The 4 days Virunga gorillas & Nyiragongo Hike exposes visitors to the best of Congo where visitors could trek endangered mountain gorillas in Virunga national park and as well hike Mount. Nyiragongo which is one of the active volcanic mountains that recently erupted in 2020.
Virunga national park is part of the vast Virunga conservation area, shared by 3 countries – Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. During this safari, you will have a day with the mountain gorillas and a night on the summit of Mount. Nyiragongo, offering you a chance to witness the boiling lava lake on top of the mountain.
Detailed itinerary.
Day 1: Arrival at Kigali Airport in Rwanda and transfer to Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Be picked from the airport on this day or from a hotel if you already spent a night in Kigali and the driver guide will start the transfer to Virunga national park in eastern D.R. Congo. You will then have an en-route lunch in Gisenyi or Goma towns before crossing the borders of Rwanda and DR Congo while enjoying the beautiful winding scenery. This part of Rwanda is well known for its magnificent rolling hills where it gets the nickname, “land of a thousand hills”.
Day 2: Gorilla trekking adventure.
Take breakfast after waking up and head to the ranger station to attend a briefing session to get familiar with the forest and its inhabitants. The information given to you will provide knowledgeable experience while trekking these endangered primates. As you trek, you will encounter other attractions like primates, bird species, unique tree species and other mammal species.
The trekking adventure lasts for not more than 5 hours, but depending on the location of these primates and an hour will be allocated to you while in their presence. This one hour will seem like a minute because you would not want to wish to leave sighting these primates. Later after the trek, head back to the lodge and prepare for the next day’s activity of hiking Mt. Nyiragongo.
Day 3: Mount. Nyiragongo hike.
Wake up and have breakfast at around 7:00am and then transfer to the park headquarters for briefing, hire potters if you need any and get some equipment that you will use while hiking. After acquiring all the requirements including the park ranger guide, you will drive to Kibati where the climb starts from.
Hiking normally starts at around 10:00hours and during the hike, you will spot different primate species, mammals, and beautiful sceneries of different mountains close to the park in Virunga massif. On arriving at the summit, be rewarded with views of a lava lake boiling and this is where you will spend a night.
Day 4: Descend and transfer back to Kigali, Rwanda.
Wake up a bit early and have your breakfast which will be followed by a descent from the mountain top. You will be taken back to Kigali on arrival at the base of the mountain on Kibati. Have lunch in Gisenyi or Kigali before boarding your departure flight. This will be a great adventure after being dropped at the airport in Kigali for your scheduled flight.
