4 Days Congo Gorillas and Nyiragongo Hiking Tour
This 4 days Congo Gorillas and Nyiragongo Hiking Tour will take you to Virunga national park where you will participate in an exciting gorilla trekking activity which gives you an opportunity to spend time with the mountain gorillas and also hike Nyiragongo volcano which is one of the worlds active volcano and one of the 8 volcanoes within the Virunga conservation region that rises at 3470 meters.
Highlights of the 4 days Congo Gorillas and Nyiragongo Hiking Tour
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Virunga national park
Day 2: Gorilla trekking
Day 3: Ascend Nyiragongo Volcano
Day 4: Descend from Nyiragongo Volcano and departure to Kigali
Detailed itinerary
Day 1 of the 4 days Congo Gorillas and Nyiragongo Hiking Tour
Arrival and transfer to Virunga national park, upon arrival on the first day of your 4 days Congo Gorillas and Nyiragongo Hiking Tour you will be welcomed by our driver guide who will brief you about the safari and then start the journey to Virunga national park which takes about 4 to 5 hours drive. You will pass via Goma Grande Barrier border and have great views of the rolling hills in Rwanda, beautiful scenery, landscapes among others on the way. From Goma you will join the Virunga security convoy and connect to Bukima where you will check into the lodge, have dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Gorilla trekking in Virunga national park
Gorilla trekking, after an early breakfast on the second day of the 4 days Congo Gorillas and Nyiragongo Hiking Tour you will carry packed lunch from the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for the briefing about the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking. After the briefing you will be grouped into 8 people where each group will be allocated a gorilla family to trek and a park guide who is well conversant with trails in the forest.
Gorilla trekking in Virunga national park takes about 30 minutes to 6 hours depending on where the gorillas are located and during trekking you will have great views of bird species like blue headed sunbird, red faced woodland warbler, kivu ground thrush, other primates like chimpanzees, blue monkeys, red colobus monkeys, olive baboons, De Brazza monkeys, plant and tree species among others. Once the gorillas are found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat and during this time you will be able to learn more about their lifestyle, behaviors, take photos and record the moments to show people back home. After the one hour encounter with the mountain gorillas you will trek to the park headquarters, meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Hiking Nyiragongo Volcano
Hiking Nyiragongo, after an early breakfast on the third day of the 4 days Congo Gorillas and Nyiragongo Hiking Tour you will carry packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the trail head at Kibat patrol post for a briefing about the guidelines, expectations, stopping points, what to carry among others. After the briefing you will be grouped together with the cooks and start hiking which takes about 4-6 hours to reach the summit. During hiking you will have great views of beautiful scenery, bird species, mammals, among other while passing through areas at lower altitudes, small loose lava rocks, slippery stones in higher altitudes, steeper and cold altitudes. when you reach on top you will have views of the boiling lava lake and the mountain top can be freezing cold with strong winds therefore you need to be prepared with warm clothing. you will be spend the night in a cabin which is comprised of 2 single beds, mattress, pillow and the cooks will help you to prepare hot coffee and dinner as you smell the boiling and bubbling lava.
Day 4: Descend from Nyiragongo Volcano and departure to Kigali
Descend from Nyiragongo Volcano, on the last day of the 4 days Gorillas and Nyiragongo Hiking Tour you will have breakfast and start descending from the peak of the mountain at around 7:00am which takes about 3 hours to reach Kibat patrol post. While descending down you will have great views of Virunga national park, Rwenzori Mountains, Lake Kivu, other volcanic mountains among others as you pass through steep and sharp rocks. Upon arrival at the trail head you will meet up with your driver guide and transfer to the lodge for lunch.
Departure to Kigali, after lunch you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to start the journey back to Kigali passing through Goma Grande Barrier border and upon arrival your driver guide will drop you off at Kigali international airport in case you have a flight to catch or at any place of convenience.
End of 4 days Congo Gorillas and Nyiragongo Hiking trail
Inclusions of the 4 days Congo gorillas and Nyiragongo Hiking Tour
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Nyiragongo hiking permit
- An English speaking driver guide
- Full board accommodation
- Pick up and drop off
- Vehicle and fuel
- Bottled drinking water
Exclusions of the 4 days Congo Gorillas and Nyiragongo Hiking Tour
- Air flight tickets
- Visas
- Optional activities not included on the itinerary
- Life insurance
- Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, alcoholic drinks, juice, laundry services, hiring a porter, tips among others.
