Day 1: Land at Kigali and Drive to Gisenyi – Congo Boarder.
As your plane touches down at Kigali International Airport – also known as Kanombe and formerly referred to as Gregory Kayibanda international airport, your safari handler and guide will be ready and waiting to welcome you and embark on the 6 hours drive to Gisenyi close to Lake Kivu where you will relax for the evening, enjoy dinner and sound sleep at Paradis Malahide Hotel. Other accommodation options can be arranged according to your budget and preference.
Day 2: Cross into Congo & Go Nyiragongo Hiking
Prepare for early morning breakfast as you will be crossing the border by 8:30am in order to arrive Kibati patrol post (the starting point for Nyiragongo hike) in good time and receive briefing before taking on this active stratovolcano! This is a short distance but on a bumpy road.
Have your ranger guide, a porter and begin your hike. Meals will be provided and you will stay overnight in wooden shelter at the top.
Please note that your Rwanda Visa will expire after crossing into Congo so you will apply for another immediately and you will find it ready on return.
Day 3: Descend Nyiragongo & Proceed to Kibumba or Bukima
This morning, you will descend the Volcano and head down to Kibati by 11:00am. Here, you will connect with your driver / guide and transfer to Kibumba tented camp just near the trailhead of Nyiragongo volcano or Bukima tented camp – just outside Virunga national park boundary.
Have lunch and have the afternoon to yourself. You can choose to relax and recover from the hike or visit the local Kibumba marketplace for a rewarding cultural experience. While staying at Bukima tented camp, the Gorillas at times wonder around and although the park staffs frown about it, it passes as a very pleasant experience for the guests! Enjoy dinner and sleep like a baby in the lush wilderness!
Day 4: Virunga Gorilla Trekking in Congo
Have your first meal of the day – Breakfast and report to Bukima patrol passport with your passport and permit details for registration and briefing. All treks in Virunga national park begin here. Later head into the forest with your ranger guide and expect to hike for 1 to 3 hours until you find the mountain Gorillas in Virunga national park
When you get to see them, you will be awe inspired by their huge size and gentle nature as you watch them go about their daily business with mothers tending to the young ones and the juveniles making an effort to impress. You will stay up to 1 hour maximum and head back to the camp. The afternoon can be spent on a visit to the Senkwekwe Gorilla orphanage centre.
There are many options on this; you can as choose to cross back into Rwanda and either stay in Gisenyi, or Musanze – the base town for Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.
Day 5: Transfer & Fly out of Kigali.
Wake up to a tasty breakfast and journey back to Kigali. Depending on your departure flight time, you will be able to do a city tour visiting the Genocide memorial site in Kigali and Kaplaki crafts village for souvenir shopping and drop off at the airport for your flight back home.
Prices will be provided based on choice of accommodation and number of participants. Note that you can also add other interesting extras to the above itinerary like a visit to Lulimbi for game viewing and Tchegera Island if you have more time.
