3 Days Lowland Gorilla Tour

A Moment With Eastern Lowland Gorillas!

The 3 days Lowland gorilla tour is among the most adventurous Discovery Journeys Tours you can take. The tour leads you to Kahuzi Biega National Park in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. On the 3 Days Lowland Gorilla Tour you hike the forested mountains to meet the eastern lowland gorillas that are endemic to the park. The park is less explored and offers raw and authentic primate trekking experiences.

Eastern Lowland Gorilla Facts

Eastern lowland gorillas are part of the 4 gorilla subspecies. They are the largest with a fully grown weighing up to 400 pounds. The Eastern lowland gorilla diet is mainly comprised of plant vegetation and wild fruits.

Just like other gorilla species, Eastern Lowland gorillas also live in families. These comprise and are led by a dominant male gorilla called Silverback. There can be up to 10 individuals in a gorilla family including adult females, infants, and juvenile gorillas.

The Eastern lowland gorilla population was threatened and declined greatly in the 1990s because of political unrest. Poaching and habitat encroachment are other major threats to these rare gorilla species. There have been conservation and gorilla sustainability efforts and we can only hope for the best.

The 3 days lowland gorilla tour itinerary

This adventure starts with a transfer to Bukavu in Eastern DRC. The town overlooks Lake Kivu and gives you a great welcome impression ahead of your primate adventure. You can conveniently transfer to Bukavu from Kigali or from any part of Rwanda if you are already on safari. There are a number of accommodation options in Bukavu including Panorama Hotel, Orchids Safari Club, and Elizabeth Hotel Bukavu among others.

Day 2 is the most anticipated of the 3 days lowland gorilla tour. You start it with an early morning breakfast at your hotel after which you are driven to Kahuzi Biega National Park. The park is located about an hour’s drive from Bukavu and you therefore get there early for a briefing. This briefing is done you give you safe guidelines while in the park.

After the briefing, you are led to the forested mountains by a ranger guide and trek until you get to the gorillas. The gorilla trek takes 1 to 3 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas and once you get to them you can only stay up to an hour in their presence. The one hour in the presence of the gorillas exposes you to their routine as you observe and get to learn more. A one-on-one moment with the gorillas is very remarkable and has been described by many as once in a lifetime. After this encounter, you are led back to the park headquarters and lake Visit the Lwiro Sanctuary for orphaned primates before heading back to Bukavu.

The third day is for departure or a transfer to your next safari destination depending on schedule.

Getting to Kahuzi Biega National Park

Kigali International Airport is the major airport that serves the area. It takes a 9 to 10-hour drive from Kigali to Bukavu via the Cyangugu border. This time also includes stopovers for photography and a lunch break. Goma International Airport would be a great alternative but the civil war in the northern Kivu provinces makes the area insecure. From Goma, you can transfer to Bukavu in southern Kivu by ferry.

Other Gorilla Trekking Discovery Journeys

The East and Central African region also has mountain gorilla species that are trekked too. Mountain gorillas live in the forested mountains of the Virunga massif and the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The Virunga massif has three gorilla national parks all with habituated gorilla families. They include Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Virunga National Park in DRC, and Mgahinga Gorilla Park in Uganda.

Virunga National Park which is also Africa’s oldest park is currently closed due to insecurity. The other gorilla parks are however open and you can have incredible gorilla trekking safari journeys there. In case you have limited time you can do a 1-day or 2-day Rwanda Gorilla Tour. The 3-day gorilla tour option is also ideal and enables you to trek to the golden monkeys as well.

In case you plan to Visit Uganda for a gorilla trekking adventure and you have limited time, a 3-day Uganda gorilla tour is ideal. The 3-day gorilla habituation tour is also a great option to look at. This gives you up to 4 hours in the presence of the gorillas.

There are set gorilla trekking rules and regulations you must follow. Contact us to customize your gorilla trekking adventure and other wildlife safaris including Tanzania Classic experiences.