Planning for a safari holiday to Rwanda/Rwanda gorilla tour on your next African vacation? Discover beyond wildlife and primates, visit Rwanda’s crater lakes on Crater Exploration Around Kiningi. Exploring the crater lakes around Kiningi combines the thrills of adventure, nature, and geography, making it a perfect complement for popular gorilla trekking tours to Volcanoes National Park. Kiningi is a beautiful town in northern Rwanda, serving as a gateway for safaris to Volcanoes National Park (home to the endangered mountain gorillas) in Rwanda. Despite being a popular spot during Rwanda Gorilla trekking tours, Kiningi also offers visitors in Rwanda an opportunity to do Volcano trekking in Rwanda, where they get a chance to discover Rwanda’s Volcanic wonders. For travelers seeking adventures beyond primate tracking and birding in Northern Rwanda, Crater Exploration Around Kiningi/Volcano trekking in Rwanda is definitely a unique and better choice.
Exploring Rwanda’s Crater lakes around Kiningi is a unique experience. The crater lake adventures just like all other Volcano tourism activities in most safari destinations in Africa (Rwanda inclusive) involve hiking to the top of the volcanoes, traversing various elevations. During the hike to the top of the volcano, visitors get the opportunity to witness the beautiful scenery, different vegetation types, birdlife, and various other land forms on top of the volcano. Unlike volcano hiking adventures in Rwanda/ Mountain hiking & climbing in Rwanda, where the main aim is to reach the highest point, the Crater Lake exploration Around Kiningi mainly focuses on discovering various crater lakes found on different volcanoes in Kiningi. One of the popular destinations for Crater exploration in Kiningi is Mount Bisoke, which is part of the long chain of rangers (Virunga Ranges) that span across three countries of Uganda, Rwanda, and D.R Congo.
Kinigi is located in Musanze District, in the northern province of Rwanda, just a short drive (2 hours & 30 minutes) from Rwanda’s capital, Kigali. Kiningi is the main access point to Volcanoes National Park, and most travelers visiting Rwanda for gorilla safaris usually drive through this town. Besides being a gateway for mountain gorilla trekking tours to Volcanoes National Park, Kiningi is also a gateway for mountaineering/Mountain climbing & Hiking in Rwanda. Five of the eight Virunga Ranges can be accessed from Kiningi, however, when it comes to Crater Lake Exploration Around Kiningi, Mount Bisoke is the most popular destination for these adventures.
Kinigi is located on the foot of a chain of volcanic peaks (Virunga Mountains) that stretch across Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. While in Kiningi, the most accessible peaks here include Mount Bisoke (Mount Bisoke: 3,711 meters), Mount Karisimbi (4,507 meters) and Mount Sabinyo (Mount Sabinyo: 3,671 meters). Mount Bisoke is popular for its summit crater lake that has stunning views and visitors from all over the world can visit for on a crater Lake exploration.
Hiking to the Mount Bisoke Crater follows two trails, both of which will lead to the crater lakes on the summit of this mountain. The most popular trail used by visitors here takes about 6 hours to reach the top, although the time entirely depends on the speed of the climbers. The other trail is shorter since it only takes about 4 hours to ascend and about 2 hours to descend. Both trails can be trekked in just one day of safari.
Along the way to the summit, visitors get a chance to have a glimpse to a lot of biodiversity. Visitors will trek through different altitudes teeming with various vegetation types. Among what you’ll see on the hike to Mount Bisoke Crater lakes are: Bamboo forests, Giant lobelias, senecio plants, Golden monkeys, bushbucks, and even signs of gorilla activity, among others. There are also over 200 bird species recorded here, including the Rwenzori turaco and dusky crimsonwing among others.
