Mount Nyamuragira

MOUNT NYAMURAGIRA
Mount Nyamuragira is located in Virunga national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is one of the eight mountains that make up the Virunga massif situated only 14 kilometers north-west of Mount Nyiragongo, the most active volcano, and 25 kilometers west of Lake Kivu.

The Kinyarwanda word Kuragira inka, which means to herd cows is how Mount Nyamuragira got its name in the region. Since 1885, Mount Nyamuragira has erupted at least 40 times; the most recent eruption was on November 8, 2011.

The eruptions frequently resulted in the formation of minor volcanoes that eventually vanished, and the eruptions of Mount Nyamuragira produce significant amounts of sulfur dioxide, which have an adverse impact on the environment. The expansive, fluid lava flows of the East African rifts cover an area of 1500 square kilometers on Mount Nyamuragira, which has a volume of 500 cubic kilometers.
In the Virunga massif, Mount Nyamuragira, Mount Nyiragongo, and Mount Bisoke are the only volcanoes that are active.
Mount Nyamuragira is a volcano that rises to a height of 3058 meters and has a caldera that is 2 kilometers wide and has walls that are 500 meters high. The volcano erupts at the peak of the crater and has large rift zones on its flanks that result in numerous cracks and cinder cones.

The analysis demonstrates that the lake at the bottom of the inner caldera pit had lately vanished; the cause of this is unknown at this time, but gases were being released from the location of the lava lake. The creation of the fresh lava lake happened in June to August 2014 with a depth of 500 meters, which is still growing and can create lava flows in the future. Mount Nyamuragira is one of the
rare volcanoes that have preserved the lava lakes for decades.

Hiking mount Nyamuragira starts with a briefing at Bukima patrol post where you are guided on what to anticipate, history of the mount, etc. and then set off for the hike in the morning at around 7am. Hikers can climb mount Nyamuragira within 4 hours and those who want to spend the overnight at the summit its also possible. Travelers’ who feel like camping at the summit, it is advisable for them to carry camping tents and all that they may require. For the finest hiking experience visitors should take their trip to Nyamuragira during the dry season from the month of June to September and December to February. In this period, you will be blessed with clear views of the crater. During
the rainy season the trails are muddy and slippery which may make hiking more challenging.

Despite hiking mount Nyamuragira travelers can participate in other activities in Virunga national park that will reward them with exciting moments such as mountain gorilla trekking, chimpanzee tracking, birding, cultural experience among others.