This 5 Days Congo gorillas and Nyiragongo volcano hiking safari is a best package to enjoy the primates of Congo and hike to the summit of the active Nyiragongo Volcano. African Apes Tours is your best guide on this 5 Days Congo Gorillas and Nyiragongo Volcano hike starting and ending in Kigali Rwanda.
Trip summary
Day 1: Pick up from Kigali & transfer to Goma
Day 2: Mountain gorilla Trekking
Day 3: Ascend Nyiragongo Volcano
Day 4: Descend and transfer to Kigali
Day 5: Kigali city tour & Departure
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Pick up from Kigali & transfer to Goma
Upon your arrival at Kigali international airport in Rwanda, your professional driver guide from African Apes Tours & Travel will be waiting you. Meet and greet, have a brief guide through the itinerary and start off the drive to Goma border. Clear up with the immigrations and drive to Virunga Park, the home to the endangered mountain gorillas habituated into 8 families.
Day 2: Mountain gorilla Trekking
This is the great day of trekking the endangered mountain gorillas of Virunga National park! You will rise up very early, refresh and have heavy breakfast at your lodge. You will be given paced lunch and transfer to Virunga Park head quarters where you will be registered and briefed on the dos and don’ts of gorilla trekking. The park officials will put you together in groups of eight travelers and allocated a specific gorilla family to trek. The trek to meet the endangered gorillas commences at 8:00am lasting fro between 2 to 8 hours. The actual time to spend in the jungle is not certain but you are 99% sure of meeting gorillas at the end of the trek. After meeting the gorillas, you will be allowed to spend an hour with a gorilla family. The one-hour is for taking pictures, capturing videos and enjoying the human like behaviors of gorillas in their families. You will be amused by how a silverback gorilla guards his family members, and adult females nurse babies like human mothers. You will then hike down to meet your driver guide. If time allows in the evening, you may visit some local communities adjacent to the park to learn and experience the traditions, norm and cultures of local people.
Day 3: Ascend Nyiragongo Volcano
You will wake up very early, have breakfast and transfer to Kibati briefing point for security briefing and precautions on hiking Nyiragongo active Volcano. You will then transfer to the starting point of Nyiragongo hike. The hike to the summit takes between 5-7 hours depending on your hiking speed. Each traveler hiking Nyiragongo MUST be at the starting point by 10:00am. Anyone left behind will not be allowed to hike alone. In the night, you will hike to the summit to peep into the boiling lava lake, which glows clearly in the night. Overnight stay on the slopes of the Volcano
Day 4: Descend and transfer to Kigali
Enjoy your last moments at the summit of Nyiragongo Volcano. Enjoy the great aerial views of Virunga Park and other Virunga Volcanoes in the neighboring Uganda and Rwanda plus the very active Nyamuragira volcano in Virunga National Park. After there, you will descend to the base of the Volcano to meet your driver guide who will then transfer you to Kigali city in Rwanda for an overnight.
Day 5: Kigali city tour & Departure
You will enjoy your morning sleep at the lodge in Kigali, wakeup at your pace and have a relaxed breakfast. Check out and go for a brief tour in Kigali city to explore this small and beautiful city. The top places to visit in Kigali include Kigali genocide memorial Centre, Kigali Convention entre, Kimironko market and presidential palace among others. Thereafter, drive to Kigali airport for your connecting flight.
Tour inclusions
• Mountain gorilla permit
• Nyiragongo hike permit
• Full time English speaking guide
• Accommodation and meals
• Bottled drinking water
• Government taxes
• Miscellaneous
Tour Exclusions
• Alcoholic beverages
• Porters fee
• Tips
• Personal shopping
• Extra activities not in the itinerary