August 29, 2023 | Bujo Safaris
Did you know that Mount Bisoke is one of Africa’s most active volcanic mountains and also has two crater lakes? Planning a Rwanda safari or a Democratic Republic of Congo safari below is some of the information that you should get to know about Mount Bisoke before you visit.
Mount Bisoke is a volcano that lies at the Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo border with its bigger part and summit in Rwanda. It is an active volcano and one of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains of the Albertine Rift, the western part of the East African Rift. Mount Bisoke also sits on the border of Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo which are bordering each other. Mount Bisoke’s height of about 3,711m and its name “Bisoke” was locally derived from the two crater lakes, Bisoke meaning soaked with water. Its none snowy summit has very comely crater lakes one about 400m in diameter and the other Ngezi crater lake.
When hiking Mount Bisoke you will find it is somehow steep but with a lot of strength and courage, you will be able to reach the top. Mount Bisoke happens to have about two basic hiking trails with each one of these leading to one of the crater lakes. The most famous hiking trail is the one leading to the top of the crater lake at the summit with about 4 hours in ascension and 2 hours of descending making it a 6-hour hiking experience.
The other trail is somehow shorter, about 2 hours of ascending, and goes straight to the second crater lake of Ngezi with the other one hour for descending making it a 3-hour hiking experience. Travelers are advised to be in their best health even when the Mount Bisoke hiking experience is not very tiring. Tourists can also anticipate the mountain gorillas of the Virunga region in their hiking experience. Also, around the park, stone walls can be sighted to halt the animals from destroying the local people’s farms and plantations. The volcano hosts several primates and visitors can sometimes see golden monkeys, mountain gorillas, and blue monkeys.
On a good conducive day in terms of weather especially when it is sunny, a picnic lunch from up on top of the mountain is one of the most remarkable moments while on Rwanda Safari. Mikeno of Congo, Mount Bisoke Crater Lake, and Mount Karisimbi Volcano can also be sighted when on top of the mountain blended with beautiful landscape views and lush vegetation of the Virunga Region. There is assistance from armed rangers to guide you through the hike and protect you from the animal threats and travelers who prefer walking sticks during the hike can always access them from the office.
Mountain Bisoke was formed as a result of Rift action that is proceeding to divide sections of Africa and the mountain has so far recorded two eruptions including the first one in 1891 and the last one in 1957 which left one of the largest crater lakes in Virunga mountains region.
The tickets are paid at the entrance of Volcanoes National Park offices with each person being charged 75 USD for foreign non-residents. This charge includes the fees for the park guide who is also picked from the park’s offices though it doesn’t include transport costs so visitors will be required to hire vehicles separately. For simplicity, porters can be employed for assistance and can be paid about USD 20. Foreign residents pay a cost of about 65$ per person. The hiking kicks off in the early hours of the morning around 8:00 am with a small briefing by the tour guide and it’s a one-day hike.
However, much hiking can be done throughout the year, the best time to hike Mount Bisoke is always during the dry seasons of the year from June to September and December to February when there is not too much lush vegetation and floods due to rains, and this is when the trails are easily accessible and not muddy.
Though Mount Bisoke does not require a lot of physical fitness to hike, you should prepare yourself by doing some physical exercises like jogging, and workouts to prepare your body for hiking. Before setting off for hiking, you should consider packing the following,
Hiking boots
Hiking boots are one of the things that should not miss on the things you pack for hiking Mount Bisoke. These boots will be able to help you pass through rough places and muddy trails in case it has rained before your hiking activity. Hiking boots will also help you protect your feet from insect bites and getting scratched by tree branches.
Hiking stick
Having a hiking stick at hand will help you move up Mount Bisoke since the sides of the mountain are steep and may be hard to hike.
Bag pack
A bag pack during the hiking activity will help you carry the items you would have come with, this will make your hands free to do whatever you want them to do like holding the hiking stick. The bag pack will help you curry items like water bottles, a first aid kit, camera, to mention a few.
Water bottle
You should also consider packing a water bottle with drinking water for hydration during your hiking activity on Mount Bisoke.
Hat or cape
A hat or a cap will help protect you from direct sunlight when you are hiking Mount Bisoke. And in case it rains still you will be protected by the cap or hut from direct rainfall.
Raincoat or jacket
Having a raincoat or rain jacket will protect you from the coldness and rainfall in case it rains during the hiking activity.
Long sleeved trousers
Long-sleeved trousers are the one thing you should not forget to bring along or pack when going hiking on Mount Bisoke. Long-sleeved trousers will protect your legs from coldness, insect bites, and scratches from tree branches, to mention a few. The rest of the items that you should not miss out on packing include woolen gloves, a camera, binoculars, packed lunch or energy-giving snacks, and insect repellant, to mention but a few.
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