Tchegera Island

Tchegera Island is one of the top tourist destinations that travelers love to visit while in their Congo Tours to relax and enjoy the vast wildlife on this island. After a hectic Congo gorilla trekking experience and 6 hours uphill and downhill Nyiragongo hike, the hiker’s body may need a bit of relaxation and less strenuous activities. With an extra free night on tour, be sure to check out the Tchegera Island. Tchegera Island is a hidden pearl in the Democratic Republic of Congo on the northern side of Lake Kivu. This island is an inhabited spot so you get to enjoy the peace and tranquility that this side of the country has to offer. The Tchegera Island is a U shaped collapsed volcanic caldera Island just a 15 to 20 minutes boat ride from Goma harbor. It was recently reopened in July 2019 after the reopening of Virunga national park due to security reasons but came with refurbished facilities and staff. You can access the island on a Virunga hired boat, a kayak or a private boat. This could be a great spot for the honeymooners who decide to visit Virunga for their honeymoon. Most travelers also use this quiet place to edit and make the most out of the memories they captured while on their gorilla trekking and Nyiragongo hike.

The Tchegera Island has about 10 well equipped but far apart safari styled Meru tents with warm showers, Wi-Fi connection, powered by a generator and luxury touch in the interior and a well-equipped bathroom with electric hand hair driers. The views at the terrace of the main tent is amazing with a campfire usually lit up as the sun sets and you can enjoy the view of the red glow from the active volcanoes Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira in the clouds with the lights from Goma town at the front on clear nights from here. There is also some birdlife on this Island like the African eagle, gulls, and cormorants so you can enjoy birding on a boat trip around and also when on the few trails of the Island. There are a few trails on Tchegera that you can take on and also a new one that is fascinating as it shows you the island from all angles of the U.

Upon your arrival to Tchegera by boat, you are welcomed by the amazingly warm staff offering you a fresh glass of juice to get you settled in wear off the sweat of the transfer. You will then check into your safari tent to freshen up and relax a bit then connect for a barbeque picnic lunch and you may enjoy the terrace reading a book or listening to some soft music as you watch the sun go down. You may opt for a more active evening by taking on a guided bush walk on the island, take a jog or birding walk or even go kayaking on the near waters. This can all be arranged while at the lodge. With the almost nonexistent population, you are able to enjoy the island with some quiet time away from the usual daily noise in the towns back at home. The boat that sets off from Tchegera Island back to Goma usually sets off at around 7:30 am so as to reach the border in time to connect back to Kigali or Goma in time for check-in for your flight. You can opt to spend a second night in Tchegera if you can’t get enough of it but remember, this all has to be booked in advance so that you are prepared for if not you might get disappointed when rooms are fully booked or unavailable.

The Tchegera island also has another attraction that most visitors look forward to seeing on the visit to the island and that is the blue monkey that visits the place and also is believed to come around to enjoy its home and reaches up to the tents. The other fascinating feature of this place is the black sand. Yes, the beach shores have black sand and this is not a sight you see often.

There is so much more to be enjoyed on this island that you may not be able to enjoy by merely reading but taking some time off to visit the island so why not fill out our contact form to get you a 2 days Tchegera visit or top it up on your gorilla and Nyiragongo hike and be one of the few of our clients who have enjoyed this island with our great offers.