Mount Muhabura, also known as Mount Muhavura, is an

inactive volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often fou ...

in the

Virunga Mountains The Virunga Mountains (also known as Mufumbiro) are a chain of volcanoes in East Africa, in the area where Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Uganda meet. The mountain range is a branch of the Albertine Rift Mountains, ...

on the

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

border. At , Muhabura is the third highest of the eight major mountains of the mountain range, which is part of the

Albertine Rift The Albertine Rift is the western branch of the East African Rift, covering parts of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. It extends from the northern end of Lake Albert to the southern end of Lake Tan ...

, the western branch of the

East African Rift The East African Rift (EAR) or East African Rift System (EARS) is an active continental rift zone in East Africa. The EAR began developing around the onset of the Miocene, 22–25 million years ago. It was formerly considered to be part of a l ...

. Its summit contains a small

crater lake Crater Lake ( Klamath: ) is a volcanic crater lake in south-central Oregon in the Western United States. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and is a tourist attraction for its deep blue color and water clarity. T ...

. The limited evidence for this volcano suggests that it last erupted some time in the

Holocene The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...

, but the exact date is not known. The Smithsonian Institution states that a small parasitic crater near Muhabura had been active "recently" without mentioning a date. The name Muhabura means "The Guide" in the local language,

Kinyarwanda Kinyarwanda, Rwandan or Rwanda, officially known as Ikinyarwanda, is a Bantu language and the national language of Rwanda. It is a dialect of the Rwanda-Rundi language that is also spoken in adjacent parts of the Democratic Republic of the ...

Geography

Muhabura is the third highest of the 8 volcanoes in the

chain at an altitude of with a prominence of 1,530 metres. It can be seen from many parts of Uganda and Rwanda because of its height and characteristic slope. It is flanked by the smaller

Mount Gahinga Mount Gahinga is a dormant/extinct volcano in the Virunga Mountains on the Rwanda-Uganda border. Gahinga lies between Muhabura and Sabyinyo, but is the smallest of these three valcanoes. Mount Gahinga, also known in the local Kinyarwanda/Rufumbi ...

to the west, separated by a swamp from the Kabiranyuma River. Muhabura´s Northern side lies in the

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is a national park in southwestern Uganda. It was created in 1991 and covers an area of . Geography Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is located in the Virunga Mountains and encompasses three inactive volcanoes, name ...

, in Uganda and the Southern side in

Volcanoes National Park Volcanoes National Park is a national park in northwestern Rwanda. It covers of rainforest and encompasses five of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains, namely Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo. It borders Virunga ...

, Rwanda. Hiking the peak is possible from Rwanda ´s Volcanoes National Park headquarters in

Kinigi Kinigi is a town in Northern Province, Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few d ...

, which is 2 hours drive from

Kigali Kigali () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali is a relativ ...

or from

Musanze Musanze is a sector, located in the district of the same name, in Northern Province, Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region ...

References

External links

Hike Muhabura Volcano with Bamboo Ecotours
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Muhabura

Mount Muhabura Mount Muhabura, also known as Mount Muhavura, is an inactive volcano in the Virunga Mountains on the Rwanda-Uganda border. At , Muhabura is the third highest of the eight major mountains of the mountain range, which is part of the Albertine Rift, ...

International mountains of Africa Volcanoes of Africa Mountains of Rwanda Mountains of Uganda Stratovolcanoes of Rwanda Stratovolcanoes of Uganda

Four-thousanders of Africa

Geography

See also

References

External links