Hiking in the Volcanoes National Park is today open being offered to the various visitors that come to this park.
Karisimbi Hike
The Karisimbi mountain name in Kinyarwanda means “white shell” which refers to the white-capped summit which is often seen. Karisimbi is the fifth highest mountain in Africa. This is a strenuous 2 Day Hike. The climb will start early in the morning and it takes 6 hours. You will climb further via the Bisoke side before reaching the first stopping place at an attitude of 3,700m for overnight (camping).
Climbing the Karisimbi is a 2 day expedition priced at about US$150; ORTPN offers guides with the necessary gear though trekkers must have appropriate clothing as well as camping equipment. Nonetheless a shorter alternative is to climb Mount Visoke all the way to its stunning crater lake found at 3,711 meters; the ascent goes for close to 2 hours this is normally priced at US$50.
For the less physically fit walks of close to 2 hours priced at US$30 to the closer crater lakes and in the verdant forest, these are very interesting and mostly rewarding to those interested in watching birds.
Dian Fossey Hike
It is also probable to stopover at Dian Fossey’s burial place as well as the nearby gorilla cemetery found at the previous Karisoke Research-Camp. This particular trek is priced at only US$50 per individual and involves a half an hour’s drive from the park headquarters to the beginning of the trail followed by a 10 minutes’ walk to the boundary of the park.You will then climb through the verdant forest for about 90-120 minutes basing on your physical fitness and how many stops you will make to enjoy the beautiful scenery, whereas the plunge lasts about 1 – 2 hours. Additionally to the prices mentioned above, all the activities demand a daily park-entrance fee of US$25.
Preparations for all these activities can be made directly through the ORTPN-offices, in Kigali, Kinigi or even in Musanze (in case you are interested in making payment by MasterCard you can do so while in Kigali). It is however important to remember that all the hikes start from the headquarters of the park at Kinigi at about 0730 hrs (with the check-in time being 0700hrs), this is actually the similar departure time as for all gorilla tracking activities, meaning that visitors can participate in just a single activity each day within this park.
Mount Bisoke Crater Lake Hike
Bisoke Volcano, 3711m above sea level is located on the DRC and Rwanda border. An eruption in 1957 formed two small cones on the north flank of the volcano, 11km from the summit, which supports a beautiful crater lake, Lake Ngezi.
Hiking to the Crater Lake requires four hours up a steep trail from the Bisoke departure point to reach the summit. The walk around the crater lake rim is highly recommended. Allow seven hours for the entire trip. Lake Ngezi, a small shallow crater lake is the easiest hike in the park; it takes only a 3-4hour round-trip from the Bisoke departure point.