6-Day Lowland Gorilla Trek in the DRC

Overview

This five-day gorilla trek will start and end in Rwanda. It will take you through Nyungwe National Park for a canopy walk, then continue to Kahuzi Biega National Park in Bukavu, DRC for the gorilla trek and Lwiro Chimpanzee Sanctuary. You will also visit Goma to explore Tchegera Island. You will cross the DRC-Rwanda border to Rubavu and get transferred to Kigali.

Tour Features

Mid-range tour

Uses Hotels & Tented camps

Private tour

Can privately be organized. However, wildlife viewing activities are run by the lodges/camps and will be shared with others.

Minimum age

15 years old

Activities & Transport

Activities:

Game drives, gorilla trekking, chimpanzee trekking & canoe/mokoro safaris

Transport:

Normal 4x4 vehicle, boat & open-sided 4x4 vehicle

A transfer from and back to the airport is included

Accommodation & Meals

Day	Accommodation	Meals
1	Lebanon Hotel	All Meals Included
2	Orchids Safari Club	All Meals Included
3-4	Orchids Safari Club	All Meals Included
5	Tchegera Tented Camp	All Meals Included
6	No accomodation	Breakfast included

Note: Note; The rooms will be shared if travellers are 2+ Traveller 1 2 3 4 5 Room(s) 1 1 2 2 3

Included

Park fees(For non-residents)
Gorilla permits(One per person, non-resident)
Chimp permits(One per person, non-resident)
All activities(Unless labeled as optional)
All accommodation(Unless listed as upgrade)
A professional driver/guide
All transportation(Unless labeled as optional)
All Taxes/VAT
Roundtrip airport transfer
Meals(As specified in the day-by-day section)
Drinks(As specified in the day-by-day section)

Excluded

International flights(From/to home)
Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
Tips(Tipping guideline US$10.00 pp per day)
Personal items(Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees

Itineraries

Day 1

Kigali International Airport pick-up and transfer to your hotel

Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will meet a driver guide who will brief you about the upcoming activities and then transfer you to your hotel. If you arrive in the morning, you may get a chance to proceed with a short Kigali city tour and visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial to learn about Rwanda's bloodiest genocide and how it has been halted.

Destination
Kigali

Accommodation

Lebanon Hotel

Mid-range hotel located in or near Kigali
If the hotel is unavailable, a similar hotel will be provided

Meals

-All meals included

-Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 2

Transfer to Nyungwe National Park, canopy walk

After an early breakfast, you will drive for about 5 hours toward Nyungwe National Park. You will reach Nyungwe in the afternoon and have your lunch. After lunch, you will experience the canopy walk at around 2 pm. Later in the evening, you will cross the Rwanda-DRC border and stay at Orchids Safari Club.

Destination
Nyungwe Forest National Park (Chimps) Wildlife in Nyungwe NP - Chimpanzee - Common, White & Black Rhinos, Lion, Leopard, Cheetah etc.. - None

Accommodation

Orchids Safari Club

Mid-range hotel located in or near Bukavu
If the hotel is unavailable, a similar hotel will be provided

Meals

-All meals included

-Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 3

Lowland gorilla trek and Bukavu city tour

After breakfast, you will go trekking gorillas in Kahuzi Biega National Park. The trek usually requires 1 to 2.5 hours of hiking each way, depending on the location of the gorilla group and the difficulty of the terrain. After spending the allotted hour with the gorilla family group, you will make your way back to your hotel. After lunch, you will proceed with the Bukavu city tour.

Destination
Kahuzi Biega National Park (Gorillas)

Accommodation

Orchids Safari Club

Mid-range hotel located in or near Bukavu
If the hotel is unavailable, a similar hotel will be provided

Meals

-All meals included

-Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 4

Visit Lwiro Chimpanzee Sanctuary

After breakfast, we will visit the Lwiro Primates Rehabilitation Center which is recognized as a World Heritage Site since 1997. The sanctuary takes care of 83 chimpanzees, 105 monkeys, and 12 other species. It gives orphaned chimps a second chance at life while also ensuring to protect them in the wild. You will not only visit them but you will participate in the conservation activities in the sanctuary. This activity will take a whole day. Later, you will transfer to your hotel.

Destination
Kahuzi Biega National Park (Gorillas)

Accommodation

Orchids Safari Club

Mid-range hotel located in or near Bukavu
If the hotel is unavailable, a similar hotel will be provided

Meals

-All meals included

-Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 5

Transfer to Goma, Tchukudu experience and Tchegera Island

After breakfast, you will transfer to Goma by a rapid boat at around 7:30 am which normally takes 2 hours. On arrival, check in at Ihusi Hotel and have lunch. You will then meet the local community and try to ride the made-in-Goma wooden bike famously known as the “tchukudu”. After the experience in the village, you will get transferred to Tchegera Island and stay in the midrange camp.

Destination
Tchegera Island (Lake Kivu, Congo (DRC))

Accommodation

Tchegera Tented Camp

Mid-range hotel located just outside Nyungwe NP
If the hotel is unavailable, a similar hotel will be provided

Meals

-All meals included

-Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 6

Transfer to Rwanda, canoeing and fly back home

After breakfast at Tchegera and taking photos for beautiful memories, you will get transferred to Goma and cross the DRC-Rwanda border. Drive for about 2 hours toward the northern province, the home of the gorillas. En route, you will experience a canoeing activity on the Mukungwa River, a river that is near the volcanoes. You then continue on your way to Kigali to fly back home.

Destination
Kigali International Airport (Kigali, Rwanda)

Accommodation

Not Specified

Meals

-Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included)

-Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

6-Day Lowland Gorilla Trek in the DRC