8 Days Kahuzi Biega & Great Apes

Summary for 8 Days Kahuzi Biega and Great Ape with Nyiragongo Hike

Day 1: Pick-up and cross to Bukavu

Depending on where you are in Kigali, our business representative-guide/driver will pick you up and drive you for around 7 hours via Nyungwe National Park with magnificent rolling hills in Rusizi, with stops for lunch and refreshment. Cross the border from Cyangugu to Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When you arrive in Bukavu, the closest town to Kahuzi Biega, proceed to your lodge for supper and an overnight stay at Hotel Panorama.

Day 2: Lowland gorilla trekking – Cyangungu

After breakfast at the resort, drive for around 45 minutes to the park headquarters for a briefing on the Eastern lowland gorillas. You will then begin your amazing adventure with lowland gorillas in the valleys of Kahuzi, where you will see many animals, birds, and primates. It’s generally a 1-6 hour jungle experience, depending on their mobility as you snap images and videos of them interacting/playing with each other.

You will then descend and meet your driver to return to your hotel for dinner and sleep at Hotel Panorama, like you did the night before.

Day 3: Boat transfer to Goma and Transfer to Mikeno Lodge

Take a speed boat from Bukavu to Goma in the early morning. This will take around 3 hours. Make sure you get at the Grande Barrière border crossing by 11:00 a.m. and check in with the Virunga tourism office. The tourist office is conveniently positioned opposite passport control in the Grande Barrière border post building. At check-in, tourism workers will provide gorilla permits. These permissions must be produced before each expedition begins. The guest will next be transferred to Mikeno Lodge, which is located at the Park headquarters in Rumangabo. After arriving at Mikeno Lodge, a late lunch will be provided, and the afternoon will be free to explore Rumangabo’s several nature paths, go bird watching, or visit Virunga’s Congo hounds.

Day 4: First Gorilla Trek

After an early breakfast at Mikeno Lodge, guests will depart for the Bukima Ranger Post gorilla walk. When trekkers arrive in Bukima, they will meet their Ranger guides and receive a briefing before beginning their gorilla trek. Treks often entail 1-2.5 hours of trekking each way, depending on the group’s location and the severity of the terrain. Trekkers will return to Bukima camp for a late lunch after spending the permitted hour with the gorillas. The rest of the day is free for guests to explore Bukima, including bird viewing and seeing the Park’s bamboo project.

Day 5: Chimpanzee trek

Guests will go for a chimp trek at 6:00 a.m. A trip with these creatures is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for guests to join our team as they research and acclimate the chimp family situated in the Mahura Forest near Rumangabo. After returning for a late breakfast, visitors are encouraged to spend the remainder of the day visiting the Park headquarters or simply resting with a book on the Mikeno Lodge terrace.

Day 6: Second Gorilla Trek

The second gorilla excursion will begin at 8:30 a.m. Upon return from the walk, a brief lunch will be provided at Bukima camp, and guests will be brought back to Mikeno Lodge after all gorilla trekkers have returned. Upon arriving at Mikeno Lodge, visitors are free to rest on the lodge terrace or see the gorilla orphans at the Senkwekwe Center.

Day 7: Nyiragongo hike

After breakfast, guests will be driven back to Goma, stopping at the Grande Barrière border station to join the crew for the Nyiragongo climb.

Report to Bukima and begin your Nyiragongo walk, which will take around 5 hours to reach the top. You will spend the night at the peak, where you will get spectacular views of the lava lake.

Day 8: Descend Nyiragongo & transfer to Kigali

You will descend Nyiragongo back to Bukima by 11 a.m. and depart Congo, arriving in Kigali late afternoon or early evening. Visit the genocide memorial site, Caplaki crafts village, and then go to your hotel or the airport for your departing flight.

Route Map

Inclusions

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