Mount Nyiragongo hike safety gives the hiker and tourist the chance to know the facts about how safe it is to hike the mountain and the precautions they should take to make their hike easily. Mount Nyiragongo is the 6th most active volcanic mountain in the world which makes it one of the famous attractions that can be seen in Virunga National Park due to its activity. Virunga National Park is known for being a home to the mountain gorilla species as well as three virunga mountains that is Mount Mikeno, Mount Nyamuragira and Mount Nyiragongo which is as well known for having the largest lava lake at the summit. Mount Nyiragongo has gained popularity among tourists from all over the world due to its activity and thus participate in the hiking of the mountain while on a safari.
SAFETY OF MOUNT NYIRAGONGO
RESEARCHERS
In case one is interested in carrying out a hike on the Mountain and you are afraid that the mountain will erupt while on your trip. You have to worry less because the park management has a team of researchers that work daily and thus understand the geological activity of the mountain and thus they are able to know when the mountains next eruption is to take place in order to avoid surprise attacks which leads to death of people.
Therefore the information obtained from the research team is helpful to people within the neighboring communities such as Goma who are the most affected when the mountain erupts. When the mountain is to erupt people are told to move in other cities and the park is closed to avoid accidents.
BRIEFING
Before the tourists start the hike process, they are expected to participate in a briefing session where they are able to understand more about the Nyiragongo hike, safety precautions that should be followed in order to avoid accidents during the mountain hike. During the briefing session, a tourist is expected to pay attention to the guidelines to follow in order to have a safe hike on the mountain.
RANGERS
An armed ranger will accompany you during your hiking adventure. The purpose of the ranger is to ensure that tourists are protected from any attacks from either poachers who are rebels and vicious animal attacks since the park is known for being a habitat to a number of animal species like elephants, buffalos and lions among others.
GUIDE
While on the mount Nyiragongo hike, you will be accompanied by a well knowledgeable guide who is conversant about the area. The guide will take you through your entire hiking expedition where you will be guided on the different hiking trails in the park to ensure that you don’t go off track while in the park. The guide will take you on the trails that are easy to hike in order to avoid exhaustion and fatigue since the hike takes two days to finish.
HEALTH REQUIREMENTS
Before one participates in the hiking of the mountain, health requirements are considered. People with health conditions that might hinder their hike such as high blood pressure, heart problems among others shouldn’t be allowed to take part in the hike.
TIME FRAME OF THE HIKE
For the hike to be safe, the hike is carried out within 2 days whereby people are able to get resting periods during the hike. This is done to ensure that the tourists have time to catch their breath as well get enough time to rest from the exhausting activity in order to regain energy to continue with the hike.
RULES AND REGULATIONS
While carrying out the mount Nyiragongo hike, you should consider the following rules and regulations which are put in place to ensure that you have an amazing and safe hike.
Tourists should follow the lead of the guide who will take you through the entire hike up to the summit because they know the fastest and safest routes to take.
The tourists should move on the same pace in order to avoid lagging behind and as well enable the military officer to protect the entire group. It’s therefore advisable to move on the same pace so that they are all protected from any harm which is difficult when they scatter.
At the summit, there is a viewing point where you can see the lava lake which is far from the lava lake. This is so to avoid accidents and thus tourists who are interested in watching the lava lake should put into consideration to watch it from a distance.
