11 Days Mount Nyiragongo Climbing Tour Rwanda Gorilla Safari

11 Days Mount Nyiragongo Climbing Tour Rwanda Gorilla Safari: Highlights

Day 1: Transfer Kigali International Airport to D.R Congo

Day 2: Ascend Mount Nyiragongo

Day 3: Descend Nyiragongo

Day 4: Gorilla trekking in Greater Virunga National Park

Day 5: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park

Day 6: Chimpanzee tracking and canopy walk in the forest

Day 7: Hike to Kamiranzovu Waterfalls

Day 8: Transfer to Akagera National Park

Day 9: Game drives in the park

Day 10: Morning Game Drive and Transfer to Lake Kivu

Day 11: Transfer to Kigali

11 Days Mount Nyiragongo Climbing Tour Rwanda Gorilla Safari: Detailed Itinerary

Our guide will pick you from your hotel or airport in Kigali and then transfer to DR Congo. You may have an optional city tour of Kigali including a visit to the Kigali genocide memorial and learn about the genocide that took place in the country and how it affected the people.

The drive to Congo will take you about 4-5 hours with a stopover for lunch. On reaching Gisenyi, you will cross the border to Goma town and then drive to Mikeno lodge in Virunga, where you will have dinner and spend the night.

Dinner and overnight stay at Mikeno lodge

After breakfast at the lodge, you will get ready with your Mikeno package and then take a 30km drive to Kibati patrol station which is the Climbing starting point. The porters and guides will be waiting for you and you will then start the hike through the tropical forests.

The path to the top is a bit easy but somehow tiring. The hike will take you between 6-7 hours depending on your speed. As you hike you will expect to see various forest bird species, some mammals and the beautiful view of the surrounding hills and vegetation. At the top, you will see the lava boiling lake.

Dinner and overnight stay at Nyiragongo summit shelters.

After breakfast, you will hike a bit to have a morning view of the lava lake and the great Virunga massif and then descend back to the base. It will take you around 3 hours to reach the base where the driver will be waiting for you and then transfer back to Mikeno lodge, refresh and have lunch.

Dinner and overnight at Mikeno lodge.

After breakfast at the lodge, you will drive to Bukima park station where the park guide will shortly brief you about the activity and how you should behave around the gorillas. The trek will take around 4-6hours depending on the location of the gorillas.

When you find them, you will be given an hour to see how they spend their day and also take some photos of the gorillas. You will return to the lodge, refresh and have lunch. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

After breakfast at the lodge, you will check out and you will then be transferred by road to Nyungwe Forest National Park. Depending on the arrival time, you may have an optional nature walk around Gisakura tea estates.

Dinner and overnight stay at Nyungwe Top View Hotel

You will be transferred to the park headquarters for a briefing ahead of chimpanzee tracking. You will track chimpanzees and will have an opportunity to see other primates including the golden monkey, troops of Angola colobus, vervet monkey, silver monkey, and the Olive baboon among others.

You will also spot several bird species like the great blue turaco, the long-tailed blue bird and the paradise fly catcher among others.

You will enjoy a canopy walk in the afternoon.

Dinner and overnight stay at Nyungwe Top View Hotel

After breakfast, you will embark on the hike to the Kamiranzovu waterfall located within Nyungwe National Park. The trail which covers about 10 KM entails trekking in the compressed tropical rain forest of Nyungwe national park with extreme undergrowth.

The waterfall is divided into two parts, the lower part on huge rocks which is a beautiful spot for photography whereas the second side is in front of the falling water. You will return to the lodge for lunch and will relax by the lodge in the afternoon.

Dinner and overnight stay at Nyungwe Top View Hotel.

After breakfast, you will be transferred to Akagaera National Park by orad which is Rwanda’s biggest game conservation. You will arrive in the afternoon and you will enjoy a boat ride on Lake Ihema on arrival, in which you will have an opportunity to see several animals on the banks of the Lake. You will be taken to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay after.

Dinner and overnight stay at Akagera Game Lodge

You will start the day with an early morning game drive through the park in search of lions, Elephants, Buffalos, Masai Giraffe and many others.

You will have a lunch break to enjoy your packed/picnic lunch and you will have another game drive in the afternoon after in search of more animals including Gazelles, Impala, Baboons, Oribi, Butchel’s zebra, Topi, Bush baby, Leopard and bushbuck, Elands. You will return to the lodge in the evening for dinner and overnight stay.

Dinner and overnight stay at Akagera Game Lodge

After breakfast, you will have another morning game drive and after be transferred to Lake Kivu. On arrival, you will have lunch and enjoy a boat cruise in the afternoon.

Lake Kivu boosts great beautiful sunset and sundown views. You may also have an optional cultural walk to the fishing village.

Dinner and overnight stay at Rwiza safari lodge.

After breakfast, you will be transferred back to Kigali. You will have an optional city tour and will be transferred to the Airport for departure.