8 days Lwiro chimps, Virunga mountain gorillas and Nyiragongo safari
8 days Lwiro chimps, Virunga mountain gorillas and Nyiragongo safari is a combined safari package offering a tour in two countries that is Rwanda and the Democratic republic of Congo, on this safari you visit Lwiro chimpanzee sanctuary in Rwanda and Virunga national park in the Democratic republic of Congo. The safari offers safari experiences like chimpanzee tracking, mountain gorilla trekking, Kigali city tour, and mount Nyiragongo hiking. This safari begins and ends in Kampala.
Highlights of the 8 days Lwiro chimps, Virunga mountain gorillas and Nyiragongo safari
- Day 1: Arrival in Kigali (Rwanda)
- Day 2: Transfer from Kigali to Bukavu in Democratic Republic of Congo
- Day 3: Transfer to Lwiro chimpanzee Sanctuary
- Day 4: Transfer to Goma
- Day 5: Transfer to Virunga national park
- Day 6: mountain gorilla trekking experience
- Day 7: Nyiragongo volcano hiking
- Day 8: descend the volcano and transfer back to Kigali
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Kigali (Rwanda)
- Arrival in Kigali (Rwanda): On the 1st day of the safari you will be picked from the airport upon arrival by your safari driver who is a representative of Focus East Africa Tours, depending on the time of your arrival you will have a short Kigali tour visiting sites like kimironko market, Kigali genocide memorial sites and many others. In the evening you will return to your lodge, have dinner and stay overnight.
Day 2: Transfer from Kigali to Bukavu in Democratic Republic of Congo
- Transfer from Kigali to Bukavu: On the 2nd of the safari you will be picked from your hotel in Kigali after early morning breakfast, your driver will give you a short briefing and drive back southwards heading to Cyangugu border on your way to Bukavu in the Democratic republic of Congo. On your way you will make a stopover at the national museum of Rwanda in Butare, the king’s palace in Nyanza and the Rwanda genocide memorial site. You will also have en-route lunch, after crossing the Cyangugu border (border of Rwanda and Democratic republic of Congo). When you arrive in Bukavu you will drive to your hotel and in the evening you will have dinner and stay overnight. Accommodation is got from Panorama Hotel or Hotel Elizabeth
Day 3: Transfer to Lwiro chimpanzee Sanctuary
- Transfer to Lwiro chimpanzee Sanctuary: On the 3rd day of the safari you will have early morning breakfast, meet your safari driver and drive to Lwiro chimpanzee sanctuary for chimpanzee tracking experience, in the Lwiro Chimpanzee Sanctuary you will have an opportunity to spend more time with the chimpanzees and learning more about them with researchers . You also get to take amazing pictures, you will spend the whole day in Lwiro chimpanzee sanctuary and from your visit you will drive back to your hotel and stay overnight.
Day 4: Transfer to Goma
- Transfer to Goma: On the 4th day of the safari you will have breakfast and get on a boat from Bukavu to Goma, from Bukavu to Goma it is a boat ride of about 6-7 hours and upon your arrival you will transfer to your hotel and in the evening you will have dinner and stay overnight. Accommodation is got from La Joie Plaza Hotel
Day 5: Transfer to Virunga national park
- Transfer to Virunga national park: On the 5th day of the safari you will be picked from your hotel after morning breakfast and embark on your drive to Virunga national park, Virunga national park is a known habitat for the wonderful mountain gorillas with habituated individuals which are trekked on mountain gorilla trekking experience. when you arrive in the Virunga national park you will check into your camp/lodge, have lunch and in the afternoon you will have go for an afternoon bird watching and nature walk in Kibumba village. In the evening you will have dinner and stay overnight. Accommodation is got from Kibumba Tented Camp
Day 6: mountain gorilla trekking experience
- mountain gorilla trekking experience; On the 6th day of the safari you will have early morning breakfast, meet your safari driver and head to the park’s headquarters for briefing about mountain gorilla trekking experience. At the headquarters a ranger will read you the rules and regulations to be following while trekking for mountain gorillas then trek into the forests of Virunga. When you find the mountain gorillas you will spend one hour with the mountain gorillas and in this hour trekkers are free to take pictures of the mountain gorillas in their nature habitat, watch mountain gorillas feed their young ones. After one hour you will trek back to the park’s headquarters then drive back to your lodge, have late lunch and in the evening you will have dinner and stay overnight.
Day 7: Nyiragongo volcano hiking
- Nyiragongo volcano hiking: On the 7th day of the safari you will have breakfast in Kibumba and drive to Kibati ranger post for a briefing which starts at 08:15 am, ranger guide will read to you the rules and regulations to follow on this experience, also acquire hiking equipment and hire a porter. From Kibati ranger post you will drive to the hiking starting point with your packed lunch and start your hiking heading to the summit of volcano Nyiragongo, hiking mount Nyiragongo takes about 4-6 hours depending on your physical ability. On this day you will spend the night at the camp on the summit of the volcano. Meal plan: full board (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Day 8: Descend the volcano and transfer back to Kigali
- Descend the volcano and transfer back to Kigali: On the 8th and last day of the safari you will have early morning breakfast and at exactly 12am in the dark hours of the night you will start descending the volcano, when you get the starting point you will exit the park and set off on your drive back to Kigali. When you reach in Kigali you will have lunch at the hotel and then be dropped either at the hotel or at Kigali international airport for your departure flight back home. Meal plan: half board (breakfast and lunch)
End of 8 days Lwiro chimps, Virunga Mountain gorillas and Nyiragongo safari
Safari inclusions
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Chimpanzee visit
- Hiking fees
- Park entrance fees
- Congo Visa fee
- Vehicle entrance fees
- all accommodation as per itinerary
- 4X4 safari vehicle & Fuel
- Full-time English/ French speaking driver/ guide
- Bottled mineral water while on safari
Safari exclusions
- Tips
- Rwanda Visa fees
- Air tickets
- All items of personal nature like laundry, porters, phone calls, beer, etc
- Activities not included in the itinerary
- Extra accommodation not included in the itinerary
