Day 01: Arrival to Kigali – Gisenyi
Upon arrival to Kigali International Airport in Rwanda meet and assist at the airport ad transfer to Gisenyi a border town between Rwanda and the DRC beautifully located on the shores of Lake Kivu.

In the afternoon you can relax at the lodge or explore Gisenyi town. The lodge can arrange several optional activities in the area. Activities today are at your own expense.
Overnight in Lodge Paradise Malahide

Day 02: Gisenyi – Kibumba                          B-L-D
After breakfast today your driver will pick you up at 11 AM and take you to the Grand Barrier border and enter Goma, in the DRC. Your visa will be delivered at the border post and you be assisted with the border crossing procedure to unsure a hassle-free experience for you.

A driver from Virunga National Park will be waiting on the Congo side of the border to take you to your tented camp in Virunga National Park.
Overnight in Kibumba Tented Camp

Day 03: Gorilla Tracking in Virunga National Park                            B-L-D
Today you will stand eye-to-eye with the endangered Mountain Gorilla.

Virunga National Park is an UNESCO world heritage site and the oldest national park on the continent! This protected area contains very diverse terrain with the peaks of the Rwenzori mountains, erosion valleys, active volcanoes, rainforests and savannah plains.

This national park has been hidden from the public for a long time due to civil war and unrest in Eastern Congo. At this moment it is fully operational and the perfect place to track the mountain gorillas in the wild. Starting at the headquarters in Rumangabo you will go for a challenging hike in search of these gentle giants.

Overrnight Tented Camp

Day 04: Hike Nyiragongo                        B-L-D
After breakfast today your Virunga National Park driver will transfer you to the foot of the impressive Nyiragongo Volcano to start your hike to the rim. You will be provided with an overnight backpack which includes; a packed lunch, 6 litres of drinking water, a warm jacket (it gets very cold at the top!), a sleeping bag and a rain poncho. A personal cook will come along for the hike to prepare a hot meal at the summit.

You can hire a porter (USD 25 per porter) to help you carry this gear up to the top of the mountain. This is highly recommended, as you will not only be supporting the local economy but it can be quite heavy to carry all the necessary gear up over nearly 2000 meters of elevation gain!

The hike will start around 10 AM in the morning and will take about 4-6 hours to complete depending on your fitness level. The trail will take you through lush rainforests, to bare volcanic rock slopes at higher elevations. The trail can be steep and some parts covered in loose volcanic rocks, sturdy hiking boots will help you here.

There will be several stops along the way to take in the views and catch your breath. You will reach the crater rim sometime in the late afternoon and will have an extraordinary view of the crater and the biggest lava lake in the world within. You will have all evening to watch as the lava lake gets more visible and bright as the light fades with the day.

Staring into the bubbling cauldron of fire at night is one of the most incredible natural phenomenon you will ever witness. Nyiragongo is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. It last erupted in 2002 but is routinely monitored and is therefore safe for tourists to climb.

The excellent crew from Virunga National Park will make your stay comfortable. A cook will provide a hot meal in the evening and a nice big breakfast in the morning. You will spend the night in one of the basic huts located right on the crater rim. From your mattress on the floor you will be able to hear the faint roar of the volcano below and on a clear night you might see the red glow from the lava lake through the window of your hut.

Overnight in Basic hut at crater rim

Day 05: Nyiragongo – Kigali                      B-D
If you get up around 5AM you will have a chance to see the lava lake in complete darkness one last time, and watch as the sun rises over the landscape. Mornings can be a bit clearer so you may even see some of the surrouding volcanoes in the Virunga Range and maybe even the twinkling lights of Goma far below.

After a delicious breakfast made by your expedition cook you will make your way down to the base camp in Kibati around 6:30 AM. A driver from Virunga National Park will be waiting at the bottom to take you back to the border with Rwanda. Here you will be met by your driver from the start of your trip who will take you to Kigali.
Overnight in Kigali.

Day 06: Kigali – Nairobi – Masai Mara                           B-D
After breakfast transfer to Airport to catch the flight to Nairobi upon arrival meet and assist at the airport and transfer to domestic airport to catch the flight to Masaimara. Upon arrival meet and assist and transfer to tented camp.

Overnight in tented camp.

Day 07: Massai Mara                                B-L-D
Today you will have a full day of game drives ahead. Before sunrise you will try to spot different predators that might made a kill last night. You will return for breakfast at the camp while the sun rises over the game reserve.

You can decide to take a packed lunch for a full day game drives or come back at the camp for a hot lunch. The secret on sighting a lot of animals is to do different game drives on different time and areas for the highest success rate.

After this exciting day you will come back to the camp where you can relax with a cold drink on your veranda with a view of the Mara river!
Overnight in Tented camp.

Day 08: Depart Nairobi                              B
After breakfast departure transfer to airport to catch the flight for Onward Journey.

Day 01: Arrive in Kigali international Airport and Transfer to Virunga National Park in Congo.
On your arrival to Kigali international airport, you will be warmly welcomed by our professional driver guide who will transfer you to Virunga Park in Congo to start your Congo Wildlife Safari. The drive journey of about 4-5 hours without enroute stopovers is very interesting. The 5 Days safari will take you through majestic landscape sceneries dotted with unique natural setting and local populations. On arrival to the park, you will advance to the lodge to check-in, have dinner and overnight.

Day 02: Do Early Morning Gorilla trekking in Virunga National Park.
Following your early morning relaxed breakfast, you will be driven to Bukima park station in the Virunga National Park area where trekkers assemble at 7:00am to be allocated a gorilla group, be briefed on how to ”behave” while staying with a gorilla group. After the briefing, you will proceed to the appropriate starting point for the trek to confront the gorilla group you have been allocated. The length of the trek varies depending on movements of the gorillas as well as weather conditions. Meeting these gentle giants in their natural habitat is a unique and wonderful experience. When you meet these ape species, you will be given one hour to observe and take photos of these stunning Apes. After the one magical hour allocated to you, you will retire back to the trekking base and thereafter retreat back to your hotel/lodge for the late lunch and relaxation.

Day 03: Early Morning Nyiragongo Volcano Hike
After an early morning breakfast, you will embark on 30 kms transfer drive from your Mikeno lodge to Kibat Patrol Post in Nyiragongo Volcano. On arrival to the hike trail head, Park rangers will lead you with your porters to start hike to the top of Nyiragongo Volcanoes. Nyiragongo Volcano hike will take you around 4-6 hours to reach to the summit of the world’s most active Volcano. The path to the summit of the Volcano is relatively easy but a bit strenuous, often in hot and uncomfortable conditions. Along the trial, you may enjoy the views and sights of rare bird species and small mammal species. Upon reaching the top, you will enjoy the views of lakes of hot lava and relax on top of the volcano. The night will be spent in tents on the rim of the giant crater, high above the active lava lake.

Day 04: Make Decent from Nyiragongo Volcano
After an early morning breakfast, you will begin your descent by 7:00am from the summit of Nyiragongo to the head trail in Kibat Patrol Post. Arrive at the trail head before lunch and transfer back to the lodge to have lunch and relaxation.

Day 05: Transfer from Virunga national park to Bukavu
Following your early morning breakfast, you will depart Virunga national park to Bukavu. The drive transfer to Bukavu is very interesting as it will take you through impressive landscape. On arrival to Bukavu, you will connect to your pre-booked lodge/hotel for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay.

Day 06: Lowland Gorilla trekking in KahuziBiega – DR Congo and Afternoon Nature Walks
After an early morning breakfast, embark on an early morning drive transfer to the park headquarters for an early morning briefing about the dos and don’ts of lowland gorilla trekking in KahuziBiega National park. After briefing, you will head for the memorable adventure of tracking the lowland gorillas in KahuziBiega National park. Trekking lowland Gorillas offers unique experience of its own and it usually takes 1-4 hours. The lowland Gorillas stay in bigger families as compared to mountain gorillas; you will not regret the safari effort once you meet the amazing Gorillas. After one memorable hour of encounter with the lowland gorillas, you will retire back to the lodge for lunch and relaxation. After lunch, embark on an afternoon nature walk in the KahuziBiega Park .The nature walks will take you through Tshibati waterfalls, visit Bukavu town, Mbayo tea plantations, the research Centre and the surrounding traditional homes. Thereafter, retreat back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 07: Transfer from Bukavu –DR Congo back to Kigali
Following an early morning breakfast, you will embark on transfer drive to Kigali Capital City. The drive journey will take you through Bukavu in Congo crossing via Cyangugu boarder to Rwanda. You will have an en route stop in Butare, where you will visit the national museum of Rwanda, the king’s palace in Nyanza, and the Rwanda genocide memorial site. On arrival to Kigali, you will have your lunch and thereafter advance with the drive to Kigali International Air Port for your scheduled flight back home.