Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is Africa’s most active volcano and home to the world’s largest permanent lava lake. At over 200 m across, the lava bubbles and boils at 2000 degrees C, with gas explosions and spurts of lava up to 10 metres high.
Intrepid travellers can cross the border from Rwanda into conflict-torn Congo, and then hike for 6 hours for the chance to spend a night at the top of this incredible mountain.
If you’re lucky, as I was, the clouds will clear and you’ll get to spend hours watching the molten rock frothing and churning like a bubbling cauldron.
It looks like a portal into the centre of the earth or a great fiery chasm. Little wonder that the name ‘Nyiragongo’ means ‘smoking mountain’, and the locals believe it’s the gateway to Hell.
The huge lava lake of Nyiragongo is 200 m across
The molten rock is bubbling at 2000 degrees C
The name Nyiragongo means ‘smoking mountain’
The volcano looms over the nearby city of Goma
Residents must be on their guard against eruptions
Conflict is still ongoing in DR Congo
