DR Congo, Burundi and Rwanda Tour
July 2nd to 10th, 2023, $3449, 10/16 spots gone!
Sometimes adventures just HAVE to happen. And that’s exactly what happened with our DR Congo tour. The long story short is that, originally, this Democratic Republic of Congo tour was a simple 3 day extension to our non-profit orphanage refurbishment in Uganda (still some spots left on that for next month, let’s go Gorilla Trekking together – message me!).
Anyway, due to COVID, and Mount Nyiragongo being closed, the extension was put on hold. That’s despite 10 of you lunatics having signed up to climb Mount Nyiragongo and reach the world’s largest lava lake! You didn’t want us to cancel it, so we didn’t. We made it better!
So now it’s DR Congo, Rwanda AND Burundi. Now that’s an adventure…
Table of contents
DR Congo, Rwanda and Burundi?!
Yes! I’ve always traveled like this. If you’re in a region, and you’ve spent all the time and money to be here, then I reckon you might as well see and do as much as possible, right?!
Combine that with the fact that the DR Congo tours and Burundi tours are a little tricky to organise trips in independently, it makes sense for us to use our team and manage that for everyone!
Why Visit These Places?!
Because they’re there! But more than that too of course. Let’s have a look:
DR Congo: Mount Nyiragongo is a volcano in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the world-famous Virunga National Park (maybe you’ve seen the Netflix doco? If not, watch it!). On my journey to every country in the world, I found out that getting visas for DR Congo is VERY difficult. Then I learned a kind-of Congo hack. If you organise your permits to climb the volcano, then you can get a Congo visa easily. So we do just that. We get to visit one of the least visited countries in the world, AND climb a volcano, AND camp on the side of the world’s largest lava lake. Pretty cool.
Rwanda: A beacon for African development. Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, is something special. We’ll be paying our respects to the 1994 genocide of course, but we will also appreciate what modern Rwanda has become. Don’t blame us if you end up moving here. It’s that cool.
Burundi: Yet another of the least visited countries in the world. We’ll be based on the gorgeous shores of Lake Tanganyika, just outside the bustling Bujumbura. Perhaps the coolest named Capital in the world (although Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso has a claim to that too!).
DR Congo, Rwanda and Burundi Dates:
July 2nd to 10th, 2023
DR Congo, Rwanda and Burundi Prices:
$3,499USD
DR Congo, Rwanda and Itinerary:
Burundi
DAY 1: Arrive at Bujumbura Airport. Our team will meet you at the airport, and bring you to our hotel for our first group dinner and drinks on Lake Tanganyika. Depending on flight times, we may have a tour of Bujumbura today too.
DAY 2: We’re traversing Burundi today. Expect chaos on the roads, while Burundian life unfolds around us. We’re off to the gorgeous Kalera Falls. We’ll check out the memorial stone to Stanley and Livingstone, as they searched long and far for the source of the Nile. After we see the falls, we’ll make some pitstops in Bujumbura on the way back to our accommodation.
Rwanda
DAY 3: With our transit visa fast running out, we’re on another Burundi road trip. This time, north, bound for the Rwandan land border. Once we cross the border, we’ll reach the depts of Nyungwe Forest national park. Where we’ll trek to locate the famous Angolan Colobus monkeys and the Rwandan Blue Monkeys. We overnight in the park.
DAY 4: A pretty special morning in Rwanda. We head out on a guided chimpanzee walk. Let’s see what them, and other primates, have in store for us today. Once more, we overnight in the park.
DAY 5: On slightly better roads than Burundi, we drive to the modern capital of Kigali and check-in to our hotel. We’ll make our way to the genocide museum, and go for a drink in the famous ‘Hotel Rwanda’ for sunset. Overnight in the city.
DR Congo
DAY 6: The Congo is calling! An early start brings us to the Congolese border by 6am. Here, we’ll be met by the Park Rangers, complete with their AK47s, and our trek first to Goma, and then up Mount Nyirgongo will commence. I hope your for your hiking boots, it’s pretty steep! A 6 hour trek or so will have us camp on the edge of the volcano, overlooking the world’s largest lava lake. Pretty effing cool.
DAY 7: A sunrise on the volcano, another hike in the lava fields, and a moment to appreciate just where in the world we’ve found ourselves. Spectacular. Then we hike down and spend the night in Goma. It’s a wild place.
Back to Rwanda
DAY 8: Back to the gorgeous Kigali to decompress after a serious week of Adventure. We made it folks. Well done. Perhaps a night out to sample the epic Rwandan nightlife? Sign me up.
DAY 9: We’re outta here. Thanks for the memories! Now… who’s off to the Central Africa Republic and South Sudan?
TOUR FAQS
What about safety?
Rwanda is safer than the US and UK combined! So no worries there. Our DR Congo tour and Burundi tour are very much in the ‘adventure travel’ world. And with that, we have local teams with us throughout our time in those countries, including armed guards while we’re in Virunga National Park. We’re in safe hands.
That being said, travel insurance is compulsory, and we recommend these guys as they insure in both Congo and Burundi!
What about COVID?
Eurrrgh. Good ‘auld Covid eh. Right now, vaccination proof isn’t required (although I’d imagine it will eventually be mandated globally, so be aware). PCR tests are currently required. We’ll help with all that, although costs of PCR tests remain with our travelers.
What about visas?
For the Congo tours, we’ll help with through our permits for the national park. Rwanda is visa on arrival in the airport and at the land borders. At Burundi airport, we’ll get our 3-day transit visa, and leave within the allotted time.
Where does it start and finish?
The trip starts in Bujumbura airport, Burundi on July 2nd. And finished in Kigali, Rwanda on July 10th.
How Do I Get there? How About flights?
Normally, we fly to Burundi via Nairobi (Kenya) or Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). Both of these countries service major airlines and alliances, so you can book with KLM/Air France/Delta etc without any problem.
What’s next?
If 2 years of fun has taken it’s toll on you, then let’s go on the WILDEST TRIP IN THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY. The central African Republic, chartered propeller planes in the jungle, then off to South Sudan to stay with the Mundari Tribe. It’s doesn’t get any realer than that!
Check it out:
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