7 Days Kahuzi biega and Virunga national park Safari

7 Days Kahuzi biega and Virunga national park Safari: Catch a flight from your country of residence to Kigali International Airport for an amazing 7 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 and a day with mountain gorillas of Virunga National Park.

Kahuzi Biega national park is located in the Bukavu town of DRCongo. Mount Nyiragongo and the mountain gorilla are both found 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 7 Days Kahuzi biega and Virunga national park Safari

Road trip from Kigali to Bukavu
Dian fossey fund museum in Musanze
Kimironko market
Lowland gorilla trek
Speed boat
Mount Nyiragongo hike
Mountain gorilla 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 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 Kahuzi Biega: 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: Boat transfer to Goma town.

Speed boat transfer from Bukavu: This will be a bit 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: Check in at the Grande barrier and connect to Kibumba Tented camp

Check into Kibumba Tented camp: Tour packages of Virunga national park have set times to join the security convoy headed to the park per day. This package will expect you to be at the Grande barrier border building by 10 am so your driver guide will be waiting on you to check out of your Goma hotel after breakfast and drive you to the border. You will check in with the Virunga tourism office where you will be issued with your permits that you present before any activity and join the Virunga security convoy headed to Kibumba Tented camp. Arrive in time for a late lunch and spend the evening relaxing or take on an optional guided nature walk. Connect back for dinner and your first night in the Virunga National Park.

Day 5: Mountain gorilla trek in Virunga

Trek mountain gorillas in Virunga: After breakfast, you along with your driver guide will drive headed to the starting point of the gorilla trek where you will get a briefing by the park rangers and also get to hire porters in case of heavy luggage. Set out into the forest and trek for about 2 to 3 hours until you meet the gorilla family that you will be allowed with an hour in their presence. Exit the forest for a lunch to regain your energy spent in the Virunga forest. Dinner and night stay will be at the Kibumba tented camp as the previous night.

Day 6: 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 Kibati police post where you will have 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.

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. 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

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
Mountain gorilla permit
Nyiragongo hike permit
Nyiragongo backpack
Boat trip
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