The word “Virunga” originates from the Kinyarwanda dialect “Ibirunga”, which translates to “volcanoes.” Eight volcanoes make up the Virunga Mountains, which are a chain of mountain ranges located in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo in East Africa.
Size of the Virunga Mountains.
According to the East African Rift Valley’s orientation, the Virunga Mountains stretch for roughly 80 km (50 miles) north of Lake Kivu. Mount Karisimbi, at 4,790 feet, Mt. Mikeno, at 4,437 feet, Mt. Muhabura, at 4,127 feet, Mt. Bisoke, at 3,711 feet, 12,180 feet, Mt. Sabinyo, at 3,674 feet, 12,050 feet, Mt. Mount Gahinga, at 3,474 feet, 11,400 feet, Mt. Nyiragongo, at 3,470 feet, and Mt. Nyamuragira, at 3,058 meters, is the highest of the eight volcanoes.
History of Volcanism of the Virunga Mountains.
As per Britannica, the onset of volcanic activity in the Virunga region dates back to approximately 2,600,000 years ago, during the early Pleistocene Epoch. Put differently, Pleistocene volcanoes are what the Virungas are in reality. The oldest known natural wonders, the volcanoes of Mikeno and Sabinyo, are thought to be extinct.
Approximately 900,000 to 130,000 years ago, during the later Pleistocene epoch, the volcanoes of Bisoke, Muhavura, Karisimbi, and Gahinga formed, making them comparatively younger. Except for Mount Nyamuragira, a shield volcano, at least seven of the Virunga volcanoes are composite mountains created over a long period of time by numerous volcanic eruptions that deposit layers of pyroclastic lava, ash, and mud.
The conical-shaped composite volcanic landforms are characterized by their moderately steep slopes and large, bowl-shaped volcanic depressions, called calderas, like the one on Mount Karisimbi. A must-see treasure in East Africa is the water-filled craters on Mount Bisoke, Gahinga, and Muhabura. Composite volcanoes are susceptible to weathering and erosion processes because of the topography.
For example, Mount Sabinyo has suffered significant degradation, and the Bakiga people of southwest Uganda refer to it as having “old man’s teeth” because of its jagged peak. The dormant volcanoes of the Virunga range are Mikeno, Karisimbi, Muhabura, and Bisoke. It is believed that the Gahinga are gone.
Origin of volcanism in the Virungas.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the eastern Virunga National Park is home to two active volcanoes. These volcanoes are most famous for their eruptions, which have occurred 44 and 34 times, respectively, since 1882 at Nyamuragira and Nyiragongo.
The Mufumbiro ranges, a Kinyarwanda dialect meaning “that which cooks,” is a more popular name for the Virunga mountains due to its frequent and intense volcanic eruptions. Each volcano still has an active lake, several volcanic fissures, and cinder cones as a result of the severe volcanic eruptions. A tectonic fault line known as the Kameronze fault divides the two volcanoes, which are 13 km apart.
As per National Geographic, the East African Rift, a tectonic fault, is the cause of the ongoing volcanic activity in the Virunga. The 3,500 square kilometer East African Rift Valley connects the Red Sea with Mozambique. It is divided into two parallel branches: the western rift (Nubian plate), which runs from Uganda to Malawi, and the eastern rift (Somalia plate), which extends through Ethiopia and Kenya.
Tectonic pressures that began in the Miocene Era, some 25 million years ago, are pulling the two plates apart at a rate of 6-7 mm each year, according to the Geological Society. As lava rises to the surface of the Earth through severe volcanic eruptions like those on the volcanoes Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira, the rifting process forms fault lines and cracks.
These volcanoes are spewing out a kind of magma known as alkaline magma, which is very fluid and has a low silica content. The magma of Nyiragongo has a high carbon dioxide content and can flow at up to 100 km/h.
Hiking in the Virunga Mountains.
Hiking is possible in the Virunga highlands in protected areas such as Mgahinga, Volcanoes, and Virunga National Parks. For example, Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park offers hiking opportunities to the Bisoke, Karisimbi, and Muhabura volcanoes. You can hike in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, which includes Mt. Sabinyo, Gahinga, and Muhabura.
The journey up the Nyiragongo Volcano was shut down after the catastrophic eruption in 2021. Updates will be released as soon as the security situation is judged stable and the trail is suitable for trekking. Virunga Park has closed and is expected to reopen. But you can still go to the recently formed lava fields in and around Goma City.
Mount Nyiragongo.
With a height of 3,470 meters (11,400 feet), Nyiragongo is the highest and one of the most active volcanoes in Africa. Kibumba, the southern region of Virunga National Park, is home to this endangered UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
There are more than 34 known eruptions from the volcano’s 1.2 km-wide lava lake, which has been active since 1882. The most catastrophic eruptions in recorded history have taken place at Nyiragongo in 1977, 2002, and 2021, respectively.
One of the volcanoes where the greatest number of people live close by is Nyiragongo. Nearly a million people live at the foot of the volcano: 83,000 people live in Goma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and 700,000 people live in Gisenyi, Rwanda.
The two cities are situated 8.0 kilometers apart on the beaches of Lake Kivu. Specifically, during the eruption in January 1977, at least seventy people died. Since natural disasters are a major threat to human safety, the Goma Volcano Observatory (OVG) was founded in 1986 to track eruptions using satellite data that was made available through the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Network database.
In order to evacuate people and prevent fatalities from additional eruptions, this would aid in the early detection of warning signs. In 2002, 10,000 cubic meters of extremely fluid lava spewing from Nyiragongo descended at 60 km/h. Nearly 15% of Goma City’s area was covered in lava flows, and a third of the runway at Goma International Airport was submerged. Four hundred thousand people had to be evacuated, and almost four thousand houses and buildings were damaged.
The most recent occurrence of lateral volcanic eruptions at Nyiragongo occurred in May 2021, resulting in 450,000 people being displaced due to fissures on the Murara cone on the volcano’s southern flank. Strong earthquakes and volcanic air pollution were also linked to the lava flows. 180 people lost their lives as a result of the eruptions in 2002 and 2021 that released carbon dioxide, one of the most dangerous greenhouse gases.
The Goma observatories were only able to identify earthquakes as warning signals of an impending eruption due to the extent of the devastation. Nevertheless, certain statistics point to the causes. One of the causes is that the tectonic rifting beneath Mt. Nyiragongo is linked to the volcanic eruptions, which is creating new fissures and vents on the volcano’s slopes.
Consequently, the fissures and the active lava lake on top are easily penetrated by the magma. For example, the historical Nyiragongo eruptions in 1977, 2002, and 2021 are known as flank eruptions. Scientists also anticipate that limnic eruptions in Lake Kivu may eventually be triggered by the increasingly unpredictable and deadly Nyiragongo eruptions. In order to better monitor upcoming eruptions, seismologists need to create new technologies, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
Nyiragongo eruption of 2021.
Hiking Mount Nyiragongo was canceled following the eruption in 2021. This was brought on by the lava flow that blocked hotels and roads in the Rumangabu region. Nevertheless, fully comprehending the scope of the eruption, visitors can still visit the Goma lava fields. All donations are welcome to support the restoration of Goma residents’ houses and access to clean water.
Donations can be sent via a local humanitarian organization like the Virunga Fallen Rangers Fund or through a tour operator. A different approach to help the people and get a taste of their culture is to visit the villages that are close to Virunga National Park.
Mount Nyamuragira.
In the southern Virunga National Park, Nyamuragira is a shield volcano that is situated 25 km north of Lake Kivu and 13 km north-west of Mt. Nyiragongo. More active than its sister Nyiragongo, Nyamuragira is located at the westernmost point of the Virunga Volcanic Province (VVP) and has erupted more than 44 times since 1882. Nyamuragira eruptions happen at least once every one to four years on average.
At 3,058 meters (10,031 feet), Nyamuragira’s top is home to a 2.3 km broad caldera with an active lake encircled by 100-meter-tall rift walls. Additionally, the volcano includes many solitary, smaller cinder cones, such as the Kitazungurwa vent on the southern slope and Gasenyi and Kimanura on the northeastern flank. There are eruptions from the cinder cones and fissures within the lava lake, particularly on the southwest face.
The magma of Nyamuragira has a high concentration of chemical components, such as potassium and sulfur dioxide, which cause pyroclastic flows and lava fountains during eruptions. There are some of the world’s longest lava flows at Nyamuragira. For instance, the north-east flanks’ 26 km of lava flows were caused by the 1981 eruption. The lava flow from Nyamuragira’s 1989, 2000, and 2014 eruptions stretched 20 kilometers along the mountain’s northern flank.
Near Lake Kivu, lava flows have engulfed an area of more than 1,500 sq.km. It is not possible to hike Nyamuragira. Yet, people who want to study the volcano can go on research and study tours.
Mount Mikeno
On the western boundary of the Virunga volcanic region, in Virunga National Park, sits Mt. Mikeno, a composite volcano. Mikeno is the second-tallest mountain in the Virunga range, standing at 4,387 meters (14,393 feet).
This volcano is one of the oldest, having developed in the early Pleistocene era. Mikeno is an extinct volcano that is unsuitable for human settlement because of its steep slopes, lava domes, and pyroclastic cones. No eruption has been observed since. The indigenous Congolese dialect for the name Mikeno means “poor.”
The tropical forests that envelop the volcano serve as a habitat for an abundance of fauna, including chimpanzees, mountain gorillas, colobus monkeys, and bird species like the yellow-crested helmet shrike (Prionops Alberti). In order to acclimate a group of chimpanzees, the Virunga Park officials created the Mikeno Trek in 2011.
There are two possibilities for the trek: one is for those who want to summit, and the other is a stroll down the lower slopes. Because of the terrain, hiking to the summit of Mikeno might be difficult. At Bukima, the park headquarters adjacent to the opulent Mikeno resort, the hike commences.
Mount Karisimbi.
The highest peak in the Virunga range is Mt. Karisimbi, standing at 4,490 meters (14,731 feet) above sea level. The composite volcano features a peak with a symmetrical shape and incredibly steep slopes, ranging from 25 to 30 degrees.
The volcano is located close to the DR Congo border in the Volcanoes National Park. Karisimbi’s last known eruption occurred in 8050 BCE, leaving behind distinctive volcanic characteristics such as a pit crater, a circular caldera that is 2 km wide, and flat-lying basalt lava fields. The 400 square kilometer Karisimbi volcano’s lava fields are distinguished by lava tubes devoid of watercourses.
At present, Karisimbi is a dormant volcano that has the highest density of over 106 parasitic cinder cones and spatter. According to potassium dating, the black basalt volcanic rocks found in Karisimbi are 10,000 years old. The four distinct vegetation zones of Mount Karisimbi include afro-alpine, bamboo, dense tropical forests, and bare volcanic rock surfaces.
Mount Bisoke.
A composite volcano, Mt. Bisoke rises to 3,696 meters (12,126 feet) and is situated adjacent to Mount Karisimbi on the Rwandan-DRC border. Virunga Mountains in Rwanda make up Volcanoes National Park; Bisoke Peak is still active, with its most recent reported eruption being in 1957.
Lava flows made of trachyandesite were released during the eruption, creating a summit crater with a lake filled with 450 meters of lava. Volcanic rocks containing intermediate silica compounds and alkali metals cool to generate trachyandesite lava.
On the northern flank, some 11 km from the summit, the eruptions also created two lesser parasitic cones. Among the volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains, Bisoke is among the most stunning.
The crater lake is surrounded by afroalpine plant species, including groundsels. Golden monkeys and mountain gorillas live in the lower, forested slopes. When Dian Fossey founded the Karisoke Research Center in 1967 to study mountain gorillas, it was situated on the saddle between Bisoke and Karisimbi. It is possible to see the Dian Fossey Tomb via the Bisoke trek.
Mount Sabyinyo.
The oldest volcano in the Virunga volcanic region, Sabyinyo volcano, is the fifth highest in the Virunga Mountains range. It was created by an explosive eruption that occurred between 3.2 and 2.6 million years ago during the Pliocene and Pleistocene.
It is believed that the symmetrical summit was destroyed during the last known eruption, resulting in five distinct peaks divided by steep, narrow ridges. Prolonged erosion further sculpted the tops into sharp, cliff-side peaks. The name Sabinyo, which means “old man’s teeth,” was given to the rugged peaks. The highest point on Mount Sabinyo is 3605 meters, or 11827 feet, high, and it has a summit caldera with a lake full of craters.
Out of the five summits, three are located in the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, and the other two are on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The sole shared volcano in the Virunga region across the three nations is Sabinyo. You can stand at the border of three countries while on the walk in Uganda. Because of the terrain’s characteristics, climbing can be difficult.
To get to the top of the trail, hikers must navigate wooden ladders that ascend a steep slope between two peaks, 3,423 m and 3,537 m. There are two pathways available for hiking Sabyinyo in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. The Rurambo path is the hardest and requires hiking to both summits.
The simplest trail, Sabyinyo, leads to the peak on the eastern face of the volcano. The topography of Mt. Sabinyo is distinct, offering breathtaking vistas and an evergreen hagenia-hypecerum forest with mosses, lichens, and liverworts covering the trees and ground level.
Mount Muhabura.
Muhabura Volcano, at 4,127 meters (13,540 feet) high, is the third-highest volcano in the Virunga range. Its summit caldera is home to a lake filled with craters that is 40 meters wide. Trekking is allowed on the peak that crosses the border between Rwanda and Uganda.
Because Muhabura’s steep summit can be seen from a great distance and was used by the ancient inhabitants for navigation, the name Muhabura means “guide.” Owing to the topography, hiking Muhabura is best suited for intermediate hikers with a full day’s worth of stamina.
Mount Gahinga.
Mount Gahinga, with 3,474 meters (11,400 feet) in elevation, is the sixth-tallest dormant volcano in the Virunga range. A swamp-filled crater lake sits atop the volcano, which is located 4 km east of Muhabura on the border between Uganda and Rwanda.
The southern side is in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, while the northern flank is a part of Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla Reserve. Trekking the Batwa trek to reach the Batwa pygmy village is possible when starting from the Ugandan side of Sabinyo.
Additionally, there is the opulent Gahinga Lodge, which is nestled on the park’s edge and offers breathtaking views of the neighboring volcanoes.
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