Mount Karisimbi Hike

Mount Karisimbi Hike : Mount Karisimbi is one of the most rewarding mountains among the Virunga Mountains in Volcanoes national park that can be hiked at any time of the year to have the most rewarding experiences in the park. Volcanoes national park is famous for the Rwanda gorilla tours because it is the only place in Rwanda where you will find the endangered mountain gorilla species in their natural habitats. The park is also a habitat for the golden monkeys where you will have a chance to visit.

There are 8 virunga mountains that are shared by three countries where you will find Virunga national park where you can find Mount Mikeno and Mount Nyiragongo which are the active volcanoes among the Virunga Mountains and also Mount Mikeno. In Mgahinga national park, you will find Mount Sabyinyo, Mount Gahinga, and Mount Muhabura that it shares with volcanoes national park, in volcanoes still, you will be able to find Mount Karisimbi and Mount Bisoke that will offer amazing experiences when you get to hike them.

Mount Karisimbi hike

Hiking mountain Karisimbi in the park is one of the most challenging activities that can be carried out in the park that will ensure you have an amazing experience while in the park. Mount Karisimbi hike usually takes two days to hike the mountain. The mountain is the highest mountain among the Virunga Mountains to hike at an elevation of 14787ft making t the highest mountain among the Virunga Mountains and the 6th highest in Africa which has increased the number of people interested in carrying out the Karisimbi mountain hike.

While carrying out the Karisimbi mountain hike, you will see a number of attractions a participate in a number of activities that can be carried out during the hike to the summit of mount Karisimbi as explained below;

Mountain gorillas

While carrying out the Karisimbi mountain hike, you get to see a number of mountain gorilla species for instance the Karisimbi gorilla group an exciting gorilla group in the park. The Karisimbi gorilla group is the famous group that split from the Susa gorilla group. The Karisimbi gorilla group after splitting from the Susa group, decided to settle in the high elevation of the mountain to avoid getting into clashes with other gorilla groups in the park. While on mount Karisimbi, you can participate in gorilla trekking where you will get a chance to spend one hour with the gorilla family understanding their behavior within the wild understanding how they co-exist with one another in the wild, their feeding patterns, what type of food they eat within the park which is bamboo, sometimes they eat fruits, flowers, and other plant species.

Golden monkeys

The mountain Karisimbi hike will give you another opportunity to see the endangered golden monkeys that are only endemic to the Albertine rift where you find the Virunga Mountains. The interesting primates can also be seen in the bamboo trees along the slopes of mount Karisimbi because they also use bamboo as a source of food. if you are lucky enough, during the mount Karisimbi hike, you will have the chance to see both the gorillas and the golden monkeys for some time and if you are interested in carrying out golden monkey trekking in the park which takes one hour where you will also have a chance to see the primate species while they participate in their daily activities in the wild.

Birding

The karisimbi mountain hike ill also enable you have the chance to see the different bird species that are found within the dense forests of the slopes and some of the bird species that can be seen include the Archers ground robin, red-faced woodland warbler, Ruwenzori double collared sunbird, Collared Apalis, Ruwenzori turaco, handsome francolin, strange weaver like Archers ground robin, red-faced woodland warbler, Ruwenzori double collared sunbird, Collared Apalis, Ruwenzori turaco, handsome francolin, strange weaver and many more other species that will ensure that you have an amazing experience in the park.

Summit

While carrying out the Karisimbi mountain hike, as you get to the summit of the mountain, you will have a chance to see exceptional views while at the summit you will be able to see the white-capped peak in form of a shell where the name of the mountain comes from. The name Karisimbi means shell in Kinyarwanda which is an amazing attraction to look at while at the top. Still hiking mountain Karisimbi you will see where Dian Fossey established her Karisoke research center to study and conserve the mountain gorillas. While hiking the mountain you will also see mount Bisoke another interesting mountain to hike while in volcanoes national park.

Best time for the mount Karisimbi Hike

Since mount Karisimbi is the highest and the steepest mountain among the Virunga Mountains in the park that will offer the most amazing experiences it is important to know the best time to visit the park and carry out the Karisimbi mountain hike. If you’re interested in hiking the mountain, it is better to carry out the hike during the dry season when the ground in the park is not slippery. Therefore the best time to participate in the mountain Karisimbi hike is during the dry months of December to February which is the shortest dry period and from September to mid-December which is the long dry season where you can still carry out the activity.