Are there volcanos in Virunga National Park? Yes, Virunga National Park is home to Is of the eight volcanoes that make up the Virunga massif including the active Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira. Other volcanoes include Karisimbi, Gahinga, Mikeno, Bisoke, Muhabura, and Sabyinyo. Nyiragongo is famous for its exceptional lava lake, making it one of the few destinations in the world. Virunga National Park is one of the few places in the world where you can see mountain gorillas in their natural environment. The park is home to over a third of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, and gorilla trekking tours are a popular activity in the park as well as
Nyiragongo Volcano
Mount Nyiragongo is an active volcano located in the Virunga Mountains of the Albertine Rift in the eastern province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mount Nyiragongo is one of the Congo’s most famous tourist attractions, adding to the beauty of the Virunga National Park. Nyiragongo volcano is one of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga conservation regions. the other fascinating volcanoes include Mount Bisoke, Mount Karasimbi, Mount Gahinga, Mount Mikeno, Mount Muhabura, Mount Sabyinyo and Mount Nyamuragira.
Nyiragongo volcano reaches up to an altitude of about 3,470 meters above sea level, which offers fascinating hiking to the summit of the volcano in about 5-6 hours. Mount Nyiragongo is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. The mountain is home to the most fascinating Lava Lake in the world. Mount Nyiragongo hiking safaris were recently opened for tourists to Virunga National Park in 2014 by the park authorities. One of the most exciting features of Mount Nyiragongo is its exceptional lava lake. This stunning natural wonder lies within the volcano’s summit and it adds beauty to the mountain. The hike to the summit offers visitors astonishing views of the surrounding lush tropical rainforest, and rolling hills as well as the stunning neighboring volcano summits. Visitors on a Congo hiking tour to Mount Nyiragongo always join fascinating mountain gorilla trekking safaris or chimpanzee trekking tours with the hiking volcano Nyiragongo. For adventure seekers and nature lovers, Mount Nyiragongo offers you unique and remarkable mountain gorillas. mount Nyiragongo is the only place in Africa where the tourist is allowed to hike up to the summit to have a closed view of the lava lake as well as the opportunity to observe the raw beauty of the Congo’s stunning landscape and the bordering countries like Uganda and Rwanda, while immersing yourself in its rich biodiversity and embark on an unforgettable journey of exploration and discovery.
Hiking Mount Nyiragongo starts at 9:00 a.m. with a briefing at Kibati village. You will be briefed on what to expect before starting your Mount Nyiragongo volcano hike. The briefing covers all important aspects of hiking the Nyiragongo Volcano and includes what to expect, the stopping points, and what to pack. Hikers will need to move as a group for most of the activity except for the final part of the hike.
Hiking Mount Nyiragongo consists of five hiking segments. Tourists will have to hike the first segment, which involves hiking through a lower altitude. Most of the flabby hikers stop at this point. After the main stop, the hiking becomes challenging with an increasing rise in altitude. Hikers begin to move with a few loose lava rocks, but it is recommended to wear strong hiking shoes or boats through the other segments. After the small lava rock, in the fourth section, the Nyiragongo Mountain slopes become steeper with the greater cold due to the higher altitudes, and the final section becomes steepest in a short distance.
While hiking, you will have chances of encountering some of the wild animals, such as chimpanzees, mountain gorillas, duikers, bushbucks, warthogs, olive baboons, red-tailed monkeys, waterbucks, Kobs, topis, okapi, aardvark, buffaloes, leopards, elephants, and birds such as the cardinal woodpecker, white-throated bee-eater, olive bee-eater, Croaking Cisticola, Short-winged Cisticola, Sitting Cisticola, Wing-snapping Cisticola, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Banded Prinia, Banded Prinia, Grey-headed Negrofinch, Hadeda Ibis, and Mountain Green Bull, among others.
Nyamuragira volcano
Mount Nyamuragira is one of the world’s active volcanic mountains, located in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mount Nyamuragira is part of the Virunga Mountains and is located in the Virunga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mount Nyamuragira is a shield volcano, which means it has a broad, gently sloping cone formed by following lava flows. It is one of the African active volcanos and has been erupting frequently over the past century.
Nyamuragira has a long history of eruptions, originally the mount had over 40 eruptions from 1865 to 2020. These eruptions often involve the effusion of fluid lava and the creation of extensive lava flows. The eruptions of Mount Nyamuragira produce fast-moving lava flows that can cover vast areas, sometimes extending 10 kilometers. The lava emitted by the volcano is typically low in viscosity, allowing it to travel long distances before solidifying.
The Virunga National Park, which encompasses Mount Nyamuragira, is renowned for its rich biodiversity and is home to numerous endangered species including the mountain gorillas. The park houses one of the oldest and largest tropical forests in Africa and it’s also one of the oldest national parks in the continent.
Hiking to the summit of Mount Nyamuragira can be joined with mountain gorilla trekking or even chimpanzee tracking tours. Hiking Mount Nyamuragira is quite different from other volcanoes where you can only hike for 2-6 hours to reach the summit of the volcanos, mount Nyamuragira hike can take 8 to 12 hours, even more, depending on various factors such as weather, hiking experiences, starting point, trail conditions as well as fitness levels. The trek to Mount Nyamuragira is about 3058 meters high which requires body fitness and energetic travelers. This begins early in the morning and lasts for about 12 or even more hours. This means you require at least 2 days to trek through Nyamuragira volcano. The hike begins early in the morning after briefing and on the first day, you cover an altitude of 3058 meters above sea level. The trail to the summit mount Nyamuragira of is rewarding, it gets you exposed to a number of features including the thick forest, vegetation and wildlife species and many more.
