic republic of Congo and back to Kigali.

Trip highlights of the 5 Days Lowland gorillas and Nyiragongo hiking

  • Road trip from Kigali to Bukavu
  • Dian fossey fund museum in Musanze
  • Kimironko market
  • Lowland gorilla trek
  • Speed boat
  • Mount Nyiragongo hike

 

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 e 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 trek in Kahuzi Biega NP

  • Trek lowland gorillas 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.
Kahuzi-Biega-National-Park
Gorilla Trekking in Kahuzi Biega National Park

Day 3: Boat transfer to Goma town.

  • Speed boat transfer from Bukavu: This will be abit of a leisure day as you will wake up in Bukavu and set out to the port where you will embark on a 3 hour speed boat to transfer you to Goma. You will check out of you hotel in Bukavu and drive with your driver guide to the boat port. The speed boat has set off times which differ per day so be sure to check out the time before you are left behind. You will spend 3 hours enjoying the beautiful scenery along the Lake Kivu and arrive in Goma in time for lunch. You may opt to try out a local Congolese restaurant or eat from your hotel. You will spend the evening at leisure or choose to take on an optional Goma city tour. Be back to your hotel in time for dinner and night stay.

Accommodation options in Goma are;

  • Hotel linda for budget
  • La Joie plaza for midrange
  • Lac Kivu lodge for luxury

Day 4: Climb up the mount Nyiragongo

  • Ascending the active mount Nyiragongo: By 6am, you should be all packed and ready to set out for breakfast at your hotel then drive to the Grande Barrier border building where all visitors to the park check in before joining the convoy headed to the park. After check in with the Virunga tourism office, you will connect with the other hikers of the day for the pre hike brief and also get to hire porters for the overnight hike.  The hike up mount Nyiragongo is about 6 hours uphill with 2 stopovers to catch a breath and refreshments. Reach the mountain summit in the evening and enjoy the breathtaking views for the rest of the day. Dinner will be served and you will spend the night in the Nyiragongo summit shelters. Ensure to have enough warm clothing in your packing as the temperatures at the top go as low as 0 degrees on some nights.
5 Days Lowland gorillas and Nyiragongo hiking
mount Nyiragongo

Day 5: Descend the mount Nyiragongo

  • Downhill Mount Nyiragongo: Wake up to the misty view and watch the sun break the mist as you sip on your hot cup of tea. Pack your luggage and enjoy the last moments at the top before you start going downhill. The decent takes about 4 hours so you are usually at the trailhead by 12pm where your driver guide will be waiting to drive you to exit the DRCongo and back into Rwanda via Goma Gisenyi border. You will have lunch in Musanze and take off an hour to visit the Dian fossey fund museum and Kimironko market before you head out for your drop off in Kigali at the airport or hotel as you will have advised.

End of the 5 Days Lowland gorillas and Nyiragongo hiking

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
  • Nyiragongo hike permit
  • Nyiragongo backpack
  • Pick up and drop off
  • Bottled water in car at all times
  • DRCongo tourist visa

Trip quote excludes

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