Best Time to Hike Nyiragongo
Best time to hike Nyiragongo is dependent on not only the weather but also a traveller’s preference and availability. Mount Nyiragongo is in Virunga National Park, located in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Virunga National Park is a gem that travellers visit to predominantly take part in gorilla trekking, chimpanzee habituation and hiking Mount Nyiragongo to see the churning lava lake. These activities have travellers moving from their countries of origin just to experience them. The Nyiragongo lava lake is considered the largest in the entire world, and the most active volcanic mountain as well. Hiking the Nyiragongo has travellers enjoying not only the Lava Lake but also views of the park and other volcanoes as they stride across the Virunga Conservation Area.
Mount Nyiragongo is an active volcano and travellers tend to wonder on when the best time to hike Nyiragongo is. Travellers should not worry about this though, the scientists from Goma Volcano Observatory have the Nyiragongo’s activity being monitored 24/7 and should there be a threat, travellers are sure to be informed on time. Having the Nyiragongo active shouldn’t hinder any traveller from hiking it to spot the natural wonder of the boiling lava lake as well as the beautiful scenery around.
Generally, the Democratic Republic of Congo is warm and sunny throughout the year. This vast country however has different regions that experience variant climate. The Congo is crossed by the Equator just like a number of other countries like Uganda. This has the climatic conditions varying steadily. The Congo has both the dry and wet season that run throughout the year.
The dry season in the Congo runs through the months of June to October and December to February. The dry season doubles as the peak season when travellers tend to take on safaris and holidays. The rest of the months, particularly March to May and November are considered wet-though some are a mix of both wet and dry. Mount Nyiragongo given its nature is unpredictable in that some months considered dry receive rainfall as well as those considered wet get dry and sunny. It is therefore safe to say that the volcano can be visited throughout the year, though the best time to hike Nyiragongo could be in the dry season.
The dry season is considered the best time to hike Nyiragongo because the volcano is not as slippery as it could be when rained on, travellers have clear views of the scenery as well as being able to take amazing photos.
Some really adventurous travellers who welcome challenges with much enthusiasm tend to have their best time to hike Nyiragongo being the wet season, when the hike is very slippery. With these kind of travellers therefore, the best time to hike Nyiragongo varies depending on not only the weather conditions or climate but also on the preferences of the hiker.
Hiking the Nyiragongo can be done all year long, provided the traveller is available to take on the adventure. Get in touch with a trusted tour operator to help you plan the best Nyiragongo hiking safari or reach us to help you out with more information about hiking the Nyiragongo or help you put together the best Congo safari.
