Virunga Valley Academy: Why We Made Our Home in the Virungas
We could be based anywhere in the Gorilla Highlands region, but our choice is Musanze under the Virungas. The reason is very simple: it isn’t…
altitude: 3,058 m/10,031 ft – 4,507 m/14,787 ft
Not to be confused with Virunga National Park, the Virungas are a chain of eight volcanoes straddling the Gorilla Highlands region across Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo:
• Mt Bisoke (3,711 m/12,175 ft) — dormant, on the DR Congo–Rwanda border
• Mt Gahinga (3,474 m/11,398 ft) — dormant, on the Rwanda–Uganda border
• Mt Karisimbi (4,507 m/14,787 ft) — dormant, on the DR Congo–Rwanda border
• Mt Mikeno (4,437 m/14,560 ft) — dormant, in DR Congo
• Mt Muhabura (4,127 m/13,540 ft) — dormant, on the Rwanda–Uganda border
• Mt Nyamuragira (3,058 m/10,031 ft) — active, in DR Congo
• Mt Nyiragongo (3,470 m/11,400 ft) — active, in DR Congo
• Mt Sabyinyo (3,669 m/11,959 ft) — dormant, where DR Congo, Rwanda and Uganda meet
The unofficial capital of the Virungas is Musanze (formerly Ruhengeri) in northern Rwanda, about half an hour from Volcanoes National Park. On the Ugandan side, the Virungas are protected by Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, with Kisoro as the main urban hub. In DR Congo, Goma serves as the gateway to Virunga National Park (closed to tourism at present).
While Rwanda’s Twin Lakes are the most famous, the Ugandan side of the Virungas offers similar pairs: Lake Mutanda paired with Lake Murehe, and Lake Kayumbu with Lake Chahafi.
Related articles:
We could be based anywhere in the Gorilla Highlands region, but our choice is Musanze under the Virungas. The reason is very simple: it isn’t…
If there’s a neglected child in the Virunga family of volcanoes, it’s Mt Gahinga. This “pile of stones” — as its name translates — is…
If you’re not a huge fan of crowds, wrestling through dense bushes or sweaty hikes, you may find that the Virunga volcanoes offer a more…
Lying in between Uganda’s Mgahinga and Bwindi National Parks, Lake Mutanda is a handy spot to relax after your gorilla tracking. There is much more…
It’s always nice to be surprised, to come across something unexpected. A field of wildflowers on your game drive, perhaps. Or a cave system when…
“Slowly by slowly,” as people say here, we’ve been building a library of tales from the Virunga volcanoes, of the lakes that cradle them, and…
Katie Savitz travels differently; some might call it bold. A solo female traveller in East Africa, she avoids big tour companies, preferring to improvise along…
Do you believe Rwanda and Uganda are a danger zone right now? They’re not. At all. Yes, the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of…
It’s your fault! You had a unique chance to join Catherina’s Rwandan tour … and you missed it! Now she’s already in Kigali, prepping for…
Iztok’s mind was blown. He had never experienced the authentic warmth, the overwhelming energy, or the unfiltered fun of visiting an African village. He had…