Mount Nyiragongo

Mount Nyiragongo

Mount Nyiragongo is one of the Top Congo Safari Destinations that travelers can visit for an exciting hiking tour. The mountain is found in the Democratic Republic of Congo and is among the 8 Virunga volcanoes and is also among the best attractions around virunga national park. The mountain raises to an elevation of 11380 ft being the highest point and a depth of 2000 ft. Among the other 8 Virunga mountains is mt Sabyinyo, mt Nyamulangira,mt Mikeno, mt muhabura, mount karisimbi, mt gahinga, an mt Bisoke. The mountain is located about 20km north of Goma town and Lake Kivu and to the west of the Rwandan Border.

The crater of mount Nyiragongo is the biggest attraction the mountain being an active volcano where travelers can hike and be able to view the boiling lava in the crater that is about 2km wide. The mountain is one of the most active mountains in the world and has had a couple of eruptions from time to time the last one being the 2002 mount Nyiragongo eruption. The mountain is known to have erupted about 34 times and erupts intervals of about after every 20 years. The 2002 eruption was one of the most tragic eruptions of mount Nyiragongo as the eruption claimed about 100 lives. The lava flowed from the crater into goma town destroying properties and led to the evacuation of the locals.

Hiking Mount Nyiragongo

Views of mount Nyiragongo from Goma town are very breath taking but its more interesting when a traveler takes a hike to the top to catch a real view of the boiling lava in the crater. Therefore, the Virunga National Park authorities formalized the activity of hiking mount Nyiragongo and for one to take a hike to the amazing peak, they must be able to purchase the Hiking permit. The hiking package to mount Nyiragongo costs $300 and should be booked in advance to avoid confusion on the Congo Safari tour. Book your Nyiragongo hiking permit from a trusted tour operator.

Preparations for hiking

Before the hike one should invest time in doing a few exercises as the activity needs a travelers who is able to hike the mountain with ease/a physically fit traveler. Among the other major things that a traveler should engage in is that a traveler must be able to carry the right hiking kit and also spare some money for a porter who will help you carry the luggage and help you avoid getting exhausted. Also remember that on the hike you go with a cook who will help you prepare some food and you ought to pay them and also remember to carry a few snack for yourself. Below are some of the expected kit features that you should carry to ensure a smooth hike

• Make sure to pick your hiking permit from the Virunga Offices at the Goma boarder and have it together with other valid documents like ID, VISA, Yellow fever card among others.
• Carry Good Hiking boots to ease movements on the slopes of mount Nyiragongo which might be slippery.
• Park some water proof clothes incase the rains decides to shower at any hour of the day since this is Africa.
• Have some good hand gloves so that you can easily hold onto the ground or some tree branches without having injuries.
• Pack warm clothes since the higher you hike the cooler it will become. You will need to warm up.
• You will also need to have some walking sticks to help you grip well ground and balance well.
• The tour operator should be able to organize for you drinking water.
• Carry your camera for some good pics and have charged batterys.

The Hiking Experience

You will wake up from your lodge and travel to the starting point which happens to be Kibati Ranger post where you will meet up with your ranger guides. The guides will take you through a short session of briefing and you will have a chance to book a porter who will help you carry your luggage up the hill. Thereafter, led by an experience guide you will start the hike and this will take you about 6-7 hours depending on your pace. Once you reach the top you will have an excellent view of the red hot lava in the 2km wide crater of the active volcano. Take pictures, have fun enjoy the moment and later take a nap in the Nyiragongo summit shelters where you will spend the night. Wake up the next day and have something to eat and later descend the mountain to meet your guide for your journey back or to Continue your Congo Safari.

Accommodation: At the top of mount Nyiragongo is 12 chalets close to the ring of the crater known as the Nyiragongo summit shelters where you can spend the night. Each chalets possesses 2 single beds on which you can sleep with your sleeping bag.

Accessing mount Nyiragongo:

• From Goma: You will need a 30 minutes to get to the starting point since Goma is just a few kilometers away from the mountain.
• From Kigali: You will take about 5-8 hours on road and therefore you will need to add an extra day making your safari a 2 days Nyiragongo Hiking plan and a day for descending making it a 3 Days Nyiragongo Hiking safari.
• From Kampala: You will need to travel Gisenyi where you will spend the night and proceed to Goma making them 2 days of travel. And a third day of the hike and another for the descending making it 4 Days Nyiragongo hiking safari.

Mount Nyiragongo Hiking Safaris can be fused up with other wildlife tours in Congo since the country is blessed with a wide variety of attractions and the top most being Gorilla trekking safaris. Gorilla trekking can be done in Virunga National Park and Kahuzi Biega National Park for mountain gorillas and Eastern lowland gorillas respectively. Also after the hiking safari, you can proceed to Lake Kivu to cool off and spend the day at the beach relaxing from the Congo Safaris