4 Days Congo Gorilla Tour and Nyiragongo Hiking package is designed for visitors who are interested in hiking Mount Nyiragongo and doing gorilla trekking in Congo. The safari will involve visiting the Virunga National Park in Congo and going for a city tour in Kigali. The city tour includes visiting the genocide war memorial Centre, the former presidential palace (now a museum), city markets and artisan shops.

Virunga National Park in Congo is the oldest in Africa. It was established in 1925 and included the Volcanoes National Park of Rwanda and parts of Mgahinga in Uganda. Virunga is a park with remarkable biodiversity and pristine wilderness. It contains many of Africa’s famous mammals and primates. You can find the rare okapi, mountain gorillas and chimpanzees. The key attractions in Virunga are the mountain gorillas and hiking mount Nyiragongo. The Nyiragongo volcano is special because it is the only one in Africa where tourists can pay to see boiling magma up-close.

The 4 days Nyiragongo hiking and gorilla safari starts and ends in Rwanda. It starts with a tour of Kigali before crossing to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The first activity is gorilla trekking in Virunga 4 Days Mount Nyiragongo hike and Congo Gorilla tour National Park and then hiking mount Nyiragongo. This will be a physically demanding 4 days and you need to be in good condition. Hiking Mount Nyiragongo and observing the boiling crater up-close is one of the most amazing and adventurous activities in the world. There is no other place like Nyiragongo. When you add gorilla trekking, it makes for a truly amazing experience. If you are interested in doing gorilla trekking in Rwanda instead, please check out our 5 days Rwanda gorilla safari and Nyiragongo hiking package. You might also find our 2 days Congo gorilla trekking safari package interesting. Alternatively, you can also read about our 3 days Congo gorilla safari package.

Day 1: Pickup and Kigali city tour – Transfer to Congo

4 Days Nyiragongo Hiking and Gorilla Trekking Congo Our Company Guide will receive you from the airport or pick you up from your hotel in Kigali. After the briefing, he will take you to start the Kigali city tour. Kigali is a small but very neat town with a lot to explore in a short time. You will first visit the Gisozi genocide memorial site where you will learn a lot about the 1994 genocide and how it has helped transform the country. Expect to also see short videos and presentations from people who lived through the tragic period. After the genocide center, you will also visit the main city market, artisan shops and the former presidential palace (used by Habyarimana before dying in plane crush that triggered the genocide). After the city tour, you will head out for lunch before starting the journey to the Congo border.

4 days Congo gorilla trekking and Nyiragongo hiking during your journey, expect to experience beautiful sights of the Rwanda countryside. You will bypass lakes, national parks and thousands of Rwanda hills. Once you reach the border, you will go to the immigration office and hand in all your important documents such as passports and the yellow fever vaccination card. Crossing the Congo Rwanda border takes a short time. Our tour guide will not cross the border with you. There will be a team from Virunga National Park on the other side of the border waiting to take you to your hotel through to Goma city in Congo.

Dinner and overnight at Mikeno Lodge (Luxury), Kibumba Tented Camp (Deluxe) and Lulimbi Tented Camp (Mid-range).

Day 2: Gorilla trekking in Congo – Evening Relaxation of Visiting the Senkwekwe Centre

Wake up early, take breakfast and pack some lunch as you wait to be picked by the team from Virunga National Park. You will be taken for briefing at the park offices. After that you will head to the starting 4 Days Gorilla tour and Nyiragongo Hike point which is after Bukima. There are 8 habituated Gorilla groups in Congo. The allocation of Gorilla groups depends on your age and overall fitness but personal preferences may be considered. Gorilla trekking in Virunga National Park involves hiking through dense forests before encountering the family. It can take between 1 to 2 hours to find the gorillas. After finding them, you have one hour to observe them and take photos/videos. You then have to walk back to the park offices and this can take one to two hours. Virunga is a very beautiful National Park with incredible scenery and so much to see. Expect to spot smaller primates, birds, forest mammals and chimpanzees too.

4 days gorilla safari and Nyiragongo hike on getting back to the lodge, you should go straight back for refreshment and relaxation. If you are staying in Mikeno Lodge, you have a unique opportunity of visiting the Senkwekwe Centre. This is the only mountain gorilla orphanage in the world. All the 5 orphans being kept at the Centre were rescued after their parents got killed by poachers and pet traders. The Centre helps rehabilitate and provide them with high quality care. Visiting the Centre is free but only for those who book with the luxury Mikeno Lodge. The Centre is closer to Mikeno than any of the other lodges.

Dinner and overnight at Mikeno Lodge (Luxury), Kibumba Tented Camp (Deluxe) and Lulimbi Tented Camp (Mid-range).

Day 3: Mount Nyiragongo Hiking – Observing the Lava Lake and Overnight in Cabins

You will wake up very early to take breakfast in your hotel and wait to be picked up from your hotel by the team from Virunga. They will drive you to Kibatsi village which is the starting point for hiking the Hiking mount Nyiragongo and gorilla trekking Nyiragongo volcano. Hiking mount Nyiragongo takes between 4 to 6 hours and depends on the overall fitness of the group. No one is left behind until you get to the final section of the hike. On reaching the top, you can get beautiful views of Goma town, the Virunga National Park, the Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda, other Virunga Volcanoes, Lake Kivu, and National Parks in Rwanda/Uganda and Kahuzi Biega National Park. After marveling at beautiful scenery from the top of the volcano, you will then go for an even greater experience of viewing the boiling lava lake. The best time to view the lava lake is at night. After observing the volcano for much of the night you will go for dinner prepared by a local chef and porters.

Dinner and overnight will be on top of the volcano and in cabins.

Day 4: Descend the Volcano – Transfer to Kigali for departure

Gorilla trekking and Nyiragongo hike Descending the volcano starts at 8:00am. It is the perfect time to get sustained views of the Virunga National Park and other landmarks already mentioned. You should reach Goma before mid-day and proceed to the border crossing point. The migration officials will ask you to pay for another visa to re-enter Rwanda. This costs $30. After crossing the border, you will find out Guide waiting for you on the Rwanda side for the journey back to Kigali.  There will be several stop-overs for sightseeing and taking photos as you drive back to Kigali. The driver will drop you at the airport or your hotel in Kigali.