5-Days Gorilla tracking & Volcano Hike In The DRC Mountain Gorillas & Volcano Hike 

5-Days Gorilla tracking & Volcano Hike In The DRC Mountain Gorillas & Volcano Hike

4.8/5

$1499/PP

Description

This 5-day tour tour is the ultimate adventure for the intrepid traveller who wants to explore the best highlights of Eastern DR Congo. Suitable for the extreme adventurer, this tour includes a hike up the active Nyiragongo volcano to see the largest lava lake in the world, and a visit to the endangered mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park, Africa’s oldest national park.

Highlights:

  • Gorilla Trekking permits included!
  • Climb Nyiragongo volcano
  • Sleep at the rim of an active volcano

Itinerary 

Upon arrival to Kigali International Airport in Rwanda, we will be waiting to take you to Gisenyi, a border town between Rwanda and the DRC, beautifully located on the shores of Lake Kivu.

 

In the afternoon you can relax at the lodge or explore Gisenyi town. The lodge can arrange several optional activities in the area. Activities today are at your own expense.

 

Journey Time:  2-3 hours to Gisenyi

Accommodation: Paradise Malahide

Meal Plan: No meals inclusive today

After breakfast today your driver will pick you up at 11 AM and take you to the Grand Barrier border and enter Goma, in the DRC. Your visa will be delivered at the border post and you be assisted with the border crossing procedure to unsure a hassle-free experience for you.

 

A driver from Virunga National Park will be waiting on the Congo side of the border to take you to your tented camp in Virunga National Park. 

 

Journey Time: 1 hour

Accommodation: Kibumba Tented Camp

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Today you will stand eye-to-eye with the endangered Mountain Gorilla.

 

Virunga National Park is an UNESCO world heritage site and the oldest national park on the continent! This protected area contains very diverse terrain with the peaks of the Rwenzori mountains, erosion valleys, active volcanoes, rainforests and savannah plains.

 

This national park has been hidden from the public for a long time due to civil war and unrest in Eastern Congo. At this moment it is fully operational and the perfect place to track the mountain gorillas in the wild. Starting at the headquarters in Rumangabo you will go for a challenging hike in search of these gentle giants. 

 

Accommodation: Kibumba Tented Camp

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

After breakfast today your Virunga National Park driver will transfer you to the foot of the impressive Nyiragongo Volcano to start your hike to the rim. You will be provided with an overnight backpack which includes; a packed lunch, 6 litres of drinking water, a warm jacket (it gets very cold at the top!), a sleeping bag and a rain poncho. A personal cook will come along for the hike to prepare a hot meal at the summit. 

 

You can hire a porter (USD 25 per porter) to help you carry this gear up to the top of the mountain. This is highly recommended, as you will not only be supporting the local economy but it can be quite heavy to carry all the necessary gear up over nearly 2000 metres of elevation gain!

 

The hike will start around 10 AM in the morning and will take about 4-6 hours to complete depending on your fitness level. The trail will take you through lush rainforests, to bare volcanic rock slopes at higher elevations. The trail can be steep and some parts covered in loose volcanic rocks, sturdy hiking boots will help you here.

 

There will be several stops along the way to take in the views and catch your breath. You will reach the crater rim sometime in the late afternoon and will have an extraordinary view of the crater and the biggest lava lake in the world within. You will have all evening to watch as the lava lake gets more visible and bright as the light fades with the day.

 

Staring into the bubbling cauldron of fire at night is one of the most incredible natural phenomenon you will ever witness. Nyiragongo is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. It last erupted in 2002 but is routinely monitored and is therefore safe for tourists to climb.

 

The excellent crew from Virunga National Park will make your stay comfortable. A cook will provide a hot meal in the evening and a nice big breakfast in the morning. You will spend the night in one of the basic huts located right on the crater rim. From your mattress on the floor you will be able to hear the faint roar of the volcano below and on a clear night you might see the red glow from the lava lake through the window of your hut.

 

Journey time: 4-6 hours hike to the top

Accommodation: Basic hut at crater rim

Meal Plan:

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

If you get up around 5AM you will have a chance to see the lava lake in complete darkness one last time, and watch as the sun rises over the landscape. Mornings can be a bit clearer so you may even see some of the surrounding volcanoes in the Virunga Range and maybe even the twinkling lights of Goma far below.

 

After a delicious breakfast made by your expedition cook (coffee, eggs, sausage & toast) you will make your way down to the base camp in Kibati around 6:30 AM. A driver from Virunga National Park will be waiting at the bottom to take you back to the border with Rwanda. Here you will be met by your driver from the start of your trip who will take you to Kigali Airport in time for you flight. Please note that you will not be back in Kigali before 6 PM so if you are planning to fly on the same day, you will need to book a night flight.

 

Note: Accommodation for tonight is not inclusive. If you need an extra night in Kigali we will be happy to organise this for you. Contact your Travel Consultant for more information.

 

Journey Time: 3-4 hour hike & 5 hour drive to Kigali                   

Accommodation:    Not included

Meal Plan: Breakfast

This is the end of a once in a lifetime experience in DR Congo!

 

Booking Now

Chris
Chris
2021-10-15
A magnificent 19-day tour for a perfect prize! Favorite part was to get to know the guide and the driver, they are so friendly and experienced! They took us to so many beautiful places and adventures!!
Rickard O
Rickard O
2021-07-31
My experience with Roger as a tourist guide in Uganda Awsome experience! We traveled around Uganda and saw animals, climbed Mt.Elgon and visited a tribe. Our guide was very genuine and funny. The only thing I would have liked more is a breifing of the day. Other than that I totally recommend Roger as a Tourist Guide!!
Evgenia Nikulina
Evgenia Nikulina
2019-11-17
Murchison falls - a 3 day customized safari tour The Game Ranger Tours team took us to a three day safari to the Murchison falls - the national park in the north-western Uganda. The owner of the travel agency - Roger - prepared a customized programme for us. We left Kampala at about 1 pm and drove for about six hours to the park to catch the last ferry to the other side of Nile at 7pm. After crossing the river, we were accommodated in a beautiful lodge called Paraa Safari. Next morning we started early to safari game drive across the savannah grassland. Our tour guide and driver - Juuko knew every road in the park. He took us to places where we saw giraffes, buffaloes, hartebeests, antelopes, kobs, elephants and many more wild animals and birds. The drive was a fantastic experience we'll never forget. In the afternoon we got back to the lodge to have lunch and then at about 3 pm took a boat to the falls - so beautiful nature sight! On the third day, before heading back to Kampala Roger and Juuko took us to the top of the falls where we could actually see how powerfull and strong the waterfall is! On our way to Kampala we visited the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary too and were lucky to see a baby rhino and its parents. After the three full days of adventure, we safely returned to the capital. Thank you so much, Roger and Juuko, for taking care of us and for showing us how beautiful Uganda is. Hope to see you again!
caniguideyou
caniguideyou
2019-11-17
Safari to Murchison Falls 3 days full of Adventure Big thanks to Game Ranger tours a travel agency in entebbe , we traveled late from kampala direct to the park we were staying at Paraa safari lodge .so we had to catch the 7 pm last ferry crossing which we did.finally to the hotel tired from a bumpy drive these are the adventures of a jeep drive.A welcome drink from the hotel staff ,a nice tour guide juuko well organised tour from the emails with clients from Bulgaria,sofia all ended well.big thanks roger
Adam Marek B
Adam Marek B
2019-03-20
My woderful stay in Entebbe and Uganda During my stay in Entebbe, I eas able to fufil my childhood dreams, namely to touch the waters of Victoria Lake and, then, to travel to the soirces of the Nile. My best tour guide was, of course, Ras. His name has got a powerful meaning in Ethiopian, i.e. Prince. He is a genuine prince by heart, character and manner. To me, Entebbe is the city of God. Uganda and Tanzania are the countries to which I would always come back. If Africa has its heart, then the heart's two chambers are Tanzania and Uganda. To all white people like me, I wpuld like to say that the cradle of the mankind is to be found in Africa. My skin is white, but my heart is black. And I ma proud of it.
caniguideyou
caniguideyou
2019-03-14
Cycling around Entebbe Game Ranger Provided us with his rented Bicycles And guided us for 3 hours to the best spots in entebbe.,roger is a nice guide i highly recommend his services to anyone who wants a guided tour of entebbe .roger too told us his local guiding services go beyond entebbe as he has set up his private tour company .