Day 1:
Arrival at Grande Barriere border crossing by 11:00 am and ensure check-in with Virunga tourism office by 11:30 am. The tourism office is conveniently located in the Grande Barriere border post building, opposite passport control. Tourism staff will provide guests with gorilla 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 Lodge, 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 Virunga’s Congohounds.
Day 2:
After an early breakfast, guests will set off to Bukima Ranger Post. On arrival, trekkers will meet their Ranger guides and 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 Ranger Post and onto Mikeno Lodge for a late lunch. The rest of the afternoon can be spent at leisure to reflect on the morning’s trek.
Day 3:
After an early rise, you can go for a walk through the Mahura Forest and onto a chimp habituation walk, returning for a leisurely breakfast in the lodge. For the rest of the day guests are invited to explore Rumangabo, the park’s headquarters, visiting the widow’s workshop, enjoying a stroll birdwatching or simply relaxing. In the evening, sit around the fire and listen to everyone’s stories of the day with a gin and tonic.
Day 4:
After an early breakfast, travel to Bukima for your second gorilla trek. Following the trek, you will be transferred back to Mikeno Lodge for a late lunch. The afternoon is free to explore, visit the Senkwekwe gorilla orphanage or cosy up by the fire reading a good book.
Day 5:
After breakfast, guest will be transported back to Goma with drop-off at the Grande Barriere border post.
