2022
Mountain Bisoke is a dormant Volcano rising at 3711 meters above sea level. The mountain is one of the series of volcanoes that make up the Virunga Mountain Range which sprawls along the borders of Rwanda, Uganda & the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mountain Bisoke straddles the border of Rwanda & the Democratic Republic of Congo, but the biggest part, including the peak & two stunning crater lakes, lies on Rwanda’s side, in Volcanoes National Park.
“Bisoke” is a Swahili term that translates, “soaked with water”, that was coined by the natives in reference to the two beautiful crater lakes that ‘soak’ the volcano. One Crater Lake sits into the volcano peak, 100meter deep & about 400meteres of diameter. The second Crater Lake was formed at the sides, almost midway to the top, overlooking the adjacent lush slopes of the Sabinyo Volcano Mountain.
The entire volcano is green with lush vegetation zones ranging from Hagenia forest, through sub-alpine to alpine. It harbors an array of beautiful wildlife including flora & fauna many of which are unique to the Virunga ranges & Albertine region. Mountain Gorillas, Golden Monkeys, Forest Elephants, Buffaloes, plus lots of birds inhibit the forest and vegetations along the volcano.
Mountain Bisoke is home to some habituated Gorilla families and you stand a good chance of encountering these at the start of your ascent up the mountain. By a good chance you encounter some gorillas, Along the trail you come by dung of Forest Elephants & Buffaloes, but these are very elusive and chances of sighting them are so minimal.
The lower hike through Hagenia Forest is ambient, as you are treated to an array of different species of trees & flowery shrubs and sweet bird songs. This part of the trail is relatively easy so far, except that it does get muddy on rainy days. There are also thorny plants to dodge, and ooh…the menacing stinging nettles which itch so much at the slightest contact with the skin.
As you ascend further up the mountain the temperatures drop gradually. Oxygen levels also drop significantly hence you tire faster, and you would need regular rests to acclimatize while you enjoy the magnificent mountain scenery of the Virunga ranges.
Get to the summit and be rewarded with magnificent rare natural beauty – Crater Lake, mountain vegetation & dropping clouds, cloudy peaks of Mountains Karisimbi and Mikeno in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is so beautiful to see and experience! How long you’ll stay at the summit so much depends on the weather and temperatures. On lucky sunny days, temperature average about 10 degrees C, which give you at least 30 mins to even picnic. Meanwhile they can drop to as low as 2 degrees C on rainy days and you will manage to stay barely 5 minutes. On rainy days, there is also a bad chance of finding the clouds (mist) to have dropped into the Crater Lake that u may not actually see it clearly.
