5 Days Nyirangongo hike and mountain gorilla trekking safari

5 days Nyirangongo hike and mountain gorilla trekking safari

Safari overview

5 Days Nyirangongo hike and mountain gorilla trekking safari package is a perfect combined safari for tourists interested both mountain gorillas and volcano hiking, this safari package takes you to Mount Nyirangongo situated in Democratic Republic of Congo where you will sight flowing lava, volcanoes national park situated in Rwanda and a popular home for 10 habituated mountain gorillas. This safari also offers Kigali city tour and Iby’Iwacu village tour.

Highlights of the safari

Day 1: Kigali city tour
Day 2: Transfer to Goma Congo and Mount Nyirangongo hike
Day 3: Descend and transfer to volcanoes national park
Day 4: mountain gorilla trekking experience
Day 5: Iby’Iwacu cultural village tour and transfer back to Kigali

Detailed itinerary of the safari

Day 1: Kigali city tour

On the first day of the safari you will be picked from Kigali international airport upon your arrival by a safari driver from Focus East Africa Tours, from the airport you will go for a city tours visiting Gisozi genocide memorial site to learn more about the massive killing of 1994 Rwanda genocide. You will also visit kimironko local market and ‘ palace, in the evening you will have dinner and stay overnight

Day 2: Transfer to Goma Congo and Mount Nyirangongo hike

On the 2^nd of the safari you will have breakfast at your hotel in Kigali, meet your safari driver and set off for Cyangugu border (border of Rwanda and Democratic republic of Congo) to Goma and branch off to Kibatsi village which is a starting point for hiking Mount Nyirangongo. You will have lunch, then go for briefing about the hiking, hire porters and then start hiking the volcano, hiking mount Nyirangongo takes about 4-6 hours to reach the top of the Volcano depending on the physical ability and strength of the hikers. When you reach the top of the volcano you will have dinner and spend the night in the cabins.

Day 3: Descend and transfer to volcanoes national park

On the 3^rd of the safari you will have breakfast at the hut and then descend the volcano, from the foothills of the Nyirangongo volcano you will set off for a drive back to Kigali where you are to arrive at around 3 pm. You will have late lunch and then embark on a 2-3 hours drive to Volcanoes national park which is a known home for mountain gorillas with 10 habituated gorilla families, when you arrive in the park you will check into your lodge and in the evening you will have dinner and stay overnight.

Accommodation is got from

Luxury: mountain gorilla view lodge

Midrange: Da Vinci lodge

Budget: the garden palace hotel

Meal plan: breakfast, lunch and dinner (full board)

Day 4: mountain gorilla trekking experience

On the 4^th day of the safari you will wake up early in the morning for breakfast and by 6 you will drive to the park’s head quarters for briefing where rules and regulation to follow will be read to you, out of 10 mountain gorilla groups you will be assigned one gorilla group to trek. By exactly 7:00 am with your packed lunch you will head into the forests tracking down mountain gorillas in their family which takes about 3-5 hours, this activity is a bit challenging but amazing and memorable experience. According mountain gorilla rules and regulation you are to spend only one hour with the mountain gorillas and in this hour you will learn more about mountain gorillas and their playful tendencies, take pictures which will make a worthy moment for you as trekkers. After one hour you will return to the park’s headquarters and then go for an optional village tour or drive back to your lodge for relaxation. In the afternoon you will have dinner and stay overnight.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner (full board)

Day 5: Iby’Iwacu cultural village tour and transfer back to Kigali

On the 5^th and last day of the safari you will wake for morning breakfast checkout of your lodge and go for Iby’Iwacu cultural village tour in Musaze, Iby’Iwacu cultural village exhibits various cultural traditions of Rwandese people, their lifestyle, traditional dances, cultural dressings, local meals, local herbs and many more. From the cultural village you will set off for Kigali and once in Kigali you will have lunch and the be dropped off either at the hotel or at the airport for your depart flight back home.

Meal plan: Breakfast and Lunch (half board)

End of the safari

Safari inclusions