The Virunga Classic

The Virunga Classic is a trip to Congo that will last you up to 5 days including one-night accommodation at Mikeno Lodge, one-night accommodation at Bukima Tented Camp, two gorilla treks, two additional nights’ accommodation at Mikeno Lodge and one night stay on Nyiragongo volcano. This Virunga Classic package departs Goma on Monday and Wednesdays at 11:00.

Day 1: Guests arrive at the Grande Barriere border crossing by 10:00 am and then they ensure check-in with Virunga tourism office by 11:00am. The tourism office is conveniently located in the Grande Barriere border post building, opposite passport control. The guests shall be provided with gorilla trekking permits and volcano trek permits. These permits must be presented before the start any of the treks. Guests will then be transported to Mikeno Lodge at the Park headquarters in Rumangabo once they are done checking in with the tourism office. When the guests arrive at mikeno lodge, they will be served late lunch and in the afternoon, they can enjoy their leisure, including exploring Rumangabo’s several nature trails, bird watching or paying a visit to the Virunga Congo hounds.

Day 2: Guests shall have early breakfast and will set off for the first gorilla trek at Bukima Ranger Post. When the trekkers reach Bukima post, trekkers will meet their Ranger guides and local pisteurs to receive a briefing before starting the gorilla trek. The gorilla treks usually take about 3 hours of hiking each way and the depend on the location of the gorilla group being trekked and the difficulty of the terrain. When the guests meet the mountain gorillas, they will spend at least 1 hour observing and taking photos and later they shall return to Bukima camp where a late lunch will be served. Guests will have the rest of the afternoon off to explore Bukima including bird watching and visiting the Park’s bamboo project.

Day 3: At 8:30am, guests will start their second gorilla trek. When they return, a quick lunch will be served at Bukima and when all gorilla trekkers have returned, guests will be transported back to Mikeno Lodge. When the guests reach the lodge, they will have their afternoon at own leisure, free to explore the Park HQ or cosy up with a nice book by the fire.

Day 4: This is a day to relax, explore and enjoy the peaceful surroundings of Mikeno Lodge.

Day 5: Guests wake up early morning, take breakfast and will be transported to the Kibati Ranger Post which is the departure point for the Nyiragongo volcano trek. When the trekkers reach Kibati, climbers will receive a briefing and the have the opportunity to hire porters who help them carry their luggage. The climb up the volcano takes around four to six hours and trekkers will overnight on the summit.

Day 6: Early in the morning, climbers will leave the crater rim and start the descent back to Kibati. Average descent time is four hours. Once at the bottom, guests will be transported back to Goma town with drop-off at the Grande Barriere border crossing.

Included in this package:

Three nights’ accommodation at Mikeno Lodge
One-night accommodation at Bukima Tented Camp
Two gorilla trek permits, one volcano trek permit One-night stay on Nyiragongo summit
All transport to, from and within Virunga National Park once in country.

Not included in this package:

Drinks
Rental of Nyiragongo backpack
Porter fees
Gratuities and anything of personal nature.

*VIRUNGA CLASSIC IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR BOOKING UNTIL THE 1ST OF JULY 2019*