8 d a y c u s t o mi z e d
ITINERARY
BRIEF ITINERARY DAY 1 - Arrive Kigali, Rwanda, in the morning where there will be the option to visit the museum and memorial sites of Rwanda's 1994 genocide. After lunch you will fly to Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo where you will clear customs before flying onto Mikeno Lodge, via the volcanoes to look for current activity. Overnight at Mikeno Lodge.
A rare opportunity to see the Lowland Gorillas of Kahuzi Biega national park near Bukavu, and the Mountain Gorillas in the famous Virunga national park. This itinerary allows you to combine history, culture and adventure in the legendary Congo.
DAY 2 - Chimpanzee habituation walk begins at Bukima Mobile Camp and takes a maximum of 4 hours. Bukima mobile camp is the starting point for mountain gorilla trekking in Virunga National Park. There is a new newly habituated group close to the camp which we are hopeful to see. DAY 3 - Gorilla trek begins at Bukima Ranger Station - a short walk from the camp. We hope to spend time observing 2-3 different groups this day. Lunch and overnight at Bukima Camp. DAY 4 - Gorilla trek. Return to Mikeno Lodge for the night. DAY 6 - Fly back to Mikeno Lodge where you can relax and enjoying the peaceful surroundings. Overnight at Mikeno Lodge. DAY 7 - Very early departure to Kahuzi Biega National Park. With a large number of lowland gorillas in the area, this will give us an ideal opportunity to spend time with them. In the evening we will be staying at Lake Kivu Island Camp.
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DAY 5 - Flight over the Rwenzoris. Return to Nyiragongo for the night.
REPUBLIC OF CONGO
DAY 8 - Early departure from Lake Kivu to Goma where we will clear customs before flying onto Kigali, Rwanda.
DEMOCRATIC OF CONGO
NYIRAGONGO
K AH U Z I BI EG A NAT I O NAL PARK
RWANDA
Lake Kivu BUKAVU
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A vast area of primary tropical forest dominated by two spectacular extinct volcanoes, Kahuzi and Biega, the park has a diverse and abundant fauna. The species here are Eastern Lowland Gorilla, very different from the more famous Mountain Gorillas found in the Virunga National Park, however, they are still very large, so you definitely won’t be disappointedAfter a briefing by the park ranger, you will set off into the mountainous jungle area of Kahuzi Biega National Park. Trekking for 2 to 3 hours to find the large lowland gorilla family (bring comfortable hiking boots, hat, long sleeve clothes and mosquito repellant).
NYAMURAGIRA
REPUBLIC KINSHASA
RWE N Z O R I S M O U N TA I N R A N G E
V I RU NG A NAT I O NAL PARK
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KAHUZI BIEGA NATIONAL PARK
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Covering 7,800 square kilometres (3,000 sq mi) Virunga National Park was established in 1925 as Africa's first national park. It was classified as a World Heritage Site in 1979. In later years it has become known for its mountain gorillas. It borders Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Rwenzori Mountains National Park in Uganda. The park guides will brief you at 8 am each morning of your trek, and then you will set off into the forest in search of mountain Gorillas. The time you will take searching these mystical apes is unpredictable but expect between 2-5 hours depending on their movements. Nothing beats the feeling of coming face to face with a gorilla family!
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VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK
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MIKENO LODGE Tucked into a forested hillside at Virunga National Park headquarters, Mikeno Lodge offers guestsa peaceful refuge after a day visiting mountain gorillas or climbing a volcano. The air is cool, the views impressive, and the lodging comfortable. Each of the 12 private bungalows, made from lava stone with a natural thatch roof, includes a roomy interior with cozy seating around a stone fireplace. On cool nights, the fireplace warms the bungalow, while on warm afternoons the private mahogany terrace provides a prime position for spotting the Blue and Colobus monkeys that use the surrounding trees as their playground.
Mikeno Lodge
BUKIMA MOBILE CAMP
Bukima Mobile Camp
Just outside the Virunga National Park boundary lays the Bukima Mobile Camp, which is one of the main starting points Virunga mountain gorilla treks. The views from the tent sites – or anywhere in camp for that matter – are spectacular. To the south, the view is dominated by Mt. Mikeno, whose 4437m (14,560’) summit towers over the gorilla sector. Across the valley is Nyiragongo volcano, whose lava lake colors the night sky with a red glow. Every few years, Nyamuragira volcano erupts and steals the night-time show by spewing hot lava hundreds of feet into the air. Occasionally, the mountain gorillas themselves wander into the Bukima mobile camp. Although this is highly frowned up by park staff, it never ceases to impress the guests.
VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK
Nyiragongo
THE VOLCANOES NYIRAGONGO
Nyiragongo
NYAMURAGIRA
NYIRAGONGO
Nyamuragira
Nyiragongo (also spelled Niragongo), one of the world's most beautiful and active volcanoes, is a large stratovolcano near Lake Kivu at the eastern border of DRCongo with Rwanda in the Virunga National Park. It has a 1.2 km diameter summit caldera containing the world's most active and largest lava lake. Nyiragongo is infamous for its extremely fluid lava that runs as water when the lava lake drains. On January 17, 2002, Nyiragongo erupted and the lava lake drained from fissures on its western flanks. The city centre of the Goma town, the capital of the East Virunga province, had been destroyed by voluninous lava flows.
NYAMURAGIRA Nyamuragira volcano (3058m) is a large basaltic shield volcano located about 15 km north of the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Nyamuragira is frequently active, either within the summit caldera, or more problematically from varying locations on the flanks. The flank eruptions are frequently accompanied by persistent lava fountaining, resulting in rapid enplacement of parasitic cones (of which more than 100 can be found), and lava flows which may extend for many kilometers due to the high fluidity of the potassium-rich low-silicate lava. The slopes of Nyamuragira rise gradually, in contrast to the adjacent steep-sided Nyiragongo volcano to its SE, thus extending far from the summit region.
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