When we talk of safaris in East and Central Africa, most would think of wildlife safaris and extreme activities that most travelers have continuously engaged in because of their thrilling experience that they offer.
Speaking of the unexploited destinations in Africa, first on the list comes Mountain Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of Uganda. It is an active stratovolcano elevating to approximately 3,470 metres above sea level. Located just inside the oldest National Park of Virunga in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mount Nyiragongo is part of the large Virunga Massif associated with the Albertine rift valley. It is about 20 km north of the town of Goma and Lake Kivu and just west of the border with Rwanda, making the mountain an ideal supplement to a tour in Rwanda or south-western Uganda.
The ominous figure of Mount Nyiragongo is absolutely one of the main attractions in Virunga National Park. The smoothly sloping sides of this active stratovolcano allow hikers to reach its peak in just a day, giving them spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and forests. At the end of the hike, trekkers are rewarded with a glance at the summit shelters perched along the crater rim.
The lower slopes of the volcano are forested and habour varieties of animals ranging from the bushbucks, the blue monkeys, colobus monkeys and baboons as well as man’s closest relative, the chimpanzees. Explore the western arm of the Albertine rift that emerges up to the ascent of a 1.2 km diameter summit teeming with devoid vegetation of heathers and ferns healing from the 2002 violent volcanic eruptions that left thousands of people homeless in the nearby town of Goma.
Putting aside its landscape, Mountain Nyiragongo has a 2km wide crater on its top. This crater has two detached lava benches that cooled within the crater walls. One lava bench is about 3,175 metres and the other one is about 2,975 m. The most voluminous lava lake in today’s history with a depth of over 3,200 metres, is situated on the top of mount Nyiragongo.
Trek to the top of Nyiragongo Mountain and come across the world’s largest crater cut into the side of the volcano remaining as evident scars of Nyiragongo’s most recent act of destruction that erupted down to the people who live in its footsteps.
Setting off to the summit of Nyiragongo is at Kibati patrol post very early in the morning immediately after breakfast. The hike takes about 4 to 6 hours where experienced guides lead all trekkers through Nyiragongo’s magma rocks and the tropical forested slopes. It is relatively a hectic hike but rather an exciting one, best appropriate for adventurers. For vigorous people, it is so possible for them to climb up and descend in one day. However, in most cases travelers stay at Nyiragongo’s summit shelters after a thrilling walk through lava rocks and the magnificent scenery of Virunga chain of mountains that span across Rwanda, Uganda and D.R. Congo.
The genesis of dark hours, viewing the dim brittle outside of the lava, the merging and cracking lava rocks. Seeing rock plates separate, unbelievably creating a spider-web like pattern is only experienced by those that get a chance to stay for an overnight at Nyiragongo Cabins which were built on the edge of the lava lake. A summation of all those and more typically make Nyiragongo Mountain a unique destination that all travelers are yearning to explore.
