The dormant volcano is home to many Mountain gorillas that reside in Virunga national park. Karisimbi and is entirely found in the boundary of Congo. Mikeno is the second highest peak of the Virunga ranges after Mt. This is a 2 day’s trip with one hiking up to the peak in one day but has to overnight and start descent the next day.Īt 4437m, Mt. You need to be fit and healthy enough to hike the slippery slopes of Karisimbi. The name Karisimbi is a derivative of the Kinyarwanda word “amasimbi” which means “white shell”, to which the appearance of Karisimbi’s white capped summit is alluded. The Virunga National Park also protects the Congo part of the Rwenzori Mountains.įound on the border between Rwanda and D.R.C, Karisimbi is the highest of the 8 mountains towering at 4507m high famous for its white capped summit. Six of the eight Virunga Volcanoes are found in the Virunga National Park.

Goma, the natural destination for lava flowing out of the park, was badly damaged by the eruptions of 19. It is a cruel paradox that people have been tempted by the fertile volcanic soil to build their homes in the likely path of future lava flows. The volcanoes have also brought devastation. This unique landscape has helped Virunga to gain recognition as a World Heritage Site. The massive tectonic movements that produced the volcanoes also created the park’s enormously varied topography, which in turn gave rise to the diverse habitats and abundance of animal and plant species we see today. Most of the volcanoes are dormant, but two of them – Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira – are active and responsible for two-fifths of Africa’s volcanic eruptions. Seven of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga range stand within Virunga National Park’s boundaries. The word Virunga corresponds to the word volcano in Kinyarawanda, the first language of the people who live nearest to the park. This chain of volcanoes runs along the borders of Rwanda, the DR Congo and Uganda.

Virunga mountain