Nyiragongo Volcano-Summit Shelters

The eight-kilometre trek takes five to six hours, with four breaks for refreshments. Park rangers lead all groups and porters are available to hire if you'd prefer not to carry your kit. Your group's chef will prepare nourishing and sustaining snacks and a meal followed by fruit, and the accompanying staff are experts in their field and very helpful. The summit is your gathering area – loungers are unnecessary.

Don't expect chocolates on your pillows here. The 12 two-man huts on the crater rim are spartan, with a tiled roof, a small window and foam mattresses on wooden slats furnished with basic sleeping bags. (We recommend you take your own.) There's no running water (bring wet wipes) and the long-drop loo is reached via a short, steep walk on a rocky path, fitted with a safety rope to help you back up. You'll be comfortable, even without the chocs.

Mount Nyiragongo is a spectacular volcano in the eastern DRC, and hiking its slopes leads from the tropical forest to the icy summit and its bubbling lava lake. The hike is fairly challenging, depending on your level of fitness, and the group moves at the pace of its slowest member. Enjoy the experience, knowing that you're in good hands, as the rangers know the mountain intimately enough to see that you're safe and get the best observation and photogenic spots.