What to pack for a Mount Nyiragongo hike

What to pack for a Mount Nyiragongo hike

Mount Nyiragongo is one of the most active volcanic mountains and one that you can book a hike to the summit. The Mount Nyiragongo hike is offered by Virunga national park and is an overnight hike so you would need 2 days out of your schedule. The Mount Nyiragongo is located within the Virunga national park of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Virunga national park is popular for being one of the homes of the endangered mountain gorillas.

The Mount Nyiragongo is one of the Virunga volcanic mountains and only it and the neighboring Mount Nyamulagira are still active volcanos and are also said to contribute 40% of the volcanic activity in the entire Africa as a continent. Both the Mount Nyamulagira and the Mount Nyiragongo are located in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The exact location of the Mount Nyiragongo is in the north of Goma town and Lake Kivu and close to the land border of DR Congo and Rwanda.

The Mount Nyiragongo hike takes you to the top of the volcano to view the crater rim from the top and at a closer angle. The Crater Lake at the top of the volcano is a 2 meter wide lava lake and on a clear night, you can see the boiling magma in the lake. There are summit shelters where guests spend the night on their 2 day Mount Nyiragongo hike. Being an overnight hike, you will have to prepare for it in advance.

Hiking shoes:

You will need a good pair of hiking shoes and this is preferably a pair of shoes that you have used before so that you do not have surprises on the hike up hill. This is a strenuous 5 hour hike up hill so you will need a great grip support from the shoes.

Rain gear:

The hike up hill to the summit at Mount Nyiragongo will take you through some bush land or forested land and a down pour is expected anytime of the day. You will need to carry a light rain coat or boots where need be to protect yourself from getting fully wet in case of a rain down pour. You can also get a water proof bag to protect the things inside the bag.

Change of clothes:

You will need to pack extra clothes and this will be for the overnight hike as you will be spending a night at the top of the Mount Nyiragongo and in case the rain pours on your hike up, you may get wet and need to change into dry clothes.

You should not worry about the luggage as there are porters that you can hire to help carry the luggage. Porters can be hired at the Bukima ranger post where the briefing for the activity is held and you can get one at 25 USD per 15kgs.

Protective gear:

On your hike to the summit of Mount Nyiragongo, you will need to carry some protective gear such as hats to protect the head from direct sunrays, sunscreen to avoid sunburns as you will get higher in altitude, you will be exposed to the sun more.

Medicines:

You should also carry any medicines you may need like altitude medicines in case you are afraid of altitudes, allergy medicines or mosquito repellants to avoid mosquito bites. The park rangers have first aid kits but it will be a better for you to have your own medicines that you have used before.

Binoculars and cameras

The hike up Mount Nyiragongo has much more to offer than the hike as there are a number of animals or birdlife that you can spot as many birds as you can and also the forest animals. You will need to carry your camera and phone to capture the once in a lifetime moments and don’t forget to carry extra charged batteries to keep the gadgets on as you may not get time to recharge the batteries.

You may as well just carry a portable charger or power bank to recharge the batteries.

Other essentials for this Mount Nyiragongo are a map, snacks, water or a drink to refresh, a rechargeable torch and a translator can come in handy as well as the people of DR Congo mostly speak Swahili and French. We look forward to having you on this mount Nyiragongo hike so get in touch and let us organize for you.