6 days Virunga Classic

6 days Virunga Classic : Book a trip to Eastern Africa for a chance to summit Mount Nyiragongo and go on two mountain gorilla treks with the six-day Virunga Classic. For tourists interested in seeing mountain gorillas and hiking Mount Nyiragongo, the Virunga National Park offers this 6-day Virunga Classic itinerary, which also includes a trip to the Senkwekwe gorilla orphanage.  The departure for this package is from Goma every Monday and Wednesday.

Day 1: Drive to Goma to connect to Mikeno Lodge

On your first of 6 days Virunga Classic. Your driving guide will pick you up to begin your 6-day safari in Kigali at the pre-arranged pick-up location and time, preferably by 8 am. After leaving Kigali, it will take you six hours to get to the border facility at Goma Grande Barrier, where you can check in and get your permits for the following day’s activities.

You will go in a vehicle with the Virunga security crew to the Bukima ranger post, where your hotel is located, after all protocol has been followed. After checking in, you’ll eat a late lunch and relax while you wait for night to fall. The first night will be spent at Mikeno Lodge after dinner is served.

Day 2: Mountain gorillas trekking in Virunga national park.

On your second of 6 days Virunga Classic. Get up early to see the dawn, eat a quick breakfast, grab your packed lunch, and then find your driving guide. He or she will be waiting to take you to the Bukima ranger post, where you will receive the briefing for the hike. Find the mountain gorillas in the jungle and spend the permitted hour with them just before leaving the park to get your lunch boxes.

Drive back to your hotel to spend the rest of the evening at leisure as you await dinner to be served at Ngila lodge

Day 3: Second mountain gorilla trek.

On your third day of 6 days Virunga Classic. Wake up early in the morning and be served with breakfast. For a second chance to encounter mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park, get up early. Grab your packed lunch and head back to the Bukima ranger post for the pre-tour briefing. Drive with your driver guide. Depending on how far into the forest the gorillas are, set out on a 2- to 6-hour journey through the jungle while looking for the gorillas.

After trekking exit the park and drive back to your lodge to spend the evening as you may wish reading a book at the lodge or take on a more active activity like visiting a community project and return before it gets gloomy in time for dinner and second night at Mikeno lodge.

Virunga National Park

Day 4: Senkwekwe gorilla orphanage visit and park headquarters visit.

On your fourth day of 6 days Virunga Classic. Wake up early in the morning and be served with breakfast. To catch the chimpanzees that are early risers, get up early. Join the group of people habituating the mountain gorilla family in the Mahura forest of Virunga National Park by travelling to the park headquarters. Return to your lodge for a leisurely late lunch, or choose to visit the Virunga national park’s administrative centre in the middle of the morning.

Visit the opulent Mikeno Lodge for lunch after going to see the Senkwekwe gorilla orphanage in the evening. The Mikeno lodge’s grounds contain the Senkwekwe gorilla orphanage, which is situated there strategically. Spend a few hours at the orphanage and connect back to the lodge for dinner and another night in Mikeno lodge.

Day 5: Mount Nyiragongo hike up.

On your fifth day of 6 days Virunga Classic. Wake up early in the morning and be served with breakfast. After breakfast, your driver guide will be there to take you to the Kibati Ranger post, where the Nyiragongo hike begins. After around 6 hours of uphill walking and 2 rest stops, you will arrive at the summit in the early evening.

On a clear night, take in the sunset from the top and watch Goma’s lights illuminate the night from a distance. The Nyiragongo top will be where you eat and spend the night.

Day 6: Descend the Mount Nyiragongo Connect back to Kigali

On your sixth day of 6 days Virunga Classic Get up early to witness the dawn and the final seconds on the volcano’s summit. Just before you start your descend back to the volcanoes trailhead, eat a straightforward Congolese breakfast. You can choose to be dropped off at your hotel or the Kigali international airport by your driver-guide, who will be waiting to transport you back to Kigali.

You can opt to add on a visit to Tchegera Island to cool off from the trip.

End of the 6 days Virunga Classic