The 3-day mount Nyiragongo hiking adventure is a special volcano hiking package. The short 3-day hiking tour involves visiting the Virunga National Park in Eastern Congo. The Nyiragongo hike is all about embarking on a trek to conquer the 3470-meter elevation. This is the most violent of all the 8 (eight) Virunga Volcanoes that range across the three East African countries; Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo.
Nyiragongo is known for its multiple eruption records and the most recent occurred around 2021. It is one of the most popular volcano often explored on Virunga National Park tour. Additional Virunga Volcanoes include Bisoke, Mikeno, Muhabura volcano, Sabyinyo, Muhabura, and Gahinga. The hike to the top of the Nyiragongo summits takes about 5 hours and descending can last for about 4 hours.
Tour Details
Highlights
- Hiking Nyiragongo Volcano
- Services of an English-speaking guide
- Travel by road using a 4×4 tourist vehicle
- Accommodation & meals
Brief Itinerary
Day 1: Pick up & travel to Gisenyi
Day 2: Hike to the Nyiragongo summit
Day 3: Descend from the top of Nyiragongo summit
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Pick up & travel to Gisenyi to Virunga
Enjoy a delicious cup of tea/coffee and after, you will be transferred to Gisenyi. This will take about 3 hours for you to drive up to Gisenyi and then cross to Congo’s Virunga National Park. On arrival at the Virunga, expect to check in your respective accommodation for relaxation.
Accommodation options
- Luxury: Mikeno Lodge
- Midrange: Lac Kivu Lodge
- Budget: Ihusi Hotel
Day 2: Hike to the Nyiragongo summit
Get up to enjoy a tasty cup of tea or coffee and after, you will be taken to Kibati to meet the official who will take you through safety measures for your Nyiragongo Volcano hiking experience. The hike to Nyiragongo Volcano (3470m) and expect to take about 6 hours to reach the summits.
The hike comes with breathtaking views from the surrounding and at the summit. The rest of the evening will be spent at the summits and get incredible views of the lava as it powerfully bubbles.
Accommodation
- Nyiragongo summit shelters
Meal plan: Full board
Day 3: Descend from the top of Nyiragongo summit
After breakfast, begin descending back to Kibati with an experienced guide on the lead. About 4 hours will be spent from the top down to the base where you will meet your driver guide for you to be transferred to Kigali.
End of safari
Inclusions
- Hiking fees
- Congo visas
- Travel by road to and from Virunga National Park
- Water bottle in the tour
- Service of a professional English-speaking driver guide
- Park entrance fees
- Accommodation and meals
Exclusions
- Laundry services
- Telephone expenses
- Tips
- Beverages
- Porter fees
- Optional Activities
- Extra accommodation expense
- Shopping (souvenirs plus other crafts or snacks)
Hiking fees for Nyiragongo Volcano
Visitors with plans to engage in a hike to the summits of Nyiragongo pay for entrance or hiking experience which costs USD 300. The cost covers park entrance fees, guide services and excludes meals and porter fees.
About Virunga National Park
Virunga National Park is a 7800 sq. km protected area gazetted in 1925 and currently provides refuge to diversity of wildlife and bird species. There are many attractions to explore on a tour in the Virunga Park including Nyiragongo Volcano Mountain, Nyamuragira, and Mikeno.
More than 218 mammal species call Virunga National Park their home. These include blue duikers, lions, elephants, topis, Thomas kobs, okapis, and many primates –especially the mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, colobus monkeys, olive baboons, chimpanzees, and others.
Over 706 bird species exist in Virunga National Park and include the Rwenzori batis, mountain masked apalis, Rwenzori turacos, Diederik cuckoo, blue-headed sunbird, red-throated alethe, African olive pigeon, black-throated wattle-eye, dusky crimson wing, Rwenzori double collared sunbird, collared apalis, white-tailed blue flycatchers, common bulbul, Alpine swift, narrow-tailed starling, mountain yellow warblers. Grey-crowned cranes, cinnamon-chested bee-eaters, black-headed waxbill, African citril, and speckled mouse bird, cardinal woodpeckers, Doherty’s bush shrike and yellow-billed barbet.
Other bird species include chin spot batis, mountain sooty boubou, black saw-wing, streaky seedeater, mountain oriole, Angolan swallow, chestnut throated apalis, grey-backed camaroptera, black bishop, olive woodpecker, mountain illadopsis, bronze sunbird, pin-tailed whydah, and yellow rumped tinker bird, to mention but a few.
Best time to visit Virunga Park for a holiday
The dry months are the best for undertaking a tour to the Virunga National Park. This is during the long dry months which run from July to September and then December to February – these experience very little or no rain making it easier to engage in a successful Nyiragongo hiking adventure.
What to take for your Nyiragongo hike
Essentials for you to pack for your hike on Mount Nyiragongo include waterproof hiking boots, a daypack, first aid kit, a rain jacket, a camera, a pair of binoculars, warm clothes, a safari hat, bottled drinking water, a sweater, and others.
What else to do in the Virunga National Park?
Gorilla trekking is the iconic primate adventure that the Virunga National Park is known for. An addition of gorilla trekking on the Nyiragongo hike package is a great deal to explore the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. Treks to see gorillas in the Virunga begin from the Bukima area with a briefing about the guidelines for gorilla trekking.
Virunga National Park is home to more than three quarters of the world’s 1063 mountain gorillas. The park shelters habituated gorilla groups including Humba, Munyanga group, Lulengo, Kabirizi, Rugendo, Bageni, Mapuwa, and others.
Embarking on Virunga gorilla trekking requires a valid permit, which Congo Park authorities issue for USD 450 per person. Booking gorilla permits and Nyiragongo safaris can be done easily through a reliable tour operator in Congo.
Bird watching
Bird watching in the Virunga National Park gets you amazing sights of birds including malachite sunbirds, cinnamon-chested bee-eaters, narrow-tailed starlings, bronze sunbirds, chestnut-throated apalis, grey-throated barbet, white-tailed blue flycatcher, mountain sooty boubou, streaky seedeaters, yellow-billed barbet, black-throated eye, Angolan swallows, grey-backed camaroptera, banded prinia, common waxbill, white-browed robin chat, olive sunbird, sharpe’s starling, green sandpipers, speckled mousebirds, yellow white-eye, and others.
