This 4 days gorillas and Nyiragongo hike tour in Democratic Republic of Congo takes you to Virunga national park to encounter mountain gorillas and trail to the summit of the active volcano. This tour seems to thrilling and scary however, it is worth an adventure more so for brave and curious tourists because they will meet eye to eye with the gentle primates as well as viewing mountain lava. This trip starts and ends in Kigali city Rwanda

4 Days Virunga Gorillas & Nyiragongo Hike Congo Highlight

Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Virunga National park

Day 2: Gorilla trekking in Virunga National Park

Day 3: Mount Nyiragongo Hiking

Details

Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Virunga National park

On arrival, meet our company representative and your guide for a briefing about this trip. Depending on your time of arrival, you may take a city tour to Kigali to visit the local markets and the memorial genocide.

Start your journey to the Virunga through Goma with an en route lunch stop-over. You will be required to clear with DR Congo immigration office at the border and later head towards the park to check in at your booked lodge for dinner and overnight stay

Accommodation Options: Mikeno Lodge (Luxury), Bukima Tented Camp (Mid-range) Nyiragongo Volcano Summit Shelters (Standard)

Day 2: Gorilla trekking in Virunga National Park

Have a morning breakfast and drive to Bukima sector for gorilla briefing sessions, document verification and allocation of trackers to mountain gorilla families.

Start a trail led by a ranger guide into the Virunga forest in search for gorillas. The gorilla trekking takes between 2 to 9 hours depending on the location and movement of the gorilla group the previous day. Upon meeting the gentle primates, spend a full hour with them, take as many photos as possible, see them swing in the tree branches and well as interacting with the family members. Later retrieve from the forest with a lot of memories. Drive back to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation Options: Mikeno Lodge (Luxury), Bukima Tented Camp (Mid-range) Nyiragongo Volcano Summit Shelters (Standard)

Day 3: Mount Nyiragongo Hiking

Wake up and take cup of coffee. Drive to Kibati patrol post to meet other hikers for a quick briefing. Later start your trail to hike to the peak of Nyiragongo volcano. This journey is approximately 5-6 hours depending on the speed of the slowest person in the group. Upon arrival to the summit, take photos and enjoy the magnificent views of the volcano before dinner and overnight at the campsite.

Day 4: Descend and Transfer to Kigali

After breakfast, descend from the summit of Mount Nyiragongo to Kibati patrol post to meet your guide and drive back to Kigali for either drop off at the hotel or airport to catch up with your flight to your next destination with an en route meal to end your 4 days Virunga Gorillas & Nyiragongo Hike in Congo

Important Information About Hiking Mountain Nyiragongo Volcano

Mountain Nyiragongo hikes always start early in the morning and hikers are advised to be at the starting point by 9am. It’s for this reason that you are advised to sleep in the nearby Goma town to give you enough time to prepare for the hike.

There are certain things you must possess in order to participate in hiking and these include a yellow fever vaccination card as a proof of receiving the vaccine, a hiking permit which is bought at a fee of $300 per hiker. The hiking permit can only be got from the national park offices or through any trusted tour operator such as Africa Adventure Vacations who will give you a ground cost figure including permit, meals as well as porter service.

Do I need to be physically fit to climb mount Nyiragongo volcano?

The most recommended tour up mountain Nyiragongo takes about 2 days for that case you don’t need to be an athlete to climb up the mountain, however you need to be in a good health condition to successfully make it to the summit.

Also bear in mind that mountain Nyiragongo surface is not generally even as its surface is characterized with volcano rocks and the altitude is high so there are always no signs such as feeling tired, dizziness and loosing courage are likely to happen.

You should know the summit is at a height of 11400 feet so the choice is in your hands to either hike slowly or fast. The porters are always available to carry your luggage at a certain fee. Most of the hikers at Nyiragongo succeed to the top.