10 Days Luxury & Conservation-Focused Safari Congo
10-Day Luxury & Conservation Safari: Congo
Two gorilla treks in two national parks, mountain gorillas in Virunga and eastern lowland gorillas in Kahuzi-Biega, with conservation visits and luxury lodges throughout.
Tour Overview
This ten-day trip combines two gorilla treks in the DRC. In Virunga National Park you trek to mountain gorillas among volcanoes and bamboo forest. In Kahuzi-Biega National Park you trek to eastern lowland (Grauer's) gorillas, the largest gorilla subspecies, found only in the DRC. Between the treks you visit conservation projects, an education and ranger training centre and neighbouring villages, and you have a free day at the lodge. You stay in luxury lodges, with a night in Kinshasa at the start. Both parks operate in a complex security setting, so travel depends on current conditions.
Trip Highlights
Mountain gorillas in Virunga
One hour with a habituated family, with armed ranger escorts, below active volcanoes.
Eastern lowland gorillas
Trek to Grauer's gorillas in Kahuzi-Biega's dense forest. Permits for both parks are included.
Conservation up close
A forest conservation walk, an education and ranger training centre, and village visits that show how local families benefit from the parks.
Luxury lodges and a free day
Nine nights of comfortable lodges with all meals, and an unscheduled day to rest.
Plan Your Congo Gorilla Safari
Tell us your dates and group size. We'll check gorilla permit availability and current security conditions, then send you a quote.
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Arrival in Kinshasa
Your private Sankofa guide meets you at N'djili International Airport and takes you to your luxury hotel. Kinshasa is one of Africa's largest and busiest cities, a sharp contrast with the remote forest ahead.
At the welcome dinner you try Congolese food, such as moambe chicken cooked in palm butter and fresh river fish. Your guide then briefs you on the full itinerary, health and safety rules, gorilla trekking regulations, what to pack for the forest, and the conservation programmes you will see in Virunga and Kahuzi-Biega.
- Airport meeting and transfer to your hotel
- Welcome dinner with Congolese dishes
- Full itinerary and safety briefing
Travel to Virunga National Park
A chartered flight takes you from Kinshasa towards Virunga, routed via Rwanda, which is the most reliable way into this part of the DRC. From the airstrip you transfer to your luxury eco-lodge, built to combine comfort with low environmental impact. It has forest views, and the Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira volcanoes show on the horizon.
After lunch on the terrace, your guides lead an evening walk on the trails around the lodge. You listen to the forest at dusk and look for small nocturnal animals. Monkeys, forest birds and signs of forest elephants are often seen near the lodge.
- Charter flight from Kinshasa, routed via Rwanda
- Check-in at the luxury eco-lodge
- Evening walk on the lodge trails
Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Virunga
After an early breakfast and a final kit check, you go to the Virunga ranger station for the day's briefing. Trackers and rangers assign your group to a habituated gorilla family, go over the trekking rules, and plan the route from the trackers' dawn positions. An armed ranger escort goes with every group in Virunga. This is standard park procedure and reflects the park's security situation.
The trek goes through rainforest, giant bamboo and sometimes open volcanic ground, with the volcanoes showing above the canopy. When the lead ranger signals a stop, you find the family resting a few metres away. You spend one hour with them, watching mothers with infants, juveniles playing and the silverback. You return to the lodge for lunch and a quiet afternoon. Along the route you may also see forest birds and black-and-white colobus monkeys.
- Briefing and family assignment at the ranger station
- Trek of 1 to 5 hours, then 1 hour with the gorillas
- Lunch and a free afternoon at the lodge
Conservation Walk & Community in Virunga
Day 4 goes beyond the gorilla encounter. A guided forest walk focuses on how the park is protected: reforestation projects that restore degraded habitat, anti-poaching patrols, and monitoring of the Albertine Rift ecosystem. Your guide also explains the forest layers, the plants local communities use as medicine, and the birdlife. More than 700 bird species are recorded in the region, including range-restricted endemics.
In the afternoon you can visit a nearby community project that links sustainable livelihoods to the park's health, or join an extended birdwatching session with a specialist ranger. Activities are confirmed on the day, depending on conditions. At dusk, the lodge's platforms are good places to watch primates settling for the night, forest buffalo at the tree line and forest birds in their evening chorus.
- Guided forest conservation walk
- Optional community project visit or extended birdwatching
- Dusk wildlife viewing from the lodge platforms
Travel to Kahuzi-Biega National Park
You travel south and west to Kahuzi-Biega by private charter flight or overland 4×4, depending on conditions and your preference. Virunga is volcanic, with high bamboo forest. Kahuzi-Biega is rolling forested hills and dense mid-altitude rainforest, more enclosed and darker. The park is the main stronghold of the eastern lowland gorilla, also called Grauer's gorilla, the world's largest gorilla subspecies, found only in the DRC.
You check in at your luxury forest lodge, with views across the forested hills, then take a short afternoon hike to nearby viewpoints to get a feel for the terrain. Forest elephants, duikers, hornbills, turacos and Afromontane forest birds are regularly seen around the lodge.
- Charter flight or 4×4 transfer to Kahuzi-Biega
- Check-in at the luxury forest lodge
- Short afternoon hike to viewpoints
Eastern Lowland Gorilla Trek in Kahuzi-Biega
This is your second gorilla trek, and it feels different from Virunga. Eastern lowland gorillas are larger than mountain gorillas and live in denser, more humid forest at a lower altitude. Expert rangers lead the trek and explain gorilla behaviour, forest ecology and the conservation challenges that have made Kahuzi-Biega's gorillas among the most threatened great apes.
You take a packed lunch in a clearing in the park. Back at the lodge you can have a hot shower, spa time and a quiet evening. Other species you may see include forest elephants, monkeys, duikers, hornbills and turacos.
- Full-day trek to find Grauer's gorillas
- Packed lunch in the park
- Rest and spa at the lodge in the evening
Photography Game Drive & Storytelling
After three days in dense forest, today is a photography-focused game drive in a luxury safari vehicle. Your guide explains how to read the signs that show which animals passed and when.
In the evening at the lodge, your guide and local staff tell stories about the park's history, the DRC's relationship with its natural heritage, and the sustainable forestry practices behind the conservation model you have been seeing.
- Photography-focused game drive
- Tracking commentary from your guide
- Storytelling evening at the lodge
Conservation Workshop & Village Visit
In the morning you visit a local conservation education centre. Hands-on sessions cover forest restoration, the wildlife monitoring systems that track animal populations across the park, and the ranger training that produces the field teams protecting both parks.
In the afternoon you transfer to a neighbouring village to see the community side of conservation: sustainable agriculture projects, handicraft programmes and livelihood initiatives that give local families a stake in the park's health. You return to the lodge for sunset drinks on the terrace, with the forest observation platform open for wildlife watching as the light fades.
- Conservation education sessions and ranger training centre
- Visit to a neighbouring village
- Sunset drinks on the lodge terrace
Free Day
The penultimate day has no schedule, so the trip has time to sink in. Options include a short guided forest walk, since birdsong is at its strongest near the lodge in the morning, spa treatments at the lodge, photography from the lodge's elevated viewing platforms, or simply reading and resting with the view.
- Short guided forest walk
- Lodge spa treatments
- Photography from the viewing platforms, or rest
Return to Kinshasa & Departure
After a last breakfast at the lodge, a private transfer or charter flight returns you to Kinshasa. If you have time, you can stop at a market for Congolese crafts and textiles. Your guide takes you to the airport for your onward international flight.
We can also connect this trip to Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park, Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest or an extended DRC expedition.
- Private transfer or charter flight to Kinshasa
- Optional stop at a craft market
- Transfer to the airport
Suggested Accommodation
Kinshasa
- Luxury hotel
Confirmed on enquiry to match your preferred tier.
Virunga National Park
- Mikeno Lodge
Luxury. Lodge in the park with forest and volcano views and full service.
Kahuzi-Biega National Park
- Forest Lodge, Kahuzi-Biega
Luxury. Views over rolling forested hills, close to lowland gorilla terrain.
What's Included
Included
- Private charter flights or 4×4 transfers between all destinations, and airport connections
- Professional English-speaking guide throughout all 10 days
- 9 nights in luxury accommodation, with all meals
- Mountain gorilla trekking permit, Virunga National Park
- Eastern lowland gorilla trekking permit, Kahuzi-Biega National Park
- Armed ranger escorts on all gorilla treks
- Park entrance fees, conservation levies and government taxes in both parks
- Conservation education sessions and ranger-guided walks
- Bottled water during all transfers and treks
Excluded
- International flights to and from Kinshasa or Kigali
- DRC visa fees
- Travel and medical evacuation insurance (mandatory)
- Personal expenses, laundry and souvenirs
- Alcohol and drinks beyond those specified
- Tips for guides, rangers and lodge staff
- Optional activities not listed in the itinerary
- Costs from itinerary changes due to security or weather
Estimated Price Per Person
| Group Size | Estimated Price per Person | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $7,500 to $10,000 | Single supplement applies, private guide and vehicle |
| 2 people | $5,500 to $8,000 | Shared transfers |
| 4 people | $4,800 to $6,500 | Lower cost per person |
| 6 people | $4,500 to $6,000 | Lowest cost per person, subject to permit availability |
Before You Book
Good to Know
- Age and fitness: The minimum age for gorilla trekking in both parks is 15, with no exceptions. Please confirm every traveller's age when you book. You need moderate fitness. Treks last 1 to 5+ hours through dense rainforest, bamboo and volcanic hillside. Porters and trekking poles are available on trek days.
- Health on trek day: You cannot trek with flu symptoms, a cough, a cold or any communicable illness. Human respiratory viruses can be passed to great apes, with potentially fatal results. Both parks apply this rule without exception.
- What to wear: Long-sleeved shirts and trousers in neutral colours, with no blue or black, which attract insects. Bring waterproof hiking boots you have already broken in, rain gear and garden gloves for the steep sections. Flash photography is never allowed near gorillas.
- Security: Virunga and Kahuzi-Biega both operate in complex security environments. We monitor conditions continuously and will adjust an itinerary if official risk assessments require it. All treks are led under park authority with armed ranger escorts.
- Health preparation and cash: A yellow fever vaccination is required for entry to the DRC. Malaria prevention is strongly recommended, so see a travel clinic at least 4 to 6 weeks before you leave. Travel and medical evacuation insurance is essential. US dollars are preferred for park fees, tips and expenses on the ground.
- Permits: Gorilla permits for both parks need early reservation, especially in the dry-season peak from June to September. We manage the permit applications, so confirm your dates as early as you can.
Ready for Two Gorilla Treks?
Send us your dates and group size. We'll check permit availability and security conditions, then send a quote.