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Virunga National Park (covering an area of 790,000 ha) comprises an outstanding diversity of habitats, ranging from swamps and steppes to the snowfields of Rwenzori at an altitude of over 5,000 m, and from lava plains to the savannahs on the slopes of volcanoes. Mountain gorillas are found in the park, some 20,000 hippopotamuses live in the rivers and birds from Siberia spend the winter there.
Included/Excluded
- Meet & greet and all transfers
- Land transportation in 4WD all inclusive
- Domestic flight Mbandaka – Kinshasa
- All entries and visits as mentioned in the program
- Single accommodation in BB
- Meals on in the Ituri Forest and all through the way on the Congo River
- An English speaking guide
- Mineral water along the tour
- International flight, visa and airport taxes, travel insurance
- Laundry
- Tips and gratuities
- All needs of personal nature not mentioned in the program
- Unforeseen circumstances/force majeure
- Other meals
Day 1: Kigali Serena Kigali
you will be welcome by your guide who will usher you to your car and get you transferred to your hotel for check-in. In the middle of the afternoon if you are fit, we may go for a Kigali City tour visiting among others the Genocide Memorial.
Day 2: Kigali – Goma Lac Kivu Lodge
In the morning after breakfast, we leave Kigali and depart for a five hours’ drive to Goma via Gisenyi the Rwandan frontier, for Goma in the Democratic Rep. of Congo. where we spend the night.
In the afternoon, we go for a city tour of this small volcanic town. We visit the art gallery, the market, and the other avenues of the city by sightseeing. Goma is a ‘black& Green’ city predominantly settled on an active volcanic mountain with the last eruption recorded in 2002. While the black outlook of the town derives from the volcanic soil, the verdant landscape of the area comes from the surrounding rain forest. The town has seriously suffered the effects of the 2002 devastating eruption, the 4th in a space of 100 years – as well as the M23 turmoil that happened around the city; however, Goma is still consider the center of tourism in the DRC thanks to its vicinity to numerous touristic sites including the Mount Nyiragongo, the Virunga NP, and the abundant crater Lakes (Kivu & Green).
Day 3: Goma – Mikeno Mikeno Lodge
Very early in the morning we depart for the area of the area of Mikeno (or Bunanga – depending on which of the Gorilla group is available by the time of booking confirmation) for our Gorilla Safari. Virunga NP is one of the most famous and a remote park in sub-Saharan Africa for it hosts the largest remaining population of Mountain Gorillas in Africa. Including these amazing primates, the park is also home to other apes like chimps, lowland gorillas, birds and others. We’re allowed to spend an hour in the close vicinity of the Gorillas after having located them through a guided forest trek. We get back to the lodge later in the afternoon: Mikeno Lodge is a beautiful lodge settled in the midst of wilderness, offering a spectacular sight of the Albertine Rift as well as the Nyiragongo & Mikeno volcanoes. It is a breathtaking place from where you will enjoy a deserved rest after the jungle trek.
Day 4: Mikeno – Nyiaragongo Cabana Nyiragongo
This morning we leave the Mikeno premises for the patrol post of Kibati that lays in the region of Rumangabo that is attainable after an hour drive. After check-in, we commence our ascension over lush vegetation and wildlife with great chances to spot one of the numerous species found in the area including the bushbuck, chimps and various monkeys. Climbing this mountain is a revelation in itself! Adjacent to the mountains are great collection of beautiful crate Lakes, of which one is 2000 m long. Reaching the summit is a whole day trip (08h), and we spend the night in the affordable cabanas on the top of the mountain. While these cabins don’t offer luxury, they’re however comfortable enough to accommodate a sleeping bag/mat for a silent and cold night. From the top the mountain, we have a wide view over the wildlife and lakes as far as eyes can see.
Day 5: Nyiaragongo – Gisenyi Paradis Malahide
In the late morning we descend the mountain on our way back to “Civilization”. The descend can take three hours or so a soon as we get to the felt land, we board our car for Gysenyi where we spend the night.
Day 6: Gisenyi – Kigali Serena Kigali
Before leaving Gisenyi this morning, we embark on an impressive hike along the Congo-Nile trails that offer a stunning panoramic view of the hilly landscapes and Lake Kivu as well as intimate encounter with the Rwandan country people as they go by their farming activities. We might have the opportunity here to stop by a coffee plantation before finally departing to Kigali which we attain in the afternoon.
Day 7: Kigali city tour – return flight
In the morning we visit the Market and a couple of hours before our scheduled flight we leave the hotel for the airport so as to check-in for the connecting flight back home. Tour ends.