17 Days Gorilla Trekking Holiday & Mount Nyiragongo Hiking
17 Days gorilla trekking in Rwanda Congo and Uganda including wildlife viewing, chimpanzee trekking, golden monkey tracking, Mount Nyiragongo lava lake visit, lake Kivu tour, Game drives, and land cruisers. This tour begins from Rwanda through Congo and ends in Uganda.\
What to expect on a 17 Days Gorilla Trekking Holiday & Mount Nyiragongo Hiking
- Kigali city tours
- Gorilla tracking
- Golden Monkey tracking
- Explore Lake Kivu
- Cultural Village visits
- visit twin lakes of Burera and Ruhondo
- Boat ride
- Game drives
Brief itinerary of the 17 Days Gorilla Trekking Holiday & Mount Nyiragongo Hiking
Day 1: Kigali city explorations and transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Day 2: Gorilla tracking and Ibywacu village visits.
Day 3: Golden Monkey Tracking and exploring twin lakes
Day 4: Transfer to L. Kivu and visit the Murambi Genocide Memorial Site and the King’s palace
Day 5: Hiking at Nyiragongo Volcano
Day 6: Tranfer bak to lake Kivu
Day 7: Boat rides at Nyamirundi island
Day 8: Kigali city exploration and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi, Uganda
Day 9: Boat Rides and transfer to Bwindi National park
Day 10: Second gorilla tracking in Uganda
Day 11: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National park and boat cruises at Kazinga channel
Day 12: Game drives and Chimpanzee tracking at Kalinzu forests
Day 13: Transfer to fort portal and visits to the kings palace
Day 14: Chimpanzee tracking and birding at Bigodi Swamp
Day 15: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
Day 16: Game drives and boat cruises
Day 17: Rhino tracking at Ziwa
Detailed Tour Itinerary of the 17 Days Gorilla Trekking Holiday & Mount Nyiragongo Hiking
Day 1: Kigali tour – Volcanoes national park
Pick up by one of our company tour guides from your hotel in Kigali for a tour of Kigali city. Kigali is a beautiful modern and very clean city, offering visitors a chance to visit the Gisozi genocide site, craft shops, and local markets.
Have lunch and later hit the road driving north-wards to Volcanoes National park in Musanze province. Dinner and overnight at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge (Luxury), Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge / La Palme (Mid-range), Muhabura Hotel (Basic).
Day 2: Gorilla Tracking – Ibywacu Cultural Village
Start your day with breakfast at your hotel, proceed with your tour guide to the Kinigi park headquarters for a briefing. Go gorilla trekking with your guide and an armed guard in the Volcanoes forest in search for Mountain gorillas meet them, it’s a great opportunity to study, photograph them.
Their behavior and mannerism are mesmerizing and the way they communicate, silverback controls the group is very much eye-catching. In the afternoon, you will visit the Ibyiwacu cultural village where you will discover more about the Rwandese culture and also get entertained by the traditional dancers and later return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Golden Monkey Tracking – Tour Twin Lake of Burera & Ruhondo
Enjoy breakfast in the morning and head off for a briefing before your golden monkey tracking adventure. Golden monkeys are an endangered primates species and offer a fantastic adventure. After the trek, have lunch and in the evening go visit twin lakes of Burera and Ruhondo. Dinner and overnight at your hotel
Day 4: Transfer to Lake Kivu
Start your day with breakfast at your hotel and embark on a journey with your guide to Lake Kivu. This is the largest freshwater Lake in Rwanda and provides a perfect relaxing place when in Rwanda.
En route visit the Murambi Genocide Memorial Site and the King’s palace reaching Lake Kivu in the evening to relax along the lake shores. Dinner and overnight at Lake Kivu Serena hotel (Luxury)/ Palm gardens resort (Deluxe)/ Paradise Marahide (Budget)
Day 5: Transfer to Congo for Nyiragongo Volcano Hiking
Early morning breakfast to your hotel and drive off to Congo reaching Kibatsi village head trail of Nyiragongo Volcano. The hike starts by 9:30am. Nyiragongo is an active volcano that shows signs of erupting. Hiking this mountain takes about 5 to 6 hours
Overnight at the campsite located at the Nyiragongo volcano rim
Day 6: Transfer to Lake Kivu
After descending Nyiragongo, you will drive back to Lake Kivu for relaxing and Dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Boat Ride to Nyamirundi Island – Transfer to Kigali
Breakfast at the lodge and enjoy a beautiful boat ride along to the Nyamirundi coffee island. Here you will learn how coffee is processed in Rwanda. In the afternoon drive back to Kigali for dinner and Overnight at Kigali Flame Tree for Midrange
Day 8: Kigali City Tour – Lake Bunyonyi
After breakfast, you will transfer back to Kigali. Upon arrival, you will have a city tour and visit the Genocide memorial grounds, local markets, museum, craft shops, do last minute shopping, have lunch and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi with beautiful sceneries en-route. Dinner and overnight at Bunyonyi Overland camp (budget)/Bunyonyi safari resort (mid-range)/ Bunyonyi overland resort (luxury)
Day 9: Morning Boat Ride – Transfer to Bwindi National Park
Have a beautiful breakfast in Lake Bunyonyi overlooking breathtaking views of the Lake, proceed for a launch cruise along Lake Bunyonyi. This place is a birder’s paradise with so much bird species.
On Return, have your lunch and be ready to transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park, where you will visit mountain gorillas. Dinner and overnight at Bakiga Lodge/ Gorilla Mist, Ruhija Forest Lodge (Luxury)
Day 10: Second Gorilla tracking in Uganda
You will wake up early today for breakfast and be ready to drive to the Bwindi forest park head offices where briefing takes place by 8:00 am. Briefing entails the gorilla trekking guide.
If you need an easy trek, make sure to talk to your guide to inform the ranger guides. Enter the forest in search for the endangered mountain gorillas; ask your ranger guide any questions and his always ready to give you an answer. They have firsthand information on mountain gorillas. Once you meet the great apes, it’s a special hour filled with so many emotions, which you will always remember.
Take some pictures, but remember to also watch and observe them.
In the afternoon, you will have a community interaction with the Batwa pygmies who live in the neighborhood of the forest.
These people used to leave in the Bwindi forest until they were evacuated to make a home for the endangered mountain gorillas. Dinner and Overnight at the lodge
Day 11: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National park
In the morning, you will set off to Queen Elizabeth national park passing via the Ishasha sector where you will have game drives to view tree-climbing lions. Reach the park early enough for lunch.
In the afternoon, gather at the Kazinga channel for a boat cruise along the channel where you will be rewarded with a view of wildlife concentration like hippos, crocodiles, buffalos, elephants as well as a variety of birds species. Dinner and overnight at Budget: Kingfisher Lodge, Mid-range: Ihamba safari lodge, Luxury: Mweya safari lodge.
Day 12: Game Drive – Chimpanzee Tracking in Kalinzu Forest Reserve
Today wake up early for the game drive to catch the early risers. This game drive offers you an opportunity to see wildlife such as Lions, Leopards, Giant Forest Hogs, Cape Buffaloes, Elephants, Defassa Waterbucks, Uganda Kobs, Topis, Bushbucks and many more.
Return to your lodge for lunch, and in the afternoon drive to Kalinzu forest reserve for habituated chimpanzee tracking. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.
Day 13: Transfer to Fort Portal – Visit the King’s Palace
After an early breakfast, and be ready to drive to Fortport, a Tooro Kingdom territory were the king’s palace is situated. You will visit the Tooro kingdom and learn more about the Bunyoro culture.
You will also tour Fortportal town with beautiful views of the Rwenzori mountains. Dinner and overnight at your hotel. Chimpanzee guest house (budget), Crater safari lodge (mid-range), Kyaninga Lodge (luxury)
Day 14: Chimpanzee Tracking And A Visit To Bigodi Wetland
Start your day with breakfast at your lodge and with your guide drive to Kibale park offices for a briefing before entering the forest in search for chimpanzees. Kibale forest national park is called the primate capital of East Africa because of the high primate population it has.
It’s the only national park in East Africa where one can have the best primate tracking viewing the chimpanzee man’s closest primate and many other primates like monkeys plus a number of bird species.
After having lunch, and in the afternoon head to the Bigodi wetlands if you are interested in birding or visit the Bigodi community for community tourism and later return to your lodge
Meals and overnight at your hotel
Day 15: Transfer to Murchison Falls
Drive northwards to Murchison Falls National Park after breakfast. The park is located in the north-western part of the country, have a lunch stopover at Masindi town and then proceed to the Murchison Falls, the most beautiful falls on the river Nile.
On arrival, you will drive to the top of the falls where you will have a tour around the falls, hear the roaring thunder of the river Nile. Overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge, Pakuba Lodge and Red Chili Rest Camp.
Day 16: Game drives and a boat cruise
After breakfast, go for a morning game drive on the southern banks of the river. The morning drive will take you through different habitats. On the drive, you will clear to see different animals which include giraffes, Hartebeest, Elephants, Bushbucks, Lion, Jackal, and many others.
After lunch, you will carry out a launch cruise and will view the concentration of Hippos on the banks of the river. For the birders, a variety of birds will be present such as the Pel’s Fishing-Owl, kingfishers. Overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge, Sambiya River Lodge and Red Chili Rest Camp.
Day 17: Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and a return to Kampala
Depart from the park and head to Kampala. Along the way, you will carry out a chimpanzee tracking in Kaniyo Pabidi Forest within Budongo Forest. You will have an overnight at Cassia Lodge or Holiday Express Hotel.
End of 17 Days Gorilla Trekking Holiday Safari
Inclusions of 17 Days Gorilla Trekking Holiday & Mount Nyiragongo Hiking
• Gorilla trekking permits (each costs $1500 per person)
• Chimpanzee tracking permit
• Nature walks
• Cultural tour in Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village
• Transportation in 4×4 safari car
• Fulltime English speaking driver guide
• Accommodation and meals
• Relevant government taxes
• All listed activities in the travel plan apart from optional ones
• Bottled water
Excludes of 17 Days Gorilla Trekking Holiday & Mount Nyiragongo Hiking
• Rwanda visa fees
• Insurance
• Personal expenses such as cigarettes, telephone calls, laundry services, tips, extra activities and accommodation options outside the travel plan.
What to bring
• Waterproof hiking boots
• Long sleeved shirt/t-shirt
• Gorilla and chimpanzee permit
• Good digital camera
• Waterproof daypack
• Light Rain jacket
•Gaiters
• Insect repellent
• First aid kit
Guidelines for gorilla and chimpanzee tracking
• Only persons above 15 years are eligible to obtain gorilla and chimpanzee permits.
• A maximum of one hour is given to you to have magical encounter with chimpanzees or mountain gorillas.
• No flashlight camera is allowed when taking photos of chimpanzees or gorillas.
• Keep a distance of 7 meters away from chimpanzees and gorillas.
• Leave chimpanzee and gorilla habitat the same way you found it.
• When coughing, please cover your mouth and nose when sneezing. Visitors who are not feeling well are not allowed to track chimpanzees or gorillas.
• Do not eat, drink or smoke while on chimpanzee or gorilla trekking.
