Goma Border and city is located in the eastern part of Democratic Republic of the Congo, next to the Rwandan city of Gisenyi on the northern shore of Lake Kivu and south of the crater of the active Nyiragongo Volcano.

Goma was once regarded to as “the most dangerous city in the world” because in 2002 people dropped dead from hidden deadly gases and molten lava that erupted through the streets and left 120,000 people homeless.

The average weather conditions and occurrences of Goma City keep varying especially in the month of February where by day time temperatures tend to be high about 31°C/ 88°F and in the night so cold at around 17°C /63°F.

How to visit DR Congo?
When planning on visiting Congo, it’s always better to consult a travel company to arrange for you your travel plans for u in a more efficient way and all you will need to do or have is;

A valid passport signed and valid for 6 months beyond stay business visa.

Visa application form which should be 2 signed, filled out the application forms included in your Visa Application Kit.

2 recent in-color passport type photographs (2 x 2) front view and with a plain/white background

Letter Of Invitation from a host company in Congo (Republic) explaining the relationship to the applicant and the purpose of travel.

Business Cover Letter from employer or sponsoring company in the US indicating the person financially responsible for the applicant with detailed contact information in the Congo.

Departure details showing flight itinerary from the airline or
travel agency and date of departure from Congo.

Vaccination/ Medical Requirements with an International certificate of Vaccination against yellow fever.

There are several ways to get to Congo; you can either choose to go by plane from Kinshasa (and other towns in Congo) to Goma or by road using a car, bus/ taxi to Goma or by foot or by bicycle.
Activities one can do in Goma Congo
There a couple of things one can opt to do while in Goma which include;

Hiking Nyiragongo
Nyiragongo is the world’s largest lave lake and usually an interested climber is advised to carry along with them rain gear (trousers, rain jacket), head lamp, sleeping bag and plenty of warm clothes, packed food and water (5 liters), Nyiragongo walking stick, porter costs, bag of coal at the station. This usually takes approximately 6 to 8 hours. The hiking permits cost is about US$300.

Mountain Gorillas
It’s cheaper to visit gorillas of Congo than in Rwanda and Uganda. A gorilla tracking permit in Congo cost $400 compared to Uganda $600 and Rwanda $750. All you need to have is rain gears (trousers, rain jacket), walking poles and a lunch bag.

Visit to Bukavu
It’s a less than an hour distance to Bukavu from Goma. You can either cross to Rwanda through Bukavu.

Kahuzi-Biega National Park
The 6000sqkm2 park is known for eastern lowland gorillas and is just 30kms from Bukavu south of Kivu provinces.
Other activities done while in Goma include; Biking organized by biking club and is always done weekly, football with the many football clubs in Goma, horse riding for $20 per hour done at Mushake, Kayaking by Go Kayak and Kayak Kivu and many others.

Accommodations available in Goma/ Congo

There are a number of accommodations available at the border with good facilities and food which include;

Lac Kivu Lodge

Mikeno lodge

Cap Kivu Hotel

Hotel la Versaille

Rusina Hotel

Hotel Ihusi

Mbiza Hotel

Jerryson Hotel

Ishango Goma

Centre d’Accueil Caritas

Bungwe Guest House

Mbiza Hotel

Hotel Congomani

Linda Hotel Goma

Rusina Hotel

La Brise Guesthouse among many others.

Goma City was rebuilt despite what happened in 2002 when the whole city was half buried by the volcano and suffered under the leadership of a military war. Today the people of art city Goma have made use of the igneous rock and made wall fences of their homes. Ina addition, the city too is rich in minerals like tungsten, tantalum and tin sold to the world markets. There is also long lasting peace brought by Congolese security forces.