DanielW

Many thanks, offerendum.

Thank you, theshaun, yes only a relatively short trip, but got to pack in some amazing experiences.

Cheers, goteed1, was great fun compiling this report too and reliving all the great memories.

Many thanks, cheesedawg, yes, definitely recommend doing this trip if you're visiting that part of the world.

1. I took my 70-200 f2.8 & 300 f2.8 lenses, and a 1.4x extender too. I swapped between the two lenses while we were there (although a second camera body would have been more ideal).

2. The gorilla's in Rwanda being 'less wild' than compared to DRC was in an article I read: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/c4489...44feabdc0.html

3. I had no problems with Amahoro. I booked a 'default' tour though, so I was a easy client for them.

Cheers, SAtraveller, yes, the genocide memorials were quite sombreing, hard to imagine a genocide of that scale (~800,000 deaths) could happen in our lifetime.

Thanks for the great compliment, HighlandExpress.

Thanks, LivelyFL, yes, an unforgettable trip to do!

Thank you, shefgab. Yes, the DRC visa can be expensive! Luckily the visa deal ($70) through Virunga park makes it a bit more reasonable.

Many thanks, Thunderroad. We were 4-6 metres from the gorilla’s, and probably closer at times. We were in really dense jungle, so was hard to keep the mandatory 7 metres distance.

Thank you, mike&co. Yes, don't think there were too many luxury hotels in Goma. Apparently there's a lodge in the park you can stay at though, although would have cost me an extra ~$1000.

Thanks, zanskar. I'd seen a few pics of the lava lake on the internet, but nothing prepared me for the surreal beauty of seeing it for real!

Thank you, MileTex.

Cheers, chelsea2. When they said we were camping on the side of a volcano, I thought it would be down in the jungle, not mere metres from the crater edge! Was such a awesome experience.

Thanks, themapelligroup. Yes, the views and sights from the top of the volcano definitely made the 5 hour trek up worth it!

Thank you, jacobac00.

Many thanks, cmd320. Yes, the views at 2am when the clouds had cleared were worth crawling out of a warm sleeping bag and venturing out into the cold night.

Thank you, PitaPan. Yes, hope you're successful with convincing your SO.

Cheers, Fredrik74.

Thank you, flying_blue_white_red. Yes, Ruhengeri seemed like a happening place. Was tempted in my initial planning to see the Rwandan gorilla's there too, but I think I would have been too exhausted for a fourth day of trekking. Probably was peanut sauce, tasted good anyway. Such a shame about the oil exploration plans, I hope the oil company comes to its senses and stays well clear. I think I was too excited seeing the gorilla's to listen to what the guides were saying about what family we were seeing.

Thanks, benjahman.

Many thanks, shogunate03. Yes, I always wanted to see the gorilla’s and I tacked on the volcano trek as an afterthought. Hard to decide which was more amazing afterwards now!

My main lens was a 300mm f2.8. I put a 1.4x extender for some shots though (so it effectively became a 420mm f4 lens).

I just put my camera on a small table and did a long exposure for the stars shot. Not much electricity in Goma so the city lights didn't over power the light from the stars.

Thank you, cardinalkid1891.