6 Days Congo Great Ape Safari | Chimps, Gorillas & Nyiragongo hike
This 6 days Congo Great Ape Safari includes a double gorilla trek, chimpanzee trekking, and a Mount Nyiragongo hike, all in Virunga National Park, Congo.
This 6 days Great Ape Safari Congo (chimps, Gorillas and Nyiragongo hike) starts and ends in Kigali. Virunga National Park is one of the most visited destinations in the Democratic Republic of Congo and it’s the only park in Congo to encounter the endangered mountain gorillas and volcanoes within the Virunga massif. Virunga National Park is situated on the border with Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.
The park harbors Mount Nyiragongo, the most active volcano of all the 8 volcanoes within the Virunga Massif, making it a top attraction in the park after gorillas.
Safari Highlights
- Day 1: Transfer to Goma city
- Day 2: First Gorilla trekking in Virunga national park
- Day 3: Second Gorilla trekking in Virunga national park
- Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking in Virunga national park
- Day 5: Mount Nyiragongo Hike (Ascend)
- Day 6: Descend Mount Nyiragongo and depart to Kigali
Detailed Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Transfer to Goma city
Transfer to Goma: On day 1 of 6 days of the Great Ape Safari Congo (chimps, Gorillas and Nyiragongo hike), you will be welcomed by our company representative upon landing at Kigali International Airport and set off on a drive to Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo via Grande Barrier, where you will be cleared to obtain your Congo visa and proceed to pick up your permits before being transferred directly to your lodge for check-in, dinner and overnight sleep.
Meal plan: lunch and dinner
Accommodation.
- Kibumba tented camp (Budget)
- Bukima tented camp (Mid-range)
- Mikeno lodge (Luxury)
Day 2: First Gorilla trekking in Virunga national park
1st gorilla trekking safari: After breakfast on day 2 of 6 days Great Ape Safari in Congo (chimps, Gorillas and Nyiragongo hike): bring some snacks, drinking water and wear the suitable gorilla trekking gear. Meet your driver for a transfer to the Bukima police post to meet rangers for a briefing.
After the briefing, you will be grouped into a group of 8 trekkers and then enter the forest to search for the habituated gorillas. Upon landing at the gorillas, you have just 1 hour in their presence, taking photographs and interacting with them, before exiting the forest and returning to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meal plan: breakfast, lunch and dinner
Accommodation.
- Kibumba tented camp (budget)
- Bukima tented camp (Mid-range)
- Mikeno lodge (Luxury)
Day 3: Second Gorilla trekking in Virunga national park
2nd gorilla trekking safari: Today you have a second trek in the wilderness of Virunga National Park. Start your day 3 of 6 days of the Great Ape Safari Congo (chimps, Gorillas and Nyiragongo hike) with a morning breakfast, after which you will return to the forest for the 2nd encounter with the mountain gorillas in their natural habitats taking photographs and watching gorillas closely as they play, feed, copulate and much more.
You will as well be rewarded with stunning encounters with other forest dwellers, including other primates, mammals, birds and many more that will make your entire gorilla trekking adventure more fascinating. After spending an hour with gorillas, get out of the forest back to the lodge for dinner and night rest.
Meal plan: breakfast, lunch and dinner
Accommodation.
- Kibumba tented camp (budget)
- Bukima tented camp (Mid-range)
- Mikeno lodge (Luxury)
Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking in Virunga national park
Chimpanzee trekking in virunga national park: After breakfast on day 4 of 6 days Great Ape Safari Congo (chimps, Gorillas and Nyiragongo hike): embark on a chimpanzee trekking safari in the wilderness of Virunga National Park, where you will spend time with the gentle giants in their natural habitats, taking photographs and many more. After one hour, you will exit the forest back to your lodge for dinner and a night’s sleep.
Meal plan: breakfast, lunch and dinner
Accommodation.
- Kibumba tented camp (budget)
- Bukima tented camp (Mid-range)
- Mikeno lodge (Luxury)
Day 5: Mount Nyiragongo Hike (Ascend)
Mount Nyiragongo Hike (Ascend): After breakfast on day 5 of 6 days of the Great Ape Safari Congo (chimps, Gorillas and Nyiragongo hike), pack all the necessary equipment for the Mount Nyiragongo hike, including a sleeping bag, warm attire, garden gloves, waterproof hiking boots, a cap, sun glasses and many more things, then be transferred to Kibati Ranger Post, where the hike to the summit of Nyiragongo starts.
While at Kibati, you will meet with other hikers for a briefing and then, by 10:00am, set off on a hike via stunning vegetation at the base where you will spot some wildlife like primates, mammals, birds and many more. Along the hike, you will have a stopover for a picnic lunch and then proceed to the top of Mount Nyiragongo, where you will spend an entire night all by yourself viewing the boiling lava lake and the neighboring city of Goma.
Accommodation: Tent at the summit of Nyiragongo
Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 6: Descend Mount Nyiragongo and depart to Kigali
Descend Mount Nyiragongo: Arise and shine at the summit of Nyiragongo on day 6 of 6 days. Great Ape Safari Congo (chimps, Gorillas and Nyiragongo hike) and then have a brief breakfast and meet other hikers to start descending back from the summit of Nyiragongo to Kibati ranger post.
Descending is easier than ascending and it will reward you with views of the neighboring volcanoes, including Virunga National Park and Neighboring Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, the land of a thousand hills and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, the pearl of Africa.
Once you get to Kibati, you will be picked up and embark on a drive to Goma, where you will obtain a Rwanda visa and be driven to Kigali City for a brief city tour and departures.
Meal plan: Breakfast and Lunch
End of 6 Days Congo Great Ape Safari
