7 Days Best Rwanda & Congo Safari
7 Days Best Rwanda & Congo Safari will take you to Volcanoes national park in Rwanda where you will get an opportunity to spend time with the endangered mountain gorillas and Nyungwe forest national park where you will engage in an interesting chimpanzee trekking activity and canopy walk. The safari will also take you to Virunga national park where you will hike Nyiragongo volcano which is largest active volcano in the Virunga conservation area.
Highlights of the 7 Days Best Rwanda & Congo Safari
- Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Volcanoes national park
- Day 2: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park
- Day 3: Transfer to Nyungwe national park
- Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk
- Day 5: Transfer to Lake Kivu in Gisenyi
- Day 6: Ascend Mount Nyiragongo
- Day 7: Descend from the mountain and departure to Kigali
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: pick up and transfer to Volcanoes national park, upon arrival at Kigali international airport on day 1 of the 7 days Rwanda and Congo safari you will be welcomed by our driver guide who will brief you about the safari and then transfer to Kigali for a city tour. During the city tour you will be able to visit Kigali genocide memorial centre, Kimironko market where you will interact with the local people, visit craft centers where they make handmade items among others. After the city tour you will go for lunch in one of the restaurants in Kigali where after you will start the journey to Volcanoes national park which is located in north western part of Rwanda. The journey takes about 2 to 3 hours drive and on the way you will have spectacular views of the countryside, rolling hills, beautiful landscapes among others. Upon arrival in the park you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park
Gorilla trekking, after an early breakfast on day 2 of the 7 days Best Rwanda and Congo safari you will carry packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kinigi park headquarters for a briefing about the rules, regulations of gorilla trekking. After the briefing you will be put in a group of not more than 8 people, allocated a gorilla family to trek and an experienced park guide who will lead you during trekking. Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park takes about 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on where the mountain gorilla family is located.
During trekking you will be able to view other primate species, colorful birds, animals, different plant and tree species among others, once the gorilla family is found you will be allowed to spend one hour with the mountain gorillas in their natural environment which gives you a chance to learn more about their behaviors, lifestyle, watch the gorillas feed, breastfeed, groom young ones, take photos and record videos with a flash less camera. After the one hour encounter with the gentle giants you will trek back to the park headquarters where you will be awarded a certificate for participating in gorilla trekking and then meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Transfer to Nyungwe national park
On day 3 of the 7 days Rwanda and Congo safari, you will have breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Nyungwe national park which is located in the south western part of Rwanda. On the way you will have a stopover at Lake Kivu where you will take beautiful pictures of the lake, scenery, bird species and enjoy en-route lunch. After lunch you will continue the journey to Nyungwe national park where you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk
Chimpanzee trekking, after an early breakfast on day4 of the 7 Days Best Rwanda & Congo Safari your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to transfer to the park headquarters for a chimpanzee trekking briefing. After the briefing you will be allocated a chimpanzee family to trek, a park guide who is well conversant with chimpanzee trails and then start trekking in the forest which takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on where the chimpanzees are located because they like to move from one place to another in search of food.
During trekking you will be able to view other wildlife species and once the chimpanzees are found you will be able to spend one hour with the them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to observe their habits, behaviors, enjoy the moment as you watch them feed, play, hunt, rest, breastfeed, fight, take photos and record the breathtaking moments to show people back home. After chimpanzee trekking experience you will trek back to the starting point where you will meet up with your driver guide to return back to the lodge for lunch.
Canopy walk, after lunch you will go for an interesting canopy walk which starts at Uwinka visitor’s center and goes through steep and deep valley filled with thick forest. The canopy walk takes about 2 hours and rewards you with spectacular views of Nyungwe forest, different bird species, butterflies, primates like blue monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys, different tree species among others which gives you unforgettable experiences. After the canopy walk you will trek back to the starting point where you will meet up with your driver guide and return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Transfer to Gisenyi
After breakfast on day 5 of the 7 days Rwanda and Congo safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Gisenyi, Lake Kivu with en-route lunch on the way. Lake Kivu is largest fresh water lake in Rwanda and also the perfect place to relax and enjoy spectacular views of the beautiful scenery, steep terraced hills, water bird like malachite kingfishers, majestic crowned cranes, hornbills and also see fishermen who will be fishing in dugout canoes. In the evening you will transfer to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Hiking Nyiragongo Volcano
Nyiragongo volcano hike, after an early breakfast on day 6 of the 7 days Rwanda and Congo safari you will check out of the hotel and meet up with your driver guide to cross to Democratic Republic of Congo through Goma Grande Barrier border where you will check in with Virunga tourism office. From Goma, you will connect to the trail head at Kibat patrol post for a briefing about the safety precautions and guidelines to follow during Nyiragongo hike. After the briefing you will start hiking mount Nyiragongo which takes about 4-6 hours to reach the summit depending on your hiking speed. During hiking you will pass through high altitude areas, lava rocks, slippery stones, take beautiful photos and enjoy stunning views of the beautiful scenery, bird species, mammals, plant and tree species. When you reach on top of the volcano you will have breathtaking views of the boiling lava lake with red glow from the crusted lava, the cooks will help you to prepare hot coffee, dinner and you will spend an overnight as you smell the boiling and bubbling lava.
Day 7: Descend from Nyiragongo Volcano and departure to Kigali
Descend from Nyiragongo Volcano, after an ultimate breakfast on day 7 of the 7 days Rwanda and Congo safari you will meet up with your guides and start descending from the peak of the mountain to Kibat patrol post which takes about 3 hours. While descending you will have spectacular views of Virunga national park, Rwenzori Mountain ranges views of Lake Kivu, other volcanic mountains among others. When you arrive at the trail head you will meet up with your driver guide and transfer to Kigali through Goma Grande Barrier border. Upon arrival in Kigali you will have lunch in one of the restaurants where after your driver guide will drop you off at Kigali international airport for your departure flight or drop off at the hotel in Kigali depending on your schedule.
End of 7 Days Rwanda and Congo safari
7 days Rwanda and Congo safari includes
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Kigali city tour
- Chimpanzee trekking permit
- Canopy walk
- Nyiragongo hiking permit
- Services of a professional English speaking driver guide
- Full board accommodation
- Pick up and drop off
- Vehicle and fuel
- Bottled drinking water
7 days Rwanda and Congo safari excludes
- Air flight tickets
- Visas
- Optional activities not included on the itinerary
- Life insurance
- Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, alcoholic drinks, juice, laundry services, hiring a porter, tips among others.
