Le Petit Mikeno

Le Petit Virunga package includes three nights’ stay in Virunga National Park: two nights’ accommodation at Mikeno Lodge, mountain gorilla trek, volcano trek and one night on Nyiragongo volcano. This package departs Goma 13:00pm on Wednesdays.

 

About Le Petit Mikeno Lodge

Day 1: Arrival at Grande Barriere border crossing by 11:30am and ensure check-in with Virunga tourism office by 11:30am, which is conveniently located in the Grande Barriere border post building, opposite passport control. Clients will have their rapid COVID test and then the staff will provide guests with gorilla and volcano trek permits at check-in which must be presented before the start of each trek.  Guests will be transported to Mikeno Lodge at the Park headquarters in Rumangabo. On arrival to Mikeno, a late lunch will be served and the afternoon can be enjoyed at leisure, including exploring Rumangabo’s several nature trails, bird watching or paying a visit to the Congohounds.

Day 2: After an early breakfast at Mikeno Lodge, guests will set off for Bukima Ranger Post. On arrival to Bukima, trekkers will meet their Ranger guides and local pisteurs to receive a briefing before starting the gorilla trek. Treks usually require 1-2.5 hours of hiking each way, depending on location of the group being trekked and the difficulty of the terrain. After spending the allotted hour with the gorillas, trekkers will return to Bukima camp and then will be transported back to Mikeno Lodge where the remainder of the day can be spent relaxing on the lodge terrace or visiting the gorilla orphans at the Senkwekwe Center.

Day 3: After breakfast, guest will be transported to the Kibati Ranger Post, departure point for the Nyiragongo volcano trek. On arrival to Kibati, climbers will receive a briefing and have the opportunity to hire porters. The climb up the volcano takes around four to six hours and trekkers will overnight on the summit.

Day 4: Early in the morning, climbers will leave the crater rim and start the descent back to Kibati. Average descent time is four hours. Once at the bottom, guests will be transported back to Goma with drop-off at the Grande Barriere border crossing.

Additional Details

Included in this package:

  • Two nights’ full board accommodation at Mikeno Lodge
  • Gorilla trek and volcano trek permits
  • One nights stay on Nyiragongo
  • All transport to, from and within the Park once in country

Le Petit Mikeno brochure

What our guests say...

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    “I have such beautiful memories of my time at Mikeno Lodge.. with the staff there, the widows and their projects , the Rangers children and of course the wonderful days with the gorillas.” (Paul Vukovich)

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    “We had a great experience in Virunga!   The gorillas and the Volcano trekking were fantastic.” (Roan Kramer)
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    “From the weather, to the staff, to the scenery, everything was about as perfect as one could ever hope for.” (Daniel Owens)    

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Frequent Asked Questions

A. Yes, there is WIFI

A. The orphans are in an enclosure and therefore guests are unable to go into the enclosure with them or visit them in their night house.

A. Gorilla treks, Congo Hounds demonstrations, visit the Widow's Workshop, nature trails and bird walks

A. For security reasons we do not allow guests to walk around

A. 1.5 hours

A. All transport is either organised by the Park or trusted DRC tour operators. If you are taking Park transport, it is included in the price of your package.

A. All transport to and from Grande Barriere and within the Park is included in your package price. If you will be staying in Goma prior to or after your stay in Virunga, you can independently organize additional transport directly with a tour operator.

A. If arriving by car and after clearing passport control at the Grande Barriere border crossing, please check in with the Virunga tourism office conveniently located in the same building. If arriving by plane, a Virunga staff will meet you at the arrivals area upon clearing passport control. In both cases, Virunga staff will guide you to the appropriate transport thereafter.

A. For logistical reasons, it is likely that you will share transport with other guests.

A. Between an hour to two and a half hours and one hour with the gorillas.

A. Two to four rangers.

A. For a group of gorillas with more than 10 family members, we allow 6 clients. For a gorilla group with less than 10 family members, we allow 4 pax.

A. 3470m

A. June, July, August and September.

A. 2 degrees C to below freezing.

A. You can leave your luggage at Kibati Ranger post, where it will be looked after for you

A. A sleeping bag, warm jacket, poncho, water and breakfast, lunch and dinner.

A. 15kg and to make it easier for them, it would be better in a backpack.

A. It is difficult and steep at times but done slowly it is ok.

A. 6 rangers.

A. There is a maximum of 16 guests.

A. Virunga National Park is currently welcoming tourists. The safety of our visitors is of the highest priority and our staff consistently assess the situation on the ground to ensure appropriate security protocols are in place. If any signs indicate a security issue, management may decide to temporarily close one or more of its attractions. All bookings for these attractions will be refunded in full or alternative options offered. All visitors must make an assessment on advice from their respective consular services. If you have any further queries, please contact the tourism team by email visit@virunga.org.

A. Protection for at least USD 100,000 emergency medical evacuation plus USD 100,000 medical expenses is mandatory. Visitors are wholly responsible for arranging their own insurance and ensuring that they are in possession of private Travel Insurance with protection for the full duration of the trip in respect of medical expenses, injury, death, repatriation, cancellation and curtailment, with adequate benefits. Visitors making their own arrangements should ensure that there are no exclusion clauses limiting protection for the type of activities included in their tour.

A. Filtered drinking water is provided for guests staying at all Virunga accommodations with the exception of Nyiragongo.

A. All tourists must provide a certified negative PCR test for COVID 19 taken in the last three days or a COVID vaccination certificate. Please read our full COVID-19 guidelines before booking.