This exciting 8 Days Rwanda and Nyiragongo hiking Safari takes place in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Trekking lowland gorillas in Kahuzi Biega National Park, hiking Mount Nyiragongo, and trekking mountain gorillas twice in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park and in Virunga National Park.
8 Days Rwanda and Nyiragongo hiking Safari Highlights.
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Day 1: Transfer from Kigali to Volcanoes National Park
Day 2: Gorilla trekking
Day 3: Transfer to Bukavu – DR Congo
Day 4: Lowland Gorilla Trekking
Day 5: Transfer to Goma and Virunga national park
Day 6: Mountain Gorilla trekking at the Virunga national park
Day 7: Mount Nyiragongo Hiking
Day 8: Descend the Nyiragongo and Transfer to Goma and Back to Rwanda
Detailed itinerary.
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Day 1: Transfer from Kigali to Volcanoes National Park.
On the first day of 8 Days Rwanda and Nyiragongo hiking Safari. Your tour guide will welcome you at your Kigali hotel or Kigali International Airport, and give you a briefing on your upcoming safari, and take you to Kigali city tour where you are going to see various attractions in the city including Kimironko market and many others like the genocide sites. With lunch in the city. After lunch you will drive you to Volcanoes National Park. Upon your arrival you will check in your lodge for dinner, relaxation and overnight stay.
Day 2: Gorilla trekking.
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On the second day of 8 days Rwanda and Nyiragongo hiking safari. Wake up early in the morning and be served with a hearty breakfast. After breakfast in the early morning meet with your safari guide, and you will drive a short distance to the Volcanoes National Park headquarters where the park ranger will give you a briefing on the gorilla trekking excursion. After the briefing you will be grouped into different groups of 8 members per group and explore the jungles of the park to do gorilla trekking with the presence of park ranger. Gorilla trekking is a fascinating pastime that might last from thirty minutes to three hours. The hikers must be in good physical shape because the terrain is occasionally rugged. After finding the gorillas, you will spend an hour with them before returning to your lodge for lunch. Later that day, you will go on a community walk around nearby communities in the forest to Batwa people. Get to know the locals and discover their way of life. After you will go back to your lodge for dinner, relaxation and overnight stay.
Day 3: Transfer to Bukavu – DR Congo.
On the third day of 8 days Rwanda and Nyiragongo hiking safari. Get up early, have breakfast at your lodge, check out from your lodge meet your driver guide and then drive to Cyangugu border with your guide. You will travel to Butare, Rwanda’s second-largest city, for lunch before visiting the national museum, the king’s palace, and the genocide site. The largest freshwater lake in Rwanda, Lake Kivu, will be clearly visible to you. Reach DR Congo in the evening, check in your lodge for dinner, relaxation and overnight stay.
Day 4: Lowland Gorilla Trekking.
On the fourth day of 8 days Rwanda and Nyiragongo hiking safari. The lowland gorillas in Democratic Republic of the Congo are found in Kahuzi Biega national park, so you’ll need to get up early to go on your second gorilla trek and served with delicious breakfast together with your packed lunch you will meet your safari guide. And proceed to the park headquarters for the briefing about the rules and regulations to follow during gorilla trekking. After the briefing you will experience the park jungles to look for the eastern lowland gorillas with the presence of the professional park ranger. Compared to mountain gorillas, lowland gorillas live in larger families. The lowland gorilla trekking takes a period of thirty minutes to 6 hours, you will see various biodiversity in the jungles while looking for the gorillas. And once the gorillas are found you will spend one hour with the gorillas while observing their characters, taking them pictures, recording their videos, watching them play feed. After one hour you will go back to the starting point and receive the gorilla trekking certificates for participating in lowland gorilla trekking. After, you’ll take a stroll through nature in the Kahuzi Biega Park, where you’ll also see the Tshibati waterfalls, Bukavu Town, Mbayo tea plantations, the research facility, and the nearby traditional residences. After return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Transfer to Goma and Virunga national park.
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On the fifth day of 8 days Rwanda and Nyiragongo hiking safari. Wake up early in the morning and take breakfast. You will cross back to Rwanda, drive on the Rwanda Side until when you reach Goma town and cross back into the DR Congo. With various attractions in the area. You will have lunch in the town and tour to various places, and later alone you will be taken to your lodge for dinner, evening relaxation and overnight stay while preparing for tomorrow’s activity that is gorilla trekking.
Day 6: Mountain Gorilla trekking at the Virunga national park.
On the six day of 8 days Rwanda and Nyiragongo hiking safari. Wake up early in the morning and take breakfast. Together with packed lunch and meet with your safari guide and be taken to the park headquarters for the briefing about rules and regulations to follow during gorilla trekking. After the briefing you will be grouped in various groups of eight members per group with the presence of well experienced guide. And then explore the jungles to look for gorillas the activity takes a period of thirty minutes to 6 hours. Along the way you will spot the various plant species, bird species and animal species. And once the gorillas are spotted the trekkers are spotted you will be given one hour to be in presence of the gorillas watching them feed, play, taking their pictures, recording their videos. And after one hour you will go back to the starting point to receive the gorilla trekking certificates for taking part in gorilla trekking. After you will be transferred back to Goma.
Day 7: Mount Nyiragongo Hiking.
On the seven day of 8 days Rwanda and Nyiragongo hiking safari. Wake up early in the morning and take a hearty breakfast. You meet your safari guide and you will travel to the park’s administrative centre after breakfast for a briefing on the Nyiragongo hiking excursion. After that, you’ll set off on your 4-5 hour walk up the active volcano Mount Nyiragongo. Until you reach the summit, you will walk through a thick jungle while spotting beautiful and attractive bird species, plant species and among others along the way. As you observe the lava boiling, you will spend the evening taking in the scenery from the crater. You will spend the night at one of the camps at the crater.
Day 8: Descend the Nyiragongo and Transfer to Goma and Back to Rwanda.
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On the eighth day of 8 days Rwanda and Nyiragongo hiking safari. Wake up early in the morning and take breakfast. After breakfast, you will descend from Nyiragongo and travel to Goma with lunch enroute before arriving at the airport or your hotel in Kigali.
End of 8 Days Rwanda and Nyiragongo hiking Safari