Tchegera Island Tented Camp
Tchegera Island Tented Camp
Tchegera Island Tented Camp: One of Virunga national park’s hidden gems is the Tchegera Island. Tchegera Island is a solo island of the Lake Kivu. Lake Kivu is one of the great lakes of Africa and is shared by Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This Lake Kivu lies in the Albertine Rift valley escarpment on the western branch of the East African rift. It is a relatively long lake covering 56 miles in length, 475 meters deep and 31 miles in width putting the estimated surface area at 2,700 square kilometers. Lake Kivu is also known as Africa’s eighth largest and eighth deepest lake.
The Tchegera Island is situated on the northern part of the Lake Kivu, a very peaceful and calm area. The Tchegera Island is a U shaped island that was formed from volcanic activity forming a caldera island. The Island is a 20 to 30 minutes boat ride from the Kituku border. The Kituku border is where all the guests headed to the Island will be expected to board the boat from. Virunga national park offers tours to the island and all bookings to the island are made through the Virunga national park. The Tchegera has been open for visits after the Virunga national park reopened for tourism in February 2019. You can use the Virunga boat or hire a kayak or even better hire a private boat to the island.
A retreat to this black sand island is a rejuvenating and ideal idea for the travellers looking to relax and cool off from the draining activities they may have engaged in while in the park like the hours spent hiking up the Mount Nyiragongo or trekking the mountain gorillas and chimpanzees. The Island is a great honeymoon spot too as it offers more of leisure tourism activities. While on the Tchegera Island, the visitors may engage in some kayaking, hire kayaks with your travel partners or other interested guests at the island and set out on the lake Kivu or take on paddle boarding experience or do some snorkeling. Guests can also engage in a barbeque luncheon at the island.
The Tchegera Island is a virgin piece of land with little exploitation and no human settlement so you may take on a guided nature walk on the off beaten paths and enjoy the new discoveries. Also get to view the Island’s U shape from different points during your guided nature walk. You can also take on some birding while on this island or take on a camping experience if you opt to spend a night. There are a number of birds that you can look out for at the island for example the African eagle, cormorants and the gulls which you can spot on a boat trip on the Lake Kivu or on a nature trail on the island. Those guests who would like to spend more time at the Island can check into the tented camp at the Island. There is a luxury tented camp on the island called the Tchegera Island tented camp.
The Tchegera Island Tented camp is an attraction of its own majorly because it is the only establishment on the island and offers luxury services. On arrival at the Tchegera Island Tented camp, you will be offered a welcome glass of juice to quench your thirst then check in and settle in at your tented room as you await for the next thing on the agenda. Guests are usually offered a barbeque picnic lunch at the main tent where you may opt to spend the rest of the day stretching or reading a book. There is a blue monkey that usually visits the island and you may be lucky to catch a glimpse of it in the comfort of your hotel.
The Tchegera Island Tented camp has 10 luxury styled rooms with an African and contemporary touch. These tents are built in a safari Meru style with enough spacing for privacy. Each of these rooms is self-contained with flushing toilets and a hot and cold bucket showers with luxury finishing like electric hand hair dryer. The rooms can access the WiFi connectivity and they are powered by a generator. These tents can host singles, couples or a twin bed setting with a small terrace on each that you can lounge on as you catch the sun set.
There is a main sitting tented area where meals are served and one can enjoy the breathtaking views of the red glowing Mountains of Virunga; Mount Nyiragongo and Mount Nyamulagira from a distance and on the clear nights you may be able to view the lights from the Goma town. There is usually a campfire at night on the terrace of the main tent to keep the guests warm. This Tchegera Tented camp can be booked as a single activity or be topped up on any of our Congo safari packages. The boat leaving Tchegera Island back to Kituku port sets off at about 7:30 am so as to be back in Goma to connect to your next destination early enough.
You can, however, opt to spend a second night at the camp but this should be booked in advance especially in the peak seasons to avoid disappointments when your room is not available for a second night. We look forward to hearing from to book your stay at the Tchegera Island Tented camp.
