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- The Lava Lake: This is why anyone climbs Nyiragongo Volcano. The crater is about 1.2 kilometers across, and the lake churns in a bowl hundreds of meters below you. It is among the largest lava lakes on Earth, and its level and activity change from year to year. After dark the surface glows orange and red, and you hear it crackle and hiss. Bring a headlamp and a thick jacket, because the rim is cold even when the lava is not.
- The Crater Terraces: Inside the rim, the crater walls drop in a series of ledges, black and gray steps of old solidified lava. The lava lake sits on the floor below them, and the contrast between frozen rock and molten rock is easy to read from above. The terraces give the crater its stepped, amphitheater look, and they are a good place to judge the scale of the whole bowl
- The Lava Lake: This is why anyone climbs Nyiragongo Volcano. The crater is about 1.2 kilometers across, and the lake churns in a bowl hundreds of meters below you. It is among the largest lava lakes on Earth, and its level and activity change from year to year. After dark the surface glows orange and red, and you hear it crackle and hiss. Bring a headlamp and a thick jacket, because the rim is cold even when the lava is not.
- The Crater Terraces: Inside the rim, the crater walls drop in a series of ledges, black and gray steps of old solidified lava. The lava lake sits on the floor below them, and the contrast between frozen rock and molten rock is easy to read from above. The terraces give the crater its stepped, amphitheater look, and they are a good place to judge the scale of the whole bowl in daylight.
- The Rainforest Start: The trail begins in damp montane forest above the Kibati ranger post, with muddy ground, tangled roots and moss on the trunks. It is the softest section of the climb, and the only one with shade and birdsong. Enjoy it while it lasts. Past it the path crosses open ground and then loose volcanic rock.
- The Steep Scree Slope: The last stretch to the rim climbs a steep, loose slope of volcanic gravel. The footing is poor and each step slips back a little, so this is where trekking poles earn their place. The slope is also the stretch that most separates the people who reach the summit comfortably from the ones who arrive spent and cold. Go slowly, and take the short rests the guides call.
- The View Over Lake Kivu and Goma: From the upper trail, and on the descent in daylight, the land opens toward Lake Kivu to the south and the city of Goma on its shore. You can pick out the dark lava fields from the past eruptions that cut across the landscape. Virunga’s other volcanoes line up along the horizon, and the view makes the volcano’s power plain without any explanation.
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Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.