Mount Nyiragongo

Mount Nyiragongo is the Congo’s beauty and the top tourist attraction that attracts various travelers come to hike the amazing active volcano and its one of the best tourist destinations in Congo, attractive and exciting active volcano in  Africa that last erupted recently, its known as the lava lake and it is popularly known for its volcanic activity in the recent many times, then the depth of the lava lake varies considerably, most of the tourists do come on a Congo safari to enjoy the views of Mount Nyiragongo that are such attractive and rewarding to the tourists.

Lake Nyiragongo is one of the active volcanoes that is located in the vast Virunga national park in Democratic Republic of Congo. Where the lava crater on Mount Nyiragongo is over 2km wide with the viscous lava that boils the volcano’s vent, where you can see the lava from the two rims of lava that form coiled benches of the lava within the crater walls of the Nyiragongo volcano. Where one realm is about 3175 meters and the second one elevates about 2975 meters above the sea level.

Mount Nyiragongo elevates over 340 meters above the sea level, with the boiling lava lake found on top of its summit west of Rwanda-Congo border, the mountain has traumatizing history when the mountain last erupted during 2016 and the lava lake had to flew over the wide area where it spoilt the peoples’ properties, their lives, as the lava in the mountain can be very voluminous where it runs so fast and covers the large area.

Mount Nyiragongo has erupted 34 times, though it’s not full known the clear times the mountain erupted in the past years, but ever since 1882, this Mount Nyiragongo volcano erupted 34 times, as this includes all the eruptions the mountain erupted when it was continuous for a quite long period of time in the year, inform of the churning lava lake in the crater. The volcano erupted again in 2010 and destroyed people’s lives and properties though the very dangerous eruptions of Mount Nyiragongo occurred in 2002 that killed over 147 people.

Geology of Nyiragongo.

Mount Nyiragongo stands on two volcanoes that is Baratu and Shaheri volcanoes, though surrounded by various volcanic cones from the many eruptions that happened long time. The mountain emits the heavy fumes that cover the atmosphere above the summit, with the smoke containing the fluid lava made of the chemicals like melilite and nephelinite which forms an alkaline rich rock type. The lava from the mountain moves too terribly fast down the hill at up to 100km/hr (60 mph) compared to volcanic lava that flows slowly that causes limited damage.

Despite the way Mount Nyiragongo keeps on erupting it has caused fear to the people with the consistent lava river that flows at a faster speed from the cracks on one side of the mountain that can be terrible.

Hiking Mount Nyiragongo.

Hiking Mount Nyiragongo

Nature lovers then hiking Mount Nyiragongo is the most excellent Congo safari activity that you can carry out up to the top of the volcano. While experiencing the little glance of hellfire in form of the bubbling lava then for that matter therefore Mount Nyiragongo stratovolcano hiking safari is the best one. Where you go in the hiking trails led by armed game rangers of guides where one goes in front and one another one at your back and the guides do set for you the time to rest during hiking that is 20 minutes and then you proceed with hiking.

Hiking safari on Mount Nyiragongo takes about three days then coming back takes one day, Hiking up to the summit begins early in the morning where it takes 9 to 10 hours of about 10 miles distance, when you reach on the top of the Mount Nyiragongo you get the chance of experiencing the night view of the bubbling crater full of hot red lava.

On the top of the mountain there are camping cottages where the tourists can rest for over a night, while seeing the smoke from the bubbling crater you can be witnessing the hell, the hot red flash from the lava crater that is such thrilling when seeing it during the night accompanied by night starry sky that gives you the incredible safari memory ever in your life.

Then in the next morning when climbing back to from the summit of the mountain, it’s about 20 miles down where it’s a bit challenging though not like climbing up. This along the way brings you the opportunity of spotting animal species along the way, bird species and among many others.