A day trip _ Mount Bisoke Hike Adventure

Hiking on Mount Bisoke was one of my main purposes for coming to Rwanda - besides tasting the coffee. The mist-shrouded mountains motivated me to reach the summit. The entire itinerary was very tightly scheduled, taking about 12 hours from start to finish. The driver, who also runs the tour agency, picked me up from my hotel in Kigali, and the one-way drive to the base took about 2.5 hours. He was very talkative and had clear, well-thought-out plans for growing his business. The climb itself was somewhat challenging and monotonous, but the sight of the shimmering crater lake at the top made it all worthwhile. I do wish there were something like a summit certificate to make the experience feel more participatory. I heard that this agency also runs trips to Mount Nyiragongo - I'm hoping that once the security situation stabilizes, that trip can become a reality.

Great experience with tourguide and Managing Director Darius. Not just a great tour, but helped me with further planning my vacation in Rwanda whilst having a good time talking about all kinds of things. Thanks friend, and greetings to Nolan 😉!

The trip I booked from Usalama was the Bisoke mount hike, it is a very demanding hiking even though I am a seasoned hiker. I was one of the luckiest persons in the group since I even bumped into a Gorilla family during the hiking!!! According to the rangers, it is actually very rare and all depends on your luck. Darius, the owner of Usalama coordinated my trip provided me useful advices before I stated to hike such as brining sufficient bottle water and keeping passport in the rain jacket. I am so glad that I listen to him after the exhausting hiking. Darius somehow becomes my friend since we have a lot of common tastes about our lives. He is very knowledgeable, passionate about his career, caring about his customers and continues to think about how to optimize all the experiences. I believe I might come back to East Africa some day and Darius (Usalama tour) will be my first choice.

The Mount Bisoke Hike is a must for all nature lovers that visit the region. Thanks again to Usalama Tours for the unique experience. Organization and communication were very clear and easy. I had the chance to travel with the manager (Darius) himself and learned a lot about the country from the stories that he told me. I also felt very well accompanied and safe during the whole adventure. The hike itself is demanding, so you need a certain level of physical fitness, but you also have the possibility to get support from one of the porters at the starting point, who will carry your backpack and assist with climbing the sometimes very muddy trail. The view at the top is breathtaking, so it's worth the effort!

Darius was amazing, there is no other way to describe. He does the transport to the national park and the hike is done by a park ranger and porters. It's quite a long drive that starts very early, but it was fun all along. He stays there waiting for you the whole time in case you don't make it or something happens. 1000% recommend. About the hike, it's not the easiest. If you're not used to doing cardio or hikes, it's going to be hard. The view on top is nice.

A challenging but amazing hike! Darius is super organised and managed to keep everything on schedule despite the short notice. The guides you do the hike with are very friendly and supportive. It was a great day!

The hiking was tough but the view and experience was amazing. A porter carried my bag and helped me to hike with holding hands. Overall fun experience.

Had a great experience! Highly recommend it to anyone who wants to do something different to just seeing the gorillas. The hike is challenging towards the end, but very manageable. Darius is a great guide! Very engaging and I really enjoyed our discussions. I have learnt a lot about the country and its culture. A must if you are in Rwanda.

I had a great time going on the Bisoke hike. Thanks to Darius for organizing it! The hike is great fun, but don't underestimate this mountain. It is a serious hike, and harder in the rainy season, so come physically prepared and well equipped. I only had running shoes, but got to rent rubber boots at the base, which were a life saver. Getting to the top was magical, though, so I do highly recommend it.

Awesome trip! The hike was great and everything was super easy, including pick-up, etc. I’d love to come back and do another trip.