DRC

Day 1: Goma.

• We will all fly together from Nairobi and arrival in Goma around noon. After checking in and registering in the immigration office at the airport, we will stop in Goma town for lunch and drive to Masisi Hills and enjoy the pleasure of winding down with some coffee or chai before a very delicious barbecue surrounded by the endless lush grass hills.
• In the afternoon, we’ll walk in the village for a glimpse of their lifestyle and experience their cattle farms.
• Overnight near Masisi.

Day 2: Masisi.

• Full day exploring the lush green hills of Masisi. We will take local moto-taxis up these muddy paths through the winding fields and villages.
• Lunch with the community, with incredible views overlooking Lake Kivu.
• In the afternoon, we return to Goma, toattend a local wedding bearing gifts for the newly weds. It’s a huge ceremony and the festivities take a few days, and we will be experiencing part of them first hand.
• Overnight in Goma.

Day 3: Goma to Bukavu.

• In the morning, we explore the old town of Goma, from the markets to the craftsmen going about their daily work. We will get an in-depth look at this bustling town in the heart of eastern Congo.
• In the evening, we will catch the night ferry to Bukavu. 

Day 4: Gorilla Trekking & Pygmies.

• In the morning, we venture out to the highlight of our Expedition, gorilla trekking. These are wild animals that have been habituated to humans and we’ll track them in the rainforest before spending one full uninterrupted hour with them. The lowland eastern gorillas are only found in the DRC!
• It’s one of those memorable travel experiences you’ll never forget!
• After a picnic lunch at the edge of the forest, we visit a pygmy village. We’ll experience their lifestyle up close before an evening of relaxation at the cozy Coco Lodge.

Day 5: Bukavu

• After breakfast we shall visit Luiro Research Center, an abandoned colonial library known to be one of the oldest and biggest in Central Africa. More than 300.000 books lay on its dusty shelves and floors in this massive colonial palace.
• In the afternoon, we’ll walk the streets of Bukavu, visit the local market and enjoy an evening of karaoke at one of the many local art-cafés in town.

Day 6: Idjwi Island

• We take a morning speedboat to admire the stunning coasts of Lake Kivu and the narrow no-man’s-land between Rwanda and DRC.
• We arrive at Idjwi at 9am and have a full day of exploration mostly mingling with locals and fully immersing ourselves in their daily lives, which mostly relies on fishing in Lake Kivu, infamously dubbed “The most dangerous lake in the World” due to the high concentration of methane and other gases from the nearby volcanoes.

Day 7: Tchegera Island

• Tchegera Island is a small hideaway banana-shaped isle in Lake Kivu with incomparable views of the active Nyiragongo volcano.
• In the morning we will settle in on our private luxurious tented camp and hike around the island while they prepare a tasty barbecue.
• After lunch we’ll enjoy an afternoon kayaking with fabulous views of
  the Nyiragongo volcano, as the sun sets, the volcano’s lava lake lights up with a bright red color.
• We’ll have an evening around camp fire before a delicious fine dining experience and retiring to our luxurious tented rooms at Tchegera Island.

Day 8: Fly out

• After breakfast, we return to Goma, pick-up our PCR results.
• Before we leave, we’ll race each other with the local Tchukudus, a traditional wooden bike used to transport goods around town.
• From there, straight to the airport to catch our flight connection to Nairobi. You can pair up both Expeditions and join us in Kenya for more Eastern African adventures, since both Expeditions are easily paired together with the convenient direct flights we’ll be taking from Nairobi.