Mount Muhabura
Mount Muhabura
Mount Muhabura is one of the volcanoes of the Virunga volcanic mountains and this is a dormant one among the eight. The Virunga volcanic mountains lie in the Virunga massif in the Albertine rift. All the eight volcanic mountains are located within close range of each other and these lie in between the Lake Edward and the Lake Kivu which are on the western arm of the East African rift valley.
The volcanoes with the Mount Muhabura inclusive were categorized and named the Virunga ranges following the common dialect in the area where ibirunga/ birunga means volcanoes. These volcanoes were all active at some point and the evidence of volcanic activity can be seen when visiting in the area. These volcanoes are spread out on the land borders of Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic republic and some are shared by two of the countries or even three of them like the Mount Sabyinyo.
Besides the Mount Muhabura and the Mount Sabyinyo, the others are Mount Karisimbi the highest range standing at an elevation of 4,507 and is found in Rwanda and DR Congo, Mount Mikeno found only in the DR Congo, Mount Bisoke shared by Rwanda and the DR Congo, Mount Gahinga found in Rwanda and Uganda as well, Mount Nyiragongo and Mount Nyamulagira both entirely found in the DR Congo and these are the only currently still active volcanoes.
These Virunga mountains are famous for being the home to the mountain gorillas and this is the only place in the entire world where the mountain gorillas are living in the wild and their natural habitat. The mountain gorillas are listed as endangered animal species on the IUCN species list.
History of Mount Muhabura
The Mount Muhabura is beautifully located on the land border of Rwanda and Uganda and is a common sighting from many parts of this region. The Mount Muhabura is standing at an elevation of 4,127 meters approximately 13,540 feet putting it as the third highest range of the Virunga mountains following the Mount Karisimbi and Mount Sabyinyo.
Mount Muhabura is a stratovolcano and these are those volcanos built up by many layers of hardened lava unlike the shield volcanoes. Mount Muhabura is currently a dormant volcano with a crater lake at the top that shows volcanic activity has happened before however no volcanic activity has been seen from the volcano in the recent times. The last eruption of the Mount Muhabura is said to have been in the Holocene which is estimated to be 11,650 cal years ago but no known date is given.
The Mount Muhabura was named as “a guide” which in the local dialect spoken in the area is Muhabura implying something that explains another. The height of the Mount Muhabura enabled this mountain to be spotted at many places and the local people used it to located their way around more like a guide.
Hiking Mount Muhabura
There is an opportunity to hike this Mount Muhabura on your Rwanda safari or mountaineering experience in Rwanda. This is a physically demanding activity and guests are advised to be physically ready for it. The Mount Muhabura can be hiked from either side of Rwanda in the Volcanoes national park or Uganda in the Mgahinga gorilla national park.
It is a one-day hike but is as demanding as the 2 days hike up the Mount Karisimbi. The hike up the Mount Muhabura is available for booking any time of the year and a permit for the international visitors goes for 75 USD for both the Rwandan side and the Uganda side of the mountain.
This is a 5 hour hike up hill and back from the crater lake that gives you a view of the area from the top and you hike from 1,700 meters to 4,100 meters for this rewarding view. The trek up this volcano is great for birding and spotting some forest animals and the major vegetation covering the mountain is alpine vegetation.
The most common trail on the Mount Muhabura hike up hill is the Muhavura trail. The Muhavura trail is the shortest and also considered the quickest way to complete this hike and yet most rewarding as you get to spot the other Virunga volcanoes at a distance along with the rift valley escarpments and lake Edward and on a clear day, you will even spot the Rwenzori mountains. This is a 12-kilometer trail and a round trip will take about 8 hours however there is a camping option available.
We look forward to hearing from you to arrange your mountaineering experience on the Mount Muhabura and the other Virunga volcanos.
