How to Hike Bisoke: A day hike in Volcanoes National Park
I don’t even know how to start this blog on how to hike Bisoke. It was an absolutely crazy time because it rained and hailed during our entire descent. However, given the views and vibe, hiking Bisoke is definitely a great activity in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. You’ll feel so accomplished after!
We did this hike leaving Saturday afternoon from Kigali and driving back after hiking Bisoke. Although this required night driving, the drive back was relatively busy. Just be very careful of passing in the dark. We saw several near misses.
About Mount Bisoke
Towering at 3,711 meters, the Bisoke volcano hike starts in the forest, then moves up into shrubs, and finally ends at the crater lake at the top. The volcano’s last eruption was in 1957, which created the lake. The hike is relatively challenging, and in the last couple of hundred meters, I definitely felt the thinner air.
That said, should you hike Bisoke? Yes. It’s one of the more accessible volcanoes to hike in Rwanda since it only requires a day trip. Even if you’re not extremely fit, you’ll likely be able to make it to the top—just make sure you hire a porter to help you keep a good pace. Think of a porter as a personal climbing assistant, not someone to carry your bag.
Bisoke at 5 p.m. when we reached solid ground
Also, a serious disclaimer: my experience would have been totally different without all the rain. But then again, there’s no adventure without a little chaos… oh well. I hope you have no rain when you hike, though.
The Basics of Hiking Bisoke
- Book online 2 weeks to 2 months in advance (especially for weekends).
- There are only 16 permits available per day.
- Permit cost is $75 for international visitors and $60 for foreign residents.
- The hike takes 6–8 hours round-trip.
- Drive a 4×4 (Toyota Land Cruiser style, other cars won’t make it to the hike start)
- Bring a snack to eat at the summit.
- Bring your passport for check-in at Volcanoes National Park.
- During the rainy season, pack a rain jacket, dry pants, and a dry bag.
How fit should you be to hike Bisoke?
We started the hike at 9:00 a.m., and I came down at 5:00 p.m. I identify as a “slow and steady” hiker and even though I think I’m fit, every time I hike with actually fit people, I realize I am clearly not. People who are fit, like my husband (Wilhelm), and our friends Tina and Filip would have made it significantly faster if I wasn’t there to hold them back. (Thank you for keeping me company and providing emotional support).
Other people in our group managed to return 2 hours earlier than I did. If you do CrossFit daily, run often, and have great cardio then you will probably need just 6 hours to hike up and down.
If you think you’re like me, then you’ll need more time. I probably think I could have made it down in 7 hours if it wasn’t raining but idk. I won’t ever know because I’m not doing this again.
How to Hike Bisoke
How to Buy the Bisoke Permit
You need a hiking permit to hike Bisoke and there are only 16 allocated per day.
You should book at least two weeks in advance in the low season and at least one month in advance during high season. If you are flexible with your dates, go to the registration site and click the day to see how many slots are available. For expats, weekends tend to get booked up around a month in advance during high season, so keep that in mind.
Permits can only be booked online at the official RDB website. Enter all your info and you’ll receive a payment link to easily pay. For foreign residents in Rwanda, your ID card/visa will need to be manually approved (sometimes it takes a day or so) and then you’ll get a link.
If you encounter any issues, I have found the staff managing the email account very helpful and fast at responding.
You’re encouraged to print your permit to register on the day, but we’ve had screenshots of the permit number work in the past.
You must bring your passport or ID with you to confirm your identity.
Volcanoes National Park + Bisoke Starting Point
Like all activities in Volcanoes National Park, you must register at the headquarters at 7:00 a.m. It takes about 20-40 minutes to the reception center from Musanze, depending on where you stay. Here are my hotel suggestions based on where I’ve stayed (and want to stay).
At reception, you’ll need to show an electronic or physical copy of your permit and your passport/ID.
Don’t forget to grab your free coffee!
After that, you’ll head to a spot with other hikers for a briefing on what to expect and how to hike Bisoke. From the headquarters, you’ll then drive about 40 minutes on a horrible dirt road to the starting point.
Dirt road not pictured, but our friends on the motorcyle with Bisoke in the background
Once we arrived, everyone got a briefing from our park ranger and received walking sticks.
The rangers also suggested that everyone hire a porter. I was clearly unprepared and didn’t get one, but I now think it’s quite necessary. The final third of the hike to the summit is very steep, and it’s hard to know where to place your feet without someone experienced guiding you.
You can also rent gaiters for 5,000 RWF and rent hiking boots by the bathroom. I got the gaiter, but I’m not sure how useful they were, especially since I ended up completely muddy anyway.
We started the hike at 8:50 a.m. Look at me… so fresh and untraumatized.
Hiking Bisoke
Starting the Bisoke Hike
The beginning of the hike was through some beautiful farmland. We saw cute sheep and goats, and there were potato fields as well.
Then, as you enter the national park, the trail starts to get a little steep. From here, it’s non-stop to the top.
We did this hike in October, and although it had rained the night before (making the trail muddy), we were very excited to see blue skies and were hopeful for a clear day ahead. Say hi to friends Filip and Tina.
About an hour or two into the hike, it was clear that I was among the slowest hikers. A porter joined our group even though he wasn’t hired, identified me as the weak link, and stayed back to help me.
There are three park rangers on the Bisoke hike. They form three paces to keep: the elite hiking team sprints ahead, the middle group continues at a steady pace, and the slow people like me remain at the back.
I stopped several times throughout the hike to have a quick snack or catch my breath. The porters always stayed close to make sure I wasn’t left behind, and our friends also sacrificed by staying back with me.
Going up and up….
The Crater Lake Summit
As we were nearing the summit, I definitely felt that the air was thinner and it was harder to breathe. Drink plenty of water so you don’t end up with a headache for the rest of the day. Pace yourself throughout the hike.
Here, the porter helped me keep pace by pulling me up the steep areas and directing me where to step.
The vegetation near the top was really interesting because it looked much more alpine than the jungle below.
Woohoo, the summit! I reached the top at 12:30 p.m., which means it took about 4.5 hours (with breaks) to get there.
It was quite misty when we reached the top, so we hung around for a bit to wait for it to clear so we could get some photos and use it as an excuse to have a snack. In all, we stayed only about 20 minutes.
Descending Bisoke
As we started to descend, I heard a crack of thunder and began to pray to the rain gods to keep the rain away. Unfortunately, they heard my plea and laughed in my face.
Soon enough, the rain started pouring, making the descent extremely slippery. After only 20 minutes of rain, the path turned into a raging river. Without the help of my porter, I would not have been able to manage—I was literally slipping and sliding the entire way down.
I put my phone away and switched to using my GoPro. Our phones went into my dry bag. I also put on my dry pants and raincoat.
Everything was so muddy and wet, but we smiled through it. The porter helped us all manage the trail.
Then hail started to beat down on us for a good 20 minutes… or maybe longer… or maybe less. You can see my videos on my Instagram highlight here. It made for an absolutely crazy adventure.
At this point, I was just focused on putting one foot in front of the other. I literally held hands with the porter for the entire descent.
Because we were moving so slowly, we only reached the flatter part of the hike at 3:30 p.m.
Greeting us near the bottom, though, was another huge earthworm and a pile of gorilla dung. Apparently, it is possible to see gorillas on this hike, but it’s rare. And if you do see them, the guides will have you move along because it’s not part of this experience.
Finally, we exited the national park and headed back into the farmlands.
I needed a short break before hiking back through the fields. And just look at these views (almost like there was no storm!)
I thought the watery trail and rain ended there, but no. A lot of the farmland was also flooded, so we still needed the porter to help us cross the rivers created by the rain.
The views as we reached back to the starting point were beautiful.
We arrived back at the starting point at 5 p.m., which is about the latest you can reasonably finish this hike as the sun starts to set and it’s dark year-round by 6 p.m. There was one tourist after me who we didn’t see again, but she was with our main guide, so she likely made it down safely.
The Aftermath
After a 40-minute drive back to the park reception (where we had left our car…), it was the only one left, and I had to unlock it to prove it was mine before the gatekeeper let us in.
We were all frozen. Luckily, since we were heading back to Kigali the same day, we had spare clothes in the car and changed before the drive.
If you’re planning to stay in Musanze to do other activities like gorilla trekking, golden monkey trekking, or other volcano hikes, I highly suggest extending your stay. I love the Twin Lakes hike, but I probably wouldn’t do it the day after hiking Bisoke. There are plenty of other things to do in Musanze as well.
Transport Tips for Getting to Bisoke
Our park ranger took one look at our RAV4 at the reception center, laughed at us good-heartedly, and said, “Your car will not make it to the hike, haha.” Luckily, we were traveling with friends who had a seven-seater Toyota Land Cruiser, and we were able to squeeze into the back of their car.
The road was extremely rough, and I would not have enjoyed driving it myself at all. Make sure you have a proper 4×4 that’s high off the ground to reach the Bisoke hike starting point.
If you don’t have a car, your only option is to pre-arrange transport with your accommodation and have the driver wait for you all day (at least $70).
Another option is to hire a moto and pay them to wait around for you all day as there will not be any motos waiting around for you… but the road was very difficult, and our friend who was riding his own motorcycle was not having a good time.
Tour Guides and Porters
You do not need to hire an extra tour guide for Bisoke (or any Volcanoes National Park activities). They won’t be able to come with you anyway unless you’re paying their entrance fees as well. Only official park rangers and porters go on the hike with you.
Porters have a minimum fee of $20.
As I mentioned earlier, at first, I didn’t see the need to hire a porter. However, it became clear after the first third of the hike that I was much slower than the rest of the group. Luckily, some porters joined the group anyway. I was identified as a weak link, and one of the porters stayed behind with me, along with our two friends, to keep me going.
Several times, he set the pace by holding my hands and basically dragging me up the mountain. What’s interesting is that porters make you go at their pace rather than slowing down to yours. This is necessary as there’s no way you’d reach the top at a slow pace.
On the way back down, he was absolutely vital to my survival. I would have had to sit on my butt and slide the whole way down the mountain, honestly. There were so many steep, muddy sections. He would go ahead, scout the best route, then come back for me, and we’d continue that way. Holding hands.
I really think there needs to be a shift in how we describe porters (or maybe even rename them). It’s not about having someone carry your backpack because you’re weak, I carried my own bag the entire time. It’s about having a dedicated hiking expert who can help you go up and down the mountain safely and keep you moving at a good pace.
GOOD LUCK!