This chain of volcanic mountains is situated in Central Africa while some of these protrude into East Africa. They are an important asset of attraction due to many natural wonders they harbor. They are listed below with their individual distinctions.
- Mt.Gahinga.
As a volcano, it’s classified as dormant, having lived through hundreds of thousands of years without eruption or any sign of erupting in the near future. It stands magnetically at the border of Uganda and Rwanda. It’s also found between Mt. Sabinyo and Mt. Muhabura. Compared to her two neighboring sister volcanoes, Mt. Gahinga is the smallest. The name means a ‘small pile of volcanic stones’ in the local Rufumbira language.
Gahinga is unique in many ways, and one of those unique features is that it has a caldera on its peak. The caldera is swampy and therefore a great point of attraction, and it’s close to 590 feet wide. The mountain has thick bamboo vegetation which is a home to many golden monkeys, a rare monkey species that can only be viewed in eastern Africa. Hiking Mount. Gahinga is interesting and takes close to 6 hours. The hikes commence at the earliest in the morning in order to get the best of fun while it’s still broad day. The hike costs 75$ per person.
- Mt.Muhabura.
Just like mount. Gahinga, Muhabura is extinct. It penetrates across the two borders of Uganda and Rwanda. Its great cover is surrounded by Volcanoes National Park on the Rwanda side, and Mgahinga National Park on the Uganda side. This therefore means that tourists have undoubted expectations of viewing abundant wildlife during the visit.
Its peak at 4,127 meters is the third highest among all the other sister volcanoes in the Virunga region. Its name means “the guide” from the locals who used it as a guide for their long travels, especially in making sure they had their directions correctly.
The Kabiranyuma river separates her from Gahinga leaving the two ranges standing lonely. The mountain has some parts which harbor mountain gorillas while is a bonus to its visitors. There are also forest buffalos and elephants that might be encountered during the hike. Hiking Muhabura is fun, however it requires great physique for one to push to its peak. The pricing for hiking isn’t any different from that of Gahinga at 75$ per hiker.
- Mt.Sabyinyo.
It’s another extinct volcano among her 7 sister volcanoes. This 12,037-feet in elevation volcano peacefully rests along the midpoint at which Rwanda, Uganda, and D.R Congo meet. A 20 meters wide crater later separates her from her closest sister Muhabura. Its summit is molded in a worn-out tooth, and it’s from this that it acquired its name, which in the local dialect means ‘an old man’s tooth’.
One of the most interesting features are mountain gorillas that inhabit its slopes. The hikers get a wonderful time while climbing mount. Sabyinyo. However, hiking Mount. Sabyinyo is only possible in Uganda since her slopes in Congo and Rwanda sides are extremely steep which is dangerous to take on. It’s accessible through Mgahinga National Park and costs 75$ per hiker.
- Mt.Mikeno.
At an elevation of 4,437 meters above sea level, it closely follows Mt. Karisimbi in Rwanda as the 2nd highest mountain in Virunga region while also being the highest mountain in D.R Congo.
Mikeno is tough to hike because of its unkind slopes. Besides that, however, the slopes are beautified with tropical and bamboo vegetation which facilitate the present of mountain gorillas that are trekked easily thereon. The mountain equally has many volcanic features such as cones and craters.
- Mt.Karisimbi.
Karisimbi takes the honor of being the highest volcano amongst all the 8 Virunga mountains. It stands at a height of 4,507 meters. While on its summit, Nyamuragira, Muhabura and Nyiragongo seem so close while being viewed. It’s inactive like most of the other Virunga mountains. It shares the land on both D.R Congo and Rwanda borders. Karisimbi, which means ‘white shell’ in Kinyarwanda was chosen as a description of its white cover on its peak especially during clear sunny days.
As a unique feature, Karisimbi is the 11’th most elevated mountain on the African continent. On its peak are two craters which fascinate most hikers and its largest is Mutango.
Just like the other volcanoes in Rwanda, Karisimbi is also a famous spot for mountain gorillas. Trekkers can view Dian Fossey’s tomb while on their hike. Because of its rare elevation, hiking it takes about 7 hours.
- Mt.Bisoke.
Bisoke stands at 12,175 feet and is fairly shared by both D.R. Congo and Rwanda. Because of distinct features, it’s surrounded by National Parks in both countries. While no recent volcanic activity has since been recorded, the mountain last erupted in 1957. This eruption left a crater which is arguably one of the largest in the Virunga region. Bisoke has a crater lake on its peak, and Lake Ngezi, is the second crater lake on its slopes.
There is a great coverage of bamboo plantation and scattered forest trees which have for decades attracted and retained mountain gorillas. Those interested in hiking Mikeno therefore know what to expect to view while climbing its rugged slopes. Hiking Bisoke is at 75$ per hiker.
- Mt.Nyamuragira.
At 3,058 meters, Mount. Nyamuragira is perhaps the most active volcano in the Virunga having erupted about 40 times since 1885. It’s however equally an awesome volcano to hike and affords the hikers with a glimpse of the ever-boiling lava in the mountain’s crater on top of its summit.
- Mt.Nyiragongo.
It’s 3,470 meters in elevation. It’s a highly active volcano and is situated in Eastern D.R Congo. Nyiragongo first had official tourism activity in 2014. Its safest area of access is through Gisenyi on the Rwanda side. Nyiragongo offers a fair trial during hiking and can take about only 5 hours of hiking to reach its summit.
At the top of a volcano is a crater with boiling lava and smoke which is viewed at a distance, and beams with rare beauty. There are mountain gorillas on its slopes which create a combination of mountain gorilla trekking for the hikers. Hiking mount. Nyiragongo in D.R Congo costs 300$ per hiker.
When to visit the Virunga Mountains?
For all these mountains, the dry tropical Africa seasons of December-February, and July-September are the most suitable for hiking these volcanoes seamlessly. The bright sunshine clears the atmosphere to aid visibility while enjoying an uninterrupted trek.
