Virunga Budget Tour - National Park, Gorillas, and Volcano - 4 days - 3 nights

From USD $0.00
  • Duration: 4 Days (approx.)
  • Product code: 4DayMikenoMist

APRIL 1, 2021 GRADUAL OPENING OF VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK


FROM APRIL 1, 2021: Virunga Budget Tour departures Wednesdays, and Fridays.


***Proof of a negative COVID Test is required to trek with the Gorillas, face masks must be worn, other COVID procedures and protocols will also be in place. 


LOW SEASON RATES ARE AVAILABLE 

15th of March to 15th May and 15th of October to 15th of December

Explore the legendary Virunga jungle region, among the mighty snow-capped Rwenzori (Mountains of the Moon). Take a journey into timeless and ancient Africa and see its spectacular large animals, volcanoes, jungles, and forests. Peer inside a live raging volcano and at wild silverback mountain gorillas, both from a safe while intensely intimate distance. Visit villages, tribes, traditional homes, and experience some of the richest and most unique cultures of Africa in this “Great Lakes” region of eastern DR Congo. Learn about the history of the most troubled part of Africa through a safe conduit to its most green and rich heart.

The Virunga national park is a world heritage site where dwells the rare Mountain Gorilla & most of the big game animals of Africa. It has the highest amount of biodiversity of any park in Africa and is It is the oldest African Park.


Itinerary - Virunga and Volcano (Budget Kibumba Tented Camp)


Why Us?


We work directly with the Virunga National Park Authority and ICCN to bring tourists and grant visas to incomers and provide secure transport and safari guides, and are a supplier and supporter of the Virunga lodges, staff, and conservation efforts, and supply about half of their operators too in the Congo with logistics and materials in the region. Our mission is literally to promote the park to you.


We can arrange everything from your before-and-after hotels to custom requests.


We have experience in many different locations and situations in the region, in many different challenges and local circumstances, know all routes in and out and safety procedures, have guides and friends in the parks with deep education and experience in the wildlife and their movement, and have long standing contacts within the many different groups and cultures in the Kivus region. - Decades' worth.


This tour can start in Kigali, and we can arrange transportation and visa for all tourists with Virunga Park, and with pickup at all hotels and locations in Kigali.


Day 1: Arrival and Welcome


Welcome to your CTT Virunga and Volcano Budget Tour. Start from Kigali today at your hotel and take the 3 hour drive to the frontier with the border where you will be granted a DRC Visa on arrival (transportation can be arranged through us  round-trip for $399; we can also arrange visa in advance at your home embassy if you need to stay longer than 2 weeks). You must arrive to Goma (Grand Barriere) by around 11:30 am and check in with Virunga's Tourism Office by 13:00 (it is located next to the border crossing). There you will get your permits for Volcano and Gorilla treks. After that you will be transferred to Kibumba tented camp in ranger 4WD vehicles (the road will be bumpy).

Overnight at Kibumba Tented Camp (Full Board in the park)

Day 2: Virunga Park and Mountain Gorilla Tracking


Early wake in Kibumba camp where you’ll get a full panoramic view of the volcanoes where the mountain gorillas reside, followed by a a briefing with the rangers.

Take a trek (1-2,5 hours one way) through the rainforest to share what is sure to be a memorable moment with the mountain gorillas in their natural environment in the Virunga National Park. This activity will take most of the rest of the day. To safeguard the health of Virunga’s gorillas, visitors will be required to wear surgical masks (provided) when in the presence of gorillas. Time with the gorillas is strictly limited to one hour. 

The rest of the day after a late lunch you can spend at leisure with possibility of nature walks and bird watching.

Overnight at Kibumba Tented Camp (Full Board)

Day 3: Virunga Park Volcano Hike


This morning after breakfast depart to Kibati and we must be there by 8:15 pm. At the Kibati Ranger Post you can also hire porters. You will climb, during 4-6 hours, the Nyiragongo volcano (3,470m high). You will reach the smoldering summit and gaze into Mordor itself!  

When you reach the top of the volcano, you will be welcomed by your trekking team and set up tented camp. Dinner and accommodation are to be brought as well as sleeping gear. All night, you will observe breathtaking and unforgettable views of the live volcano! It glows red at night and is the single largest volcanic live lava lake on earth! (Full Board)

Day 4: Descend and Return to Kigali


After admiring the once-in-a-lifetime sunrise (which takes place around 6 o’clock) and the masses of swirling clouds glazing the valleys below you, gaze out between the sister volcanoes of Karisimbi and Visoke, and after taking a hearty breakfast in the frigid air, you will walk down the volcano amidst beautiful and highly diversified volcanic flora, and some positively alien and bizarre plants (about 4 hours to go sown). Make your way back to Kibati to rest your legs and later be dropped off in Goma (Grand Barriere Border Crossing) for your return trip to Kigali. (Full Board in the park)

INCLUDED:

2 nights accommodation at Kibumba Tented Camp, gorilla trek permit, one night stay on Nyiragongo, volcano trek permit, all transport to, from and within the Park once in Congo. Full Board Accommodation. Visa on Arrival Procedures. Nyiragongo backpack.

NOT INCLUDED:

Transportation from Kigali to the border, Drinks, porter fees, gratuities and anything of a personal nature. 

Notes and Optional Additions:

- CTT Can arrange your roundtrip private transfer (RT) from anywhere in Kigali on Day 1 & 4 for $399 for a car with 3 people
- Visa for DRC on arrival can be arranged in advance (2 weeks validity only) or the traditional way through any DRC Embassy (thus you would need an official invitation from us)
- Yellow Fever Vaccination is required for entrance into DRC, as well as any other mandatory vaccinations (Ask Us.)