Congo Mountains , Congo Climbing & Hiking tours

When planning for a hiking or climbing tour to congo ‘s mountains that are open for tourists, find the hiking fees , porter fees, how to secure a hiking permit , where to start from as congo is known as the lovely destination that still has active Volcanoes like Nyiragongo mountain , virunga mountains, Itombwe mountains, Mount Kahuzi , Mount Biega  all in Eastern part of Congo. Find the list of top 10 Hiking trips and destinations to visit in Congo.

National parks of congo has compiled a list of the top Mountains to be climbed when on a hiking tour to congo with extra congo safari add on like Gorilla trekking in Congo, Wildlife Safaris in Upemba national park at the most afford prices if booked in advance with Congo Tour Operators.  has curated the top hikes in the Democratic Republic Of Congo and Congo. We’ve included a range of day and overnight hikes that can easily fit into any holiday itinerary or weekend. Strap on your hiking boots – and get started!

Climbing mount  Nyiragongo Volcano in Virunga

Nyiragongo is located in democratic republic of  Congo (DRC) about 15kms from Goma Town and Lake Kivu, bordering with Rwanda, the main crater of Mt Nyiragongo is about two kilometers wide and contains active lava lake in it.

Mount Nyiragongo Volcano is found within the Virunga national park and is one of the Virunga Mountains that is open for Hiking and climbing by tourists. Climbing Nyiragongo mountain is a dream for every traveler that is planning congo safari and its the top extra safari activity done after gorilla trekking in kahuzi biega national park or Virunga national park .

Mt Nyiragongo crater has two distinct cooled lava benches within the crater walls and one is about 3,175 metres (10,417 ft), the lower one is about 2,975 m (9,760 ft) Mount Nyiragongo’s lava lake is the most voluminous lava lake in the history today. The depth of the lava lake varies; its maximum elevation of the lava lake is recorded 3,250 m (10,660 ft) prior to the January 1977 eruption, this lava lake is 600mts depth of about (2,000 ft).

Mt Nyiragongo is found in the eastern part of Congo (DRC) at the altitude of 3470m in the mountains of Virunga National Park, climbing/hiking up Mount Nyiragongo is not difficult and reaching the top doesn’t take more than 5 hours.

Nyiragongo Volcanic hike will require you to have a valid nyiragongo hiking permit and its takes two days one going and the other returning with an overnight stay at the summit of the Active Volcano, the nyiragongo hiking permit can be booked through a tour operator and its costing USD 300. 

Hiking Mount Kahuzi in Kahuzi Biega National Park

As the name of the park of Kahuzi Biega Suggests, the part is made up of two mountains that’s mount Kahuzi and mount Biega  which are open for hiking and climbing after the gorilla trekking experience or gorilla Habituation holiday in Democratic republic of congo with reliable tour rangers. Kahuzi Biega National Park is found on the southern end of lake kivu with the nearest town being Bukavu town that provides accommodations to travelers that are planning to visit Kahuzi Biega national park for a climbing tour , although there is camping at the park headquarter, i wouldn’t recommend camping as the place is not perfect like standards of camping . The Mountainous nature of the eastern part of congo and the expansion of the park has enable tourism to boom and safety of the destination. Mount Kahuzi has the highest peak of 3308m with stunning views of lake Kivu and Bukavu town.

Climbing Mount Biega in Kahuzi Biega

Mount Biega lies at an altitude of 2790m and is the second highest peak in the park. It takes 6hrs on return with an awesome ecological experience whose vegetation is far much different from that of mount Kahuzi which is so much better to start the hike earlier. Other things to do in Kahuzi biega national park along side Nature walks to visit the various trails with the park ,Murais Musisi walking trail, Tshibati Waterfall trail, Mbayo Trail,.

Virunga Mountains – Climbing & Hiking Virunga Massif

Virunga Mountains is the composition of the various massifs shared by three countries of Uganda, Rwanda and Congo, most of these massifs are open for hiking from either countries as long as the travelers is ready to hike the virunga mountains , should just book them with local tour operator that will have the required knowledge about the hikes .

Virunga mountain ranges consists of Unique and finest wildlife attractions of Africa which ranges from the; North Western Rwanda covering Volcanoes National park, Eastern side is Congo covering a fraction of Virunga National Park, and South Western Uganda covering Mgahinga National park.

Virunga massif is also has for a long time maintained its fame about the endangered mountain gorilla and golden monkey tracking, yet there are several outstanding authentic activities that adventure junkies and nature lovers can enjoy while on A holiday such as hiking, bird watching among others. Though famous for it’s volcano ranges situated in the Western arm of the Rift valley, the Virunga mountains  comprises of 8 mountains stretching at a distance above sea-level which include;

Mount Karisimbi

This is the highest of the eight mountains of Virunga ranges, but on the other hand, of the Rift valley, its rated the 11th highest mountain in Africa.The mountain is inactive lying in the Western branch of the East African Rift Valley which is part of the Albertine Rift, situated between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mount Karisimbi is the highest major mountain in the Virunga ranges measuring 4507 meters, it is bordered by Mikeno to the North, Bisoke to the East, and Nyiragongo to the west. In between, Karisimbi and Bisoke mountains lies the Karisoke Research Center, that was formed by Dian Fossey in recognition of the endangered gorillas.

All you need is, to be physically fit, and in good health so as to be able to embark on a 2day stranous hike, but rewarding.The climb starts very early in the Morning, taking 6 hours through the hike, reaching the first stage at 3700m, but navigating through the Bisoke mountain with an overnight camping and completing the hike the next day where a clear view of mount Nyiragongo is seen. The climb will take you through the steep slopes which may require an extra cost of hiring potters at a rate of $20 per day to help you carry your luggage and hiking equipment.

To climb  to the summit is described by muddy trails, in that they are tiresome but truly rewarding with beautifull sights of birds,golden monkeys and Famous mountain gorillas, not forgetting the the exotic plant life in its four belts of vegetation, from the dense forest at its base to the burren core at its summit.
The mountain can be best hiked during dry season when the weather is favourable for the hikers, and the temperatures usually drop to 00C during the night and the early mornings.

Mount Mikeno

Mikeno Mountain is an in active volcano located along the section of Virunga mountains along with Nyiragongo mountain, Nyamuragira, Karismbi, and Bisoke.After Karisimbi, Mikeno takes on the position of the second highest peak in the Virunga Mountains at height of 4437 meters.
Mikeno completely lies within Virunga National park and is prominent for the mountain gorillas living at the slopes and the expeditions to observe these mikeno gorillas typically leave from the nearby Bukima Patrol Post.
Mikeno means “poor” named for its harsh forested steep slopes which preclude human habituation, but in habits the mountain gorillas as well as wildlife, including birds.The hike to this mountain also requires a 2 day hike and best suited to physically fit personnel.

Mount Muhabura

Mount Muhabura also known as “Muhavura” is an extinct volcano in the Virunga mountains, which lies between Uganda and Rwanda rated as the third highest among the 8 major mountain ranges. Mount Muhabura is part of the Volcanoes National Park and Mgahinga National Park and is part of Albertine Rift, the Western branch of the East African Rift with a height of 4,127 meters.

Climbing Muhabura  gives you extraordinary view of the twin lakes of Ruhondo and Bulera near Volcanoes National Park as well as the crater. You may also get greater chances of bumping into mountain gorillas on your hike. The hike starts at 7:00am, lusts for only a day, although it is a little bit strenuous.

Mount Bisoke

Mount Bisoke is an active mountain in the Virunga mountains. The mountain is part of the Albertine Rift, in the western Branch. It straddles the border of both Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo with its summit found in Rwanda. It is situated approximately 35km north East of Goma town adjacent to lake Kivu.

The mountain is within the Rwandan Volcanoes National Park and the Congolese Virunga National Park. The steep slopes of the peak are densely covered with equatorial rainforest and alpine meadows. The summit does not gather snow, but is often shrouded in fog. Bisoke is one of the mountains considered a habitat for the Endangered mountain gorilla, and the Karisoke Research Center founded by Dian Fossey is in the valley to the west.
Hiking Mount Bisoke is an Awe-inspiring adventure moment you can encounter because it is slightly simple, and takes approximately 6 hours, but for experienced hikers, it may take at most 3 hrs or less to ascend and less than an hour to descend.

The hiking process starts with briefing at the park headquarters at kinigi, after which the hiking group will be taken to the starting point by the help of the tour guide who will also assign porters to help carry your luggage(but at an extra cost)
NB.The hiking gears will be provided

Mount Sabyinyo

Mount Sabyinyo is attached to three countries of Volcanoes National park in Rwanda, Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mgahinga gorilla National park in Uganda.It is an extinct volcano in the Virunga mountains. The summit of the mountain at 3645m marks the intersection of the three countries because of its toothed nature.

The mountain cannot be hiked in the other two countries, but only in Uganda due to the extremely rugged nature of the terrain along the sabyinyo slopes that has many craters with sharp ridges, whilst in Uganda, a safe though challenging trail has been created which also includes improvising a hand-made ladder at every steep slope. The hike like, some other mountains take 8 hours with a total of 4hrs to the summit and 4hrs to the base.

Mount Mgahinga

This is also a dormant volcano with a crater at its summit with swampy vegetation on the floor of the crater.Mount Mgahinga, offers great scenic views of the vegetation on the slopes although it is considered the smallest of the Virunga Volcanoes with a very outstanding Volcano to hike. Hiking to its summit and descending just takes a day and there are interesting opportunities of encountering volcanic caves for exploration while on the trek .

 Mount Nyamulagira

Nyamulagira also known as Nyarmuragira is an active volcano found in the Virunga Mountains, located 25km North of lake kivu. The name “Nyamuragira” comes from a Kinyarwanda verb “Kuragira Inka ” meaning herd of cows. The mountain is described as the most active volcano due its numerous eruptions that has occurred 40 times since 1885, as well as the numerous flank eruptions from the summit forming new smaller volcanoes that have lasted only for a short while.
Nyamuragira is an active volcano in the city of Goma in the democratic republic of Congo situated 13km North –North West of the Nyiragongo mountain and it’s one that caused massive destruction in Goma city in the 20002 eruption. Nyamuragira covers an area of 1500km2 with a volume of 500km3 having a low shield profile contrasted with adjacent steep sided Nyiragongo Volcano.

Nyamuragira is the reason behind the release of large portions of Sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere in that in 2010 it began spitting out lava flows which scared all residents leaving no settlements close to the volcano, and the wildlife officials also developed fear that the eruptions may affect the chimps within the area.
Surprisingly anew lava lake was formed in 2014 which occurred between June and August, after 74 years, making it one of the volcanoes higly recognised for sustaining lava lakes.

Itombwe mountains

The Itombwe mountains are arrange of mountains found in the south kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. They are a fraction of the Albertine Rift mountains which border the western branch of the eastern Rift valley, running along the Western shore of lake Tanganyika and on the other hand also extend from the Rwenzori mountain in the North to the Murungu highlands in the south. They are also made up of a large area of contigious montane forest as well as a habitat to a rich diversity.

The Itombwe Forest of the southern Rift covers a huge area that has had little attention from botanists. Montane forest is patchy on the East slopes and there is an exceptional progression of the bamboo, montane forest grassland and then more montane forest with canopy reaching 25m blending into lowland forest. The forest covers a round 650,000 hectares above 1,500 metres, forming the largest block of such forest in the region. The forest is patchy on the east slopes. On the west there is an exceptional progression of bamboo, montane forest, grassland, and then more montane forest with a canopy reaching 25 metres blending into lowland forest.

However, the population around the forest is rising, the forest around the villages is being cleared for agriculture and firewood, and the grasslands at higher levels are used to graze cattle. Mining and hunting are other causes of stress to the environment. Perhaps the main concern of conservationists is that the forests, which are the largest and least fragmented in the region, may be logged.

The Itombwe mountains are situated in the southern part of the Maiko- Taina- Kahuzi-Biega landscape, the Itombwe forest is the largest and most remote block of intact montane forest in Africa. It has a large number of eastern lowland gorillas and eastern chimpanzees, as well as forest elephants and other endemic species.