11 days Congo Gorilla Safari and Tchegera Island Retreat : Take on an 11-day Congo Gorilla safari and Tchegera Island Retreat to see the best of what the Democratic Republic of the Congo has to offer.
A double mountain gorilla excursion allows you to see both mountain and lowland gorillas. You’ll also get to spend time with the chimps and walk up one of the world’s most active volcanic volcanoes. Spend some time at Gisenyi on Lake Kivu and also explore the Tchegera Island resort.
This Congo safari may be arranged at any time of year and is great for primate and adventure travel enthusiasts. This safari begins in Kigali and concludes in Kigali, Rwanda.
Trip highlights for 11 Days Congo Gorilla Safi and Tchegera Island Retreat.
- Day 1: Kigali to Gisenyi
- Day 2: Transfer to Virunga national park
- Day 3: Mountain gorilla trekking in Virunga national park
- Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking in Virunga national park
- Day 5: Second mountain gorilla trekking in Virunga national park
- Day 6: Hike up the Mount Nyiragongo
- Day 7: Hike down the Mount Nyiragongo and transfer to Tchegera Island
- Day 8: Day at the Tchegera Island
- Day 9: Speed boat to Bukavu
- Day 10: Lowland gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega national park
- Day 11: Transfer back to Kigali
Detailed Itinerary for 11 Days Congo Gorilla Safari and Tchegera Island Retreat
Day 1: Pickup in Kigali and Transfer to Gisenyi- Lake Kivu
When you are ready to begin your Rwanda safari, you will meet your driver guide and begin your trip to Gisenyi town. You will take an enroute Kigali city tour, stopping at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Grounds and the Kimironko market, where you will meet with local Rwandan artisans and purchase gifts to take home.
You will then travel to Musanze town for lunch at an authentic Rwandan restaurant before heading to Gisenyi for an evening boat excursion to see the sunset on the sea. Enjoy some bird watching while on a Lake Kivu boat ride.
Connect to your hotel in Gisenyi, where you will check in and spend the night. You will be fed dinner and will spend the night in Gisenyi. Dinner and overnight stay at Paradise Malahide/ Le Palm Beach Hotel/Lake Kivu Serena
Day 2: Transfer to Virunga national park
Have breakfast at your hotel and pack your stuff before checking out of your Gisenyi hotel. You will drive at your leisure into the Democratic Republic of the Congo. You will link to the Grande Barrier border facility to check in with the Virunga national park tourism office, which is located just across from the immigration office.
Receive your permits for your upcoming activities in Virunga National Park and link to join the other tourists and the Virunga security crew on their way to your hotel in Virunga National Park. You’ll get to your hotel in time for a late lunch and will settle in.
The remainder of the evening will be free for you to relax before supper and your first night in the Virunga National Park. Dinner and overnight stay at Mikeno Lodge/ Bukima Tented Camp/ Kibumba Tented Camp
Day 3: Mountain gorilla trekking in Virunga national park
After breakfast, you will proceed to the Bukima ranger police post for a briefing before to your mountain gorilla trekking adventure in Virunga National Park. After the briefing, you will follow the ranger guides into the jungle in search of mountain gorillas.
Once you’ve met them, spend an hour with them, shooting photographs and learning about how gorillas interact in their natural habitat. Return to your lodge for a late lunch and spend the rest of the day relaxing while you wait for supper to be served. The next night will be spent in the same lodge as the previous night.
Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking in Virunga national park
On the 4th day of your 11 days Congo Gorilla Safari and Tchegera Island Retreat, You will wake up early for your chimp trekking adventure, where you will join a group of people that have become used to the chimp family of the Mahura forest in Virunga National Park. You will be able to hear these primates making noise from a distance until you approach closer to them. Spend some time in the company of these amusing primates.
Exit the forest and return to the hotel for a late breakfast and to relax while you wait for lunch. If you are staying at the Mikeno lodge, you may visit the Senkwekwe gorilla orphanage or the Virunga national park headquarters after lunch. Return to your accommodation for supper before spending another night in Virunga National Park.
Day 5: Second mountain gorilla trekking in Virunga national park
On this day, you will return to the Virunga National Park for your second gorilla encounter. After breakfast, you will return to the Bukima ranger post, where the hikes begin.
Enjoy the gorillas for another day, then return to your accommodation to remember as you wait for supper, and spend another night in the Virunga National Park.
Day 6: Hike up the Mount Nyiragongo
Prepare a light breakfast and pack your bags before heading out to the Mount Nyiragongo trailhead. You will trek uphill for around 5 hours, with two quick rest stops, until reaching the summit in the early evening hours.
As the day progresses, settle back and enjoy the views of the sunset from the summit and the red boiling magma on a clear night. Dinner and a night will be spent at the summit shelters of Mount Nyiragongo.
Day 7: Hike down the Mount Nyiragongo and transfer to Tchegera Island
Get up early to witness the sunrise and breakfast. Make your way back to the Mount Nyiragongo trailhead, arriving around lunchtime. You will descend for around 5 hours, and your driving guide will meet you at the bottom to take you to Goma for lunch.
After that, you’ll link to the Goma port to get a boat to Tchegera Island. You’ll arrive in plenty of time to settle in and enjoy the remainder of the evening at Tchegera Island Retreat Camp.
Day 8: Day at the Tchegera Island
You will wake up for a luxurious breakfast at your hotel and spend the rest of the day at leisure taking on island activities like snorkeling, paddle boarding, kayaking or take on a nature walk in the virgin trails on Island.
You will have dinner and spend another night at the Tchegera Island Retreat Camp.
Day 9: Speed boat transfer to Bukavu
You will check out of the hotel immediately after breakfast and wait for the speed ferry to Bukavu. This is a three-hour speed boat ride, and you’ll arrive in Bukavu in the evening, just in time to check in and enjoy supper at your hotel. Spend the first night of your trip in Bukavu with dinner and overnight stay at Hotel Elizabeth (Budget)/ Panorama Hotel (Midrange)/ Orchid Hotel (Luxury)
Day 10: Lowland gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega national park
After breakfast, you will be driven to the Kahuzi Biega national park headquarters for a briefing on the lowland gorilla walk. Your ranger escorts will bring you into the forest directly beyond the briefing site, which is a less arduous journey because you will be traveling on level territory.
You will encounter the lowland gorillas and spend an hour with them before leaving the jungle and returning to your accommodation in Bukavu. You’ll spend another night in Bukavu.
Day 11: Transfer back to Kigali
You and your driver guide will return to Kigali from Bukavu via the Rusizi border immediately after breakfast. This is a 7 to 8 hour road trip with a lunch break on way. If you’re interested, you may stop by the Butare Ethnographic Museum and the King’s Palace on the way.
End of trip