Volcano stick ranger how to#

The latter were my enemies – they made me jump over their paths and almost run a couple of hundred meters just to make sure that I didn’t get any unwanted travel companions.Įven though rangers hype the possibility of seeing chimpanzees and gorillas during Nyiragongo hike, those diamond sightings are reserved for separately chargeable gorilla and chimp treks. Monkeys, chimpanzees, bushbucks and even gorillas habituate these lands, but we saw only some birds and ants. After signing the papers (yes, the risk was our own), we got a short briefing from the park rangers and were finally ready for our Mount Nyiragongo trek! The First Leg of Nyiragongo Trek: Hike Through Lush RainforestĪ pleasant rainforest accompanied us through the lower slopes of Nyiragongo.

They seemed tired, but grinned blissfully and couldn’t stop extolling the Nyiragongo adventure, pumping our adrenaline levels even higher. Conveniently located at the trailhead of Nyiragongo volcano, Kibati ranger station is the starting point for all Nyiragongo volcano treks.Īt Kibati, we were greeted by a group of muddy hikers returning from the summit.

During the 20-kilometer ride, we saw how the recent Nyirangongo eruptions had destroyed life, but in the middle of the debris and collapsed houses there were still laughter and hope.Īfter a while, rusty and bullet-ridden signs welcomed us to Virunga, the oldest national park in Africa. Our tour operator picked us up and off we drove through the borderland of Goma, noticing how literally this town lies in the shadow of Mount Nyiragongo volcano. Our Mount Nyiragongo hiking day dawned finally after an exciting night and day spent in the Congolese border town Goma. Entering Virunga National Park and Kibati Ranger Station, the Starting Point of Mount Nyiragongo Trek

Volcano stick ranger how to#

That’s why I’ll recap our experience below from start to finish, with some practical tips like how to avoid acute mountain sickness. If you’re still more interested in the practicalities, feel free to jump to the planning sections to draft your own Nyiragongo packing list. If you’re planning Nyiragongo hike, you’ll probably like to how horrible and awesome it will be. Our Nyiragongo Trekking Experience From Start to Finish Check the current security situation in Virunga National Park and Goma area before booking your Nyiragongo trek. They will organize your visas and Nyiragongo hiking permits at a very reasonable cost. Lesson learned: if you are planning Nyiragongo Volcano trek, contact Congolese travel agencies. Well, we eventually did cross the border, and it wasn’t too smooth, but that’s a whole another story – including bribes at the border. We decided to do everything we possibly could to cross the Congolese border and complete the crazy Nyiragongo volcano trek. When roaming Uganda and Rwanda, we caught ourselves gazing dreamily over the border of Congo DR. The dream was soon eluded, but not forgotten. After some manic googling we found out that it really is possible to visit the Congo DR nowadays, though it’s not advisable according to most countries, such as the USA or our own. Quenching the thirst of adventure didn’t come easily. It set off my alarm bells, but soon the only thing I felt was a compulsive beat banging against every cell of me: I must climb Mount Nyiragongo, although minutes ago I hadn’t known that this surreal boiling volcano even existed. The caption declared that this out-of-this-world volcano called Mount Nyiragongo lies in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It looked insane, but at the same time, I felt a flash of pure beauty. Years ago, I stumbled upon a jaw-dropping image: a tiny tent glowing at the volcano rim, just above a viciously fire-breathing lava lake. This article has been completely updated in January 2019 Why We Decided to Climb Nyiragongo Volcano Despite Warnings and Growing Pains But nothing beats the magical feeling when you’re finally standing at the edge of Nyiragongo Crater, heart racing and hands shaking, staring down to the fire-spitting lava lake, which glows red in the pitch-black darkness. Weather at the Nyiragongo summit is hostile, cold, and damp accommodation is rundown and you have to carry everything you will eat and drink. It’s a hassle to organize visas to the DRC and permits to hike the enigmatic Mount Nyiragongo, and security situation in Virunga National Park is flickering. Nyiragongo volcano trek isn’t for everybody: grueling 5 to 8-hour hike takes you to the active lava lake, which boils like a gigantic atlas of doom, making you second guess your existence.