Karisimbi Volcano (Volcanoes National Park)
Mount Karisimbi is a dormant volcano in the Virunga Mountains on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. At 4,507 meters (14,787 ft), Karisimbi is the highest of the eight major mountains of the mountain range, which is a part of the East African Rift Valley. Karisimbi is flanked by Mikeno to the north, Bisoke to the east and Nyiragongo to the west, on the other side of the Rift Valley.
The name Karisimbi probably came from a word in the local language, Kinyarwanda, which means “little white shell”. This is an allusion to the white snow cap that can sometimes be found on the top of the volcano.
Between Karisimbi and Bisoke is the Karisoke Research Center, which was founded by Dian Fossey in order to observe the mountain gorillas living in this area
The west side of Karisimbi volcano is situated in the Rubavu district and can be linked with other tourism attractions of the district.
The volcano itself is a tourism attraction but activities as mountain sport, trekking and community visits need to be developed in order to generate income for the local community.
(Source: Rwanda Gateway)