A 10 Days Congo Safari Tour allows visitors to experience the best of the country’s national parks and major sites while learning about its abundant wildlife. Travellers can encounter mountain gorilla trekking and experiences in Virunga National Park, eastern lowland gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega National Park, chimpanzee trekking, hiking the active Nyiragongo Volcano, nature walks, and a Kigali city trip as part of the 10-day Congo safari vacation. This is a typical safari in the Congo that will allow you to see plenty of primates and discover the country’s natural habitat. The tour can begin in Goma in the Congo or in Kigali, Rwanda, which is where it ends.
Highlights of the 10 Days Congo Safari Tour.
Day 1: Arrival at Kigali International Airport and a Kigali city tour.
Day 2: Transfer to Bukavu.
Day 3: Lowland Gorilla Trekking in Kahuzi Biega National Park.
Day 4: Nature walks and a waterfalls visit.
Day 5: Transfer to Goma.
Day 6: Gorilla Trekking experience.
Day 7: Second Gorilla trekking experience.
Day 8: Chimpanzee Trekking.
Day 9: Nyiragongo Volcano Hike
Day 10: Descend the Nyiragongo and departure
Detailed Safari ItineraryÂ
Day 1: Arrival at Kigali International Airport and a Kigali city tour.
On the first day of 10 days Congo Safari Tour. Your driver-guide will meet you at the airport, welcome you and give you an introduction to your 10-day Congo safari tour. Afterward, you’ll be driven to your hotel where you can check in and, depending on when you arrive, eat lunch or dinner. Learn about the history and culture of the nation by taking a city tour of Kigali, if time permits and your travel schedule permits. Later you will come back to your lodge for dinner and spending the night at your lodge.
Day 2: Transfer to Bukavu.
On the second day of 10 days Congo Safari Tour. Wake up early in the morning and enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the hotel before checking out and travelling to Bukavu via Nyungwe forest. You will meet your safari drive and embark on the journey while having lunch along the way, take in the stunning views of Lake Kivu and the majestic Nyungwe forest. Check in at the hotel and then relax while you wait for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 3: Lowland Gorilla Trekking in Kahuzi Biega National Park.Â
On the third day of 10 days Congo Safari Tour. After a hearty breakfast in the early hours of the day, meet your guide and set out on a lowland gorilla trekking adventure with packed lunch. You will receive instructions on how to behave and be advised on what to expect from the safari. After that, start your quest for the gorillas, and when you do, make the most of your time with them. Depending on where the gorillas are, the trip may take 30 minutes to 5 hours or longer. And you will be given hour once you spot the gorillas, and this is when you are going to spot them while doing their daily activities like feeding, breastfeeding, playing, and others. This is the period when you are going to take their pictures, recording their videos. After the activity you return to the lodge where you will eat dinner and spend the night there as described above.
Day 4: Nature walks and a waterfalls visit.
On the fourth day of 10 days Congo Safari Tour. Wake up early and savour a superb breakfast at the hotel. Nature walks and a waterfall visit. You will be taken to the park, from which point you will set off on a nature walk safari and have the chance to witness a variety of park creatures. Take a tour of the tea estates before continuing by foot to the Tshibati waterfall, which spans two rivers. View various birds at the water’s edge and wildlife as it comes for a drink or strolls slowly. After the nature walks and exploring the waterfalls you will go back to your lodge for lunch. After a late lunch, unwind for the remainder of the day. And later you will be served with dinner and overnight stay.
Day 5: Transfer to Goma.Â
On the fifth day of 10 days Congo Safari Tour. You will check out of your accommodation, eat a delicious breakfast there, and then travel to Goma. A speed boat will be used for the transfer, which takes about 3–4 hours. Enjoy the brisk air and the exciting journey. Enjoy your lunch when you arrive in Goma, then head to the Virunga National Park headquarters to pick up your gorilla permit before checking into Mikeno Lodge. Spend your late-afternoon at the lodge’s terrace reading a book, relaxing in any way you choose, or listening to music. Staying the night at Mikeno Lodge and for dinner.
Day 6: Gorilla Trekking experience.
On the sixth day of 10 days Congo Safari Tour. After a leisurely breakfast at the lodge, depart for Bukima with your safari guide, the Virunga region’s starting point for mountain gorilla trekking with your packed lunch. In Virunga National Park, meet the ranger guides for a briefing and receive instructions on the rules and procedures to be followed while on a gorilla trekking safari. Set out in quest of the critically endangered mountain gorillas while keeping an eye out for other park residents like as elephants, bushpigs, small birds, and so much more. Gorilla trekking takes a period of 30 minutes to 5 hours regarding to where the gorillas are located, because these creatures tend to go far while looking for food. Once you’ve located the gorillas, spend an hour watching them as they go about their daily activities, which may include feeding, bonding, grooming, playing, and a variety of other things like taking their pictures, recording them videos. Once the allotted time has passed, journey back and be transported to the lodge. You can choose to go see the Virunga Congo hounds in the afternoon, depending on when you arrive at the lodge. Similar as above for dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Second Gorilla trekking experience. Â
On the seventh day of 10 days Congo Safari Tour. After a leisurely breakfast at the lodge, you will set out on your second mountain gorilla trekking trip today. Today, you’ll get to track a different gorilla family, so be prepared for an entirely new experience. After your hour with the gorillas, enjoy your picnic in the Virunga forests. Trek back and then be driven back to the lodge. In the late afternoon, you can go to the nearby Senkwekwe gorilla orphanage centre, or you can just unwind at the lodge with a good book and a cup of coffee. The same as above, dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.
Day 8: Chimpanzee Trekking.
On the eighth day of 10 days Congo Safari Tour. Before you leave for a chimpanzee hike at 6 am, enjoy an early cup of coffee at the lodge. You will be driven to the park headquarters for the briefing about the rules and regulations to follow during the chimpanzee trekking, and be grouped in various groups and then encounter the forest to look for these wonderful primates with packed lunch. You have a one-of-a-kind chance to work with a group of professionals and researchers as they accustom the chimpanzees. Enjoy spending time with the chimpanzees in Mahura Forest, which are raucous, lively, and very energetic. The activity takes a period of 30 minutes to 4 hours and once spotted, you spend one hour in their presence while watching them play, making nests, grooming and many others. After a late breakfast, go back to the lodge. Explore the park headquarters for the remainder of the day or just unwind at the lodge. You will go back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 9: Nyiragongo Volcano Hike.
On the ninth day of 10 days Congo Safari Tour. Take a walk up the Nyiragongo Volcano after waking up extremely early and eating breakfast. After that, check out from the lodge and travel to Kibati Post, where the walk to the Nyiragongo volcano begins. If you want one, you can hire a porter to assist you with your luggage throughout the hike after the ranger’s briefing. View numerous animals, birds, and plant life while hiking the Nyiragongo volcano. At the peak, you may see magnificent views of all the Virunga Mountains with lunch along the way hiking.
The largest bubbling lava lake in the world is awe-inspiring to see. And once you reach the summit enjoy your meal and overnight stay while taking in the clear view of the lava boiling at night.
Day 10: Descend the Nyiragongo and departure.
On the tenth day of 10 days Congo Safari Tour. Enjoy an early breakfast provided by the chef at the summit on this final day of your 10-day Congo safari tour before setting out for Kibati at 6:30 am. And along the way descending you will enjoy the biodiversity along the way.
Return to Kigali with the lunch enroute, your driver-guide will be waiting to transport you back to Kigali, where you may catch your flight home or be driven to where you are staying.
End of 10 Days Congo Safari Tour