6 Days Virunga Primates & Mount Nyiragongo Safari

Senkwenkwe Gorilla Orphanage

6 Days Virunga Primates & Mount Nyiragongo Safari (Great Ape safari) : Spend six days in the Virunga national park exploring all the highlights, including the mountain gorillas, the chimpanzee family in Mahura Forest, the Senkwekwe gorilla orphanage and a walk up Mount Nyiragongo, one of the area’s active volcanoes.

Book this safari in Virunga National Park if you’re looking for the ideal Congo experience. This package is available for booking all year long, however please note that it only departs from Goma on Mondays and Wednesdays. It begins in Kigali and concludes there in Rwanda.

Trip highlights of the 6 Days Virunga Primates & Mount Nyiragongo Safari.

Day 1: Drive from Kigali to Mikeno lodge.

Day 2: Mountain gorilla trekking in Virunga national park.

Day 3: Second mountain gorilla trek in DR Congo.

Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking and Senkwekwe gorilla orphanage.

Day 5: Hike up Mount Nyiragongo.

Day 6: Descend Mount Nyiragongo and back to Kigali/ Goma.

Detailed itinerary.

Day 1: Drive from Kigali to Mikeno lodge.

On your first day of 6 Days Virunga Primates & Mount Nyiragongo Safari. Your driving guide will pick you up from your hotel and give you a briefing about the 6 days safari. From Kigali, you will set off on a road trip to the Virunga National Park. The Grande Barrier border building, where you will check in and acquire your activity permits, is a five-hour journey away. A glass of juice will be served as you arrive, and you can then sit in for a late lunch. And check in. Later you will unwind on the lodge’s patio. You will spend your first night in Virunga at Mikeno Lodge after dinner.

Day 2: Mountain gorilla trekking in Virunga national park.

On your second day of 6 Days Virunga Primates & Mount Nyiragongo Safari. To participate in the first mountain gorilla trek in Virunga, you must rise at 6 am, eat a quick breakfast, and leave for the briefing before the gorilla trekking at 7 am. The Bukima police station will host the briefing. Depending on how deep into the forest the gorilla family is on the given day, you will move through the forest in search of the mountain gorillas for 2 to 3 hours until you come across them.

Spend one hour at a distance of six metres from the mountain gorillas, then drive to the Bukima tented camp for a late lunch and the remainder of the day. You will have dinner and retire at Bukima tented camp for this second night.

Day 3: Second mountain gorilla trek in DR Congo.

On your third day of 6 Days Virunga Primates & Mount Nyiragongo Safari. Wake up early in the morning and be served with a hearty breakfast. You’ll travel to the Bukima ranger station, go to the pre-trek briefing, and then walk into the forest. Depending on how deep into the forest the gorilla family is on the given day, you will trek through the forest in search of the mountain gorillas for 2 to 3 hours until you come across them.

Spend an hour seeing mountain gorillas from a distance of six metres before returning to Mikeno Lodge for the evening. If you have the energy, you can as well stop by the Virunga tourism offices while heading for lunch and come back in time for dinner. We’ll spend the night at Mikeno Lodge.

Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking and Senkwekwe gorilla orphanage.

On the fourth day of your Congo safari, you will wake up early in the morning and be served with a hearty breakfast, from their you’ll head into Mahura Forest in search of the chimpanzee family. You will follow the group of researchers into the forest after the pre-trek brief. Since chimpanzees are playful animals, you may observe them swinging from one tree branch to another and hear them making noise before the walk even begins. Leave the park and return to your hotel for lunch and some relaxation. 

You can visit the Senkwekwe gorilla orphanage in the evening to see a handful of the rescued orphans after taking lunch. Dinner and overnight at Mikeno lodge.

Day 5: Hike up Mount Nyiragongo.

On your fifth day of 6 Days Virunga Primates & Mount Nyiragongo Safari. Wake up early in the morning and be served with breakfast. Meet with your guide and take you for Mount Nyiragongo hiking. After receiving a briefing, you will set out on your 5-hour climb up a hill with 2 rest stops. As you wait for dinner to be served and spend the night at the Nyiragongo peak shelters, arrive to the peak in the early evening and take in the scenery.

Day 6: Descend Mount Nyiragongo and back to Kigali/ Goma

On your sixth day of 6 Days Virunga Primates & Mount Nyiragongo Safari. Get up early enough to enjoy breakfast by midday, descend Mount Nyiragongo and arrive at the trailhead. Your driving guide will accompany you as you travel to Goma and then on to Kigali. You can take a city tour of Kigali, stopping at the Kimironko Market and the Kigali Genocide Memorial Grounds, and then get directions to the Kigali drop-off location.

End of the 6 Days Virunga Primates & Mount Nyiragongo Safari

 6 Days Virunga Primates & Mount Nyiragongo Safari includes:

 Fully fueled safari vehicle.

English/ French speaking driver guide.

DRCongo tourist visa.

Double mountain gorilla trekking permit.

Chimpanzee trekking permit.

Mount Nyiragongo hike permit.

Accommodation as planned.

Meals; breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Bottled water.

 6 Days Virunga Primates & Mount Nyiragongo Safari  excludes:

Any flight fees.

PCR (Covid-19) tests.

Rwanda visa fees Insurance.

Extra visits not included in the itinerary.

Personal needs like medicines, airtime, laundry,