10 Days Virunga Mountains Trekking
Virunga massifs hike
Virunga National Park is situated in the eastern part of the DRC, bordering Rwanda and Uganda covering an area of about 7,800 square kilometers (3,000 square miles). It is Africa’s most bio diverse protected area, home to over one thousand species of mammal, bird, reptile, and amphibian as well as 1/3 of the world’s endangered mountain gorillas found in the park’s southern sector
The park is also home to a chain of volcanoes known as the Virunga Mountains, which include Mount Nyiragongo and Mount Nyamuragira. Mount Nyiragongo is famous for its active lava lake with its last eruption on 22 May 2021, it is a popular attraction for tourists and researchers alike.
This hike starts from Uganda (Mgahinga, ), proceeds to Rwanda (bisoke) and finally ends in DRC ( Nyiragongo)
Activities
- Gahinga hike
- Visoke hike
- Karisimbi hike
- Nyiragongo hike
Destinations
- Mt gahinga
- Mt Visoke
- Mt Karisimbi
- Mt Nyiragongo
Highlights
Day 1: Gahinga hike
Day 2: golden monkey trekking
Day 3: mountain gorilla trekking and Rwanda transfer
Day 4: visoke hike
Day 5: karisimbi ascend
Day 6: karisimbi descend
Day 7: transfer to Congo
Day 8: Nyiragongo ascend
Day 9: Nyiragongo descend
Day 10: departure
Details
Day 1: Gahinga hike
Hiking starts at around 7am with briefing at the park after briefing. The briefing involves telling you about the dos and donts and what to expect from the hike. After this, you are assigned a guide and a free walking stick to help you in the hike.
The first part of the hike involves going through thick bamboo forests and here you are likely to spot some golden monkeys. After this section, the next one is relatively tough and you need to be steady in order to make it to the top.
You can have different stop overs to enjoy your snacks during your 6 hour hike.
The summit offers amazing vies of the other distant volcanoes in the Virunga ranges as well as the Rwenzori mountains. You can spot Mount Muhabura and Sabinyo very giving you the urge to also reach their summits as well.
Sloping down the mountain is much easier but you need to be steady so that you do not slip through the walk ways.
Day 2: Golden monkey trekking
After your breakfast, You will be briefed about the dos and donts while with golden monkeys and then proceed to the mountain/forest for your trek. You will be allowed One hour with the monkeys to video and take photos.
The whole experience could take you about half a day
Return to your lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight
Accommodation luxury: mount gahinga lodge
Mid range: travelers rest camp
Budget: kisoro tourist hotel
Day 3: gorilla trekking and Rwanda transfer
After your breakfast, your guide will lead you to the park offices for briefing about the process. This trek can last for between 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on the location of mountain gorilla family on that particular day. Once you find the gorillas, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them while observing their behaviour, taking photographs before you return to the Park Headquarters for your certificate that confirms that you have tracked gorillas in Uganda
The guide will give you your packed lunch and drive you to the lodge for relaxation
When you arrive at Kigali , the guide will transfer you to Kigali for a city trip. At the city trip you will visit the gisozi genocide memorial, Kigali art gallery and the convention center and different places as you are being driven around the city
En route lunch will be served from one of the restaurants in the city.
After your trip, your guide will lead you to your hotel in volcanoes national park where you will be staying.
The lodge will provide full board meals.
Day 4: visoke hike
It starts in the morning with briefing from an assigned Ranger at the park offices and the guides will ask you to show your hiking permit, passport and other documentation during the briefing. After this, you will be transferred from the park offices to the starting point by the company guide or a hired taxi for those traveling on their own. you will be provided with hiking sticks from the park officials armed rangers to escort you up to the summit.you can also hire porters to help with extra luggage.
The journey to the head trail and starting point takes 40 minutes through rough road. At this point you will be provided with hiking sticks from the park officials. The hike starts with navigating through rocky, rough ground at the foot of the volcano, several local gardens before reaching the park entrance. Some parts of the park is protected by stone walls to stop animals raiding farms and humans entering the park.
At the top of the summit, you will be able to spot the great landscape and vegetation that surround the Virunga region including the Mount Visoke Crater Lake, Mount Karisimbi volcano and Mount Mikeno in Congo. The lake at the summit is not suitable for swimming.
The Mount Bisoke permit costs $75 per person and can be bought on the day of the trek.
You can carry extra snacks for you to eat along the way on top of the meals to be provided by the company.
Day 5: karisimbi ascend
A hike on Mt. Karisimbi is considered as one of the leading tourist activities in Rwanda. By taking this amazing adventure you will be able to encounter various types of wildlife along the way among which are different types of birds, different monkey species like the golden monkey, and if lucky the mountain gorillas you will also get a chance to see but Dian fossey grave (who was a well-known researcher that dedicated several areas of her life when conducting research on the mountain gorillas in this area.
The hike up to the summit is challenging and it will require all participants to be in very good physical shape with proper stamina to be able to take on the challenging slopes of the mountain. As you climb up you will be led by a professional park guide and as you ascend or descend you will follow the pace of the slowest hiker with the hiking group. There are also a number of porters available for hire at the park headquarters who will assist in caring your personal luggage, camping equipment and bags and these can be hired at 20 US dollar each.
The hike begins in the early morning and by 7:00 a.m hikers have started the actual climb after a briefing by the park guide. It takes two days to complete the round trip including the ascent and descent with the starting point being at the bottom of Mount Bisoke. During the approximately 7 hour ascent, you will have a stopover at an altitude of about 3,700m which is almost mid-way, and there you will pitch tent for dinner and the overnight.
Day 6: karisimbi continued ascend and descend
The rest of the climb will be completed early morning the next day when you are strong enough. An early hot cup of tea / coffee in the morning the following day for breakfast will be well deserving having spent a cold night up on the mountain.
On the second day you will proceed to the final ascent to the peak as you traverse the challenging section that is covered with fog which hinders good visibility, a steeper terrain that experience stronger winds and not to forget the muddy trails. After enjoying some time at the peak you will later begin the approximately 6 hour descent back to the starting point.
You will be driven to a lodge where you will spend the rest of the day and the night before transferring to Congo
Accommodation: 5 Volcanoes Lodge (Luxury),
Davinci Lodge (Mid-range)
Hotel Muhabura (Budget).
Day 7: transfer to Congo
The transfer will begin in the mid morning so you wont need to wake up very early. Your guide will be ready to pick you from the hotel and make sure you have had your breakfast by the time he arrives. He will take you to the border where you will cross to Congo. Have all the necessary immigration documents near to avoid any inconveniences
Once in Congo, you will be driven straight to your lodge and this is where your lunch meals will be served.
Check in, relax and prepare to set off for hiking the next day.
The lodge will provide full board meals
Accommodation: Mikeno Lodge
Bukima Tented Camp
Kibumba Tented Camp
Day 8: Nyiragongo ascend
On this day you will have breakfast early morning, then you guide will take you to the briefing at the hiking departure point at Kibati patrol post. The hiking experience usually starts at 10:00AM and will take approximately 4-6 hours depending on the speed and strength of the participants in order to reach the summit of the volcano.
The mountain has 5 climbing sections and after the fourth, any slow climber will be left behind so be sure to be fit and fast enough to reach the summit on time. As you hike, you will enjoy different views of the mountains and vegetation covers, and at the summit, the glowing lava lake.
Your chef will prepare dinner for you.
Accommodation will be at the Summit shelter Camp.
Day 9: Nyiragongo descend
In the morning, after you have had your breakfast, you will descend back from the Volcano and this is much easier than ascending. Your guide will be waiting to transfer you to your lodge where you will spend the night.
Accommodation: Mikeno Lodge
Bukima Tented Camp
Kibumba Tented Camp
Day 10: departure
The lodge will provide you with breakfast and you will go on to prepare for your departure either to the airport or your next destination
