FRENA ADVENTURES

This 8-day gorilla trek safari takes you to Virunga National Park, which is home to many Mountain Gorillas. You will have an experience of a life time watching at close range these majestic apes as they feed, play and relax. You will hike Nyirangongo in DR.Congo, Mount Nyiragongo is an active stratovolcano. Before winding up with Nyungwe rainforest is probably the best preserved rainforest in the mountains throughout Central Africa. It is located in the watershed between the basin of the river Congo to the west and the basin of the river Nile to the east. From the east side of the Nyungwe forest comes also one of the branches of the Nile sources. Activities to encounter include the Rwanda chimpanzee tours, before winding with a visit to Burundi!

Safari Highlights

Gorilla tracking
Chimp tracking
Canopy walk
Nyiragongo Hike

Day 1: Transfer from Kigali to Goma

Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport you will be met by our safari guide who will transfer you to the Boarder and then cross to Goma town in Dr Congo. Dinner overnight at Karitas Hotel

Day 2: Mountain Gorillas Trekking in Virunga

Have an early breakfast and head to Virunga Park Headquarter for briefing before you start the trekking activity in the park. Trekking through the forest, hills and swamps can be tough, strenuous and tiring, sometimes taking up to 8 hours in the forest. But coming in contact with the great primates is well worth the effort. You spend one hour with the gorillas which is a truly amazing experience afterwards head back to you’ hotel for dinner and overnight Karitas Hotel

Day 3: Drive to the hiking point

After breakfast drive to volcano hiking point in Kibati Mount Nyiragongo is an active strato volcano with an elevation of 3470 m (11382 ft) in the Virunga Mountains associated with the Albertine Rift. It is located inside Virunga National Park, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 20 km (12 mi) north of the town of Goma and Lake Kivu and just west of the border with Rwanda. The main crater is about two kilometres wide and usually contains a lava lake. The crater presently has two distinct cooled lava benches within the crater walls – one at about 3,175 metres (10,417 ft) and a lower one at about 2,975 m (9,760 ft). Nyiragongo’s lava lake has at times been the most voluminous known lava lake in recent history. The depth of the lava lake varies considerably. A maximum elevation of the lava lake was recorded at about 3,250 m (10,660 ft) prior to the January 1977 eruption – a lake depth of about 600 m (2,000 ft). A recent very low elevation of the lava lake was recorded at about 2,700 m (8,900 ft). Nyiragongo and nearby Nyamuragira are together responsible for 40% of Africa’s historical volcanic eruptions.

Hike will take 5 hours with 4 stops along the path, when at the top, cabins are available for your night, 1 cabin for 2 people. Overnight at the Crater rim

Day 4: Nyiragongo Volcano Hiking & Decend cross back Rwanda and head to Nyungwe

Morning after your breakfast at the crater rim, you will be overlooking the city of Goma as well as the 2 other older crater lakes.

Not much is known about how long the volcano has been erupting, but since 1882, it has erupted at least 34 times, including many periods where activity was continuous for years at a time, often in the form of a churning lava lake in the crater. The volcano partly overlaps with two older volcanoes, Baratu and Shaheru, and is also surrounded by hundreds of small volcanic cinder cones from flank eruptions, You will visit Lake Kivu shortly before heading back to border to transfer to Nyungwe forest and on your way to this forest have your lunch en-route, visit to some genocide memorials, then upon your arrival check in at Gisakura Guest House

Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking & Canopy walk

Have breakfast, and after meet at the park offices for the briefing about the primates and the forest, after enter into the tropical rain forest searching for the shy chimpanzees in the tree branches. While on this walk expect to spot other primates like the white and black Columbus, Vervet monkeys, red tailed monkeys and manageably. More birds can be spotted too in the Nyungwe National park, return to lodge for lunch and then evening take the canopy walk looking for primates, birds and the clear of the green canopy cover. Dinner and overnight as above, meal plan: F/B Gisakura Guest House

Day 6: Nyungwe Forest-Bujumbura Burundi

Have breakfast, and after embark the safari vehicle and drive to Rwanda Burundi border after clearance head to Bujumbura it’s a 137km journey and you reach late evening due to a mountainous dinner and overnight….

Day 7: Visit Karera Waterfalls and Rusizi National park

After breakfast, we visit Rusizi national park to see numerous birds and the joining point between Rusizi River and Lake Tanganyika; Belvedere Climb offering a nice view of Bujumbura city, Independence hero monument. After we visit explorers Memorial, a huge rock in the Suburbs of Bujumbura commemorating the meeting between explorers Stanley and Livingstone. We take the direction to the Source of Nile, and then Karera waterfalls. On our route, magnificent tea plantations and landscapes will make you carry your camera ready for pictures dinner and overnight at …….

Day 8: Transfer back to Kigali

After breakfast depart Burundi and transfer back to Rwanda with lunch en-routes, head to Kigali International airport to catch you’ flight back home.

End of safari.

NOTE: Any and all tours can be combined or modified to fit your particular needs. Please tell us your specific requirements using the contact us page. Prices are subject to change based upon accommodation availability, your tour alterations and other parameters until time of full and final confirmation. Accommodation in Burundi is not included.