5 days Kahuzi Biega and Mount Nyiragongo (Congo safari)
5 days Kahuzi Biega and Mount Nyiragongo (Congo safari)
Trip summary
Take on the 5 days Kahuzi Biega and Mount Nyiragongo Congo safari for a chance to trek the lowland gorillas and hike up one of the world’s most active volcanic mountain. This is an ideal safari for the travelers looking for a unique experience in the DR Congo.
Kahuzi Biega is one of the homes of the lowland gorillas and is also a home to the chimpanzees and this safari takes you to the south eastern and north eastern part of the DR Congo with a stop at the Lake Kivu one of the deepest lakes in the world.
Trip highlights
- Day 1: Leave Kigali for Bukavu- DR Congo
- Day 2: Lowland gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega national park
- Day 3: Boat transfer to Goma
- Day 4: Day 1 of the Mount Nyiragongo hike
- Day 5: Leave the Mount Nyiragongo summit and drive back to Kigali
Trip description
Day 1: Leave Kigali for Bukavu- DR Congo
Your driver guide will come to meet you at your agreed pickup place once you are ready to start your Congo safari. You will get familiar and be briefed about the next few days and later head out to start your 6 to 7 hour road transfer.
You will have an enroute lunch in Butare and a brief stopover at the Butare Ethnographic museum and continue to the Rwanda- DR Congo Rusizi border where you will check in with the immigrations office and continue to drive 20 minutes further to your hotel in Bukavu. You will arrive in time to check in and have dinner. You will spend your first night in Bukavu.
Hotel options in Bukavu
- Hotel Elizabeth for budget option
- Panorama hotel for midrange option
- Orchid lodge for luxury option
Day 2: Lowland gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega national park
As soon as you are done with breakfast, you with your driver guide will head out to the Kahuzi Biega national park for your lowland gorillas experience. You will arrive at the park headquarters where you will receive a briefing ahead of your activity and thereafter follow the ranger guides into the forest.
You will trek for about an hour or so until you meet your gorilla family of the day to enjoy the magical hour in their natural habitat. You will exit the forest after this experience and head back to your hotel for a late lunch. The rest of the day will be spent at leisure and you may take on an optional activity like a community visit and get back to your hotel in time for dinner.
You will spend your last night in Bukavu at the hotel as night before.
Day 3: Boat transfer to Goma
You will have a tasty breakfast at your hotel and prepare to check out for your next destination- Virunga national park. You will connect to the Bukavu port with your driver guide to board the 3 hour speed boat that will take you to the Goma port.
You will arrive in Goma in time for lunch at one of the authentic Congolese restaurants and take a brief Goma city tour before you connect to your hotel to rest and prepare for the next day. You will have dinner and an overnight stay at your hotel in Goma.
Hotels in Goma city
- Hotel Linda for budget option
- La Joie Plaza hotel for midrange option
- Lac Kivu hotel for luxury option
Day 4: Day 1 of the Mount Nyiragongo hike
Once the sun starts to come out, you will be expected to connect for breakfast at your hotel and get ready to drive to the Grande Barrier border building to check in for your Virunga package. Once you are ready, you will join the security convoy leading the other hikers to the park as well and report at the Bukima ranger post for the pre activity briefing.
Once the briefing is done, you may hire your Nyiragongo backpack and the other necessities you may need on this overnight hike. Set out on your 5 hour ascent up Mount Nyiragongo with 2 stopovers enroute to refresh and catch a breath.
You will reach the Nyiragongo summit in the early evening hours and settle in the Nyiragongo summit shelters for the night.
Day 5: Leave the Mount Nyiragongo summit and drive back to Kigali
Wake up in time to catch the sunrise and also see the lava lake which on a clear morning you may be able to spot the boiling magma. Enjoy your simple breakfast prepared at the top of Mount Nyiragongo and get your belongings to descend the Mount Nyiragongo hike.
You will be back to the trailhead by midday usually depending on how fast your descent is and you will find your driver guide patiently waiting for you to connect to your next destination- Kigali.
You will exit DR Congo and stopover at Lake Kivu in Gisenyi for lunch and later connect further to Kigali for drop off. If there is time and you are interested, you will take on the Kigali City tour visiting the Kigali Genocide memorial grounds and Kimironko market.
End of safari
