Mountain sabyinyo is an extinct volcano which has three peaks / summits and is one of the 8 mountains forming the Virunga massif region. It is connected to the Muhavura Mountain by a 20 m diameter crater lake. Located on the Uganda side near the border with Rwanda, this dormant volcanic mountain offers great mountain-hiking experiences to any tourist on the quest, Mountain Sabyinyo can only be hiked from the Ugandan side and the trail head is in Kisoro. The sabyinyo mountain range is one of the most challenging hikes physically, as it’s a very steep mountain.
The mountain stands at an altitude of about 3,645 meters above sea level. For all adventure lovers, mount Sabyinyo can be a good choice for a hike as it offers various sightings of the various wild animals’ species in the forests along its slopes
Virunga ranges are shared by Uganda, Rwanda and democratic republic of Congo. They are located in the western arm of the rift valley near the borders of the three countries and the name Virunga came from a local Kinyarwanda word ‘ibirunga’ meaning volcanoes. The Virunga volcanic ranges are made up of 8 mountains standing several meters above sea level. These include mount Nyiragongo,Nyamuragira, Sabyinyo, Muhabura, Gahinga, Karisimbi, Bisoke and Mikeno.
These mountains are covered by thick dense equatorial forests and are homes to various wildlife species that include forest elephants, buffaloes, snakes, butterflies, unique tree species, monkeys and human’s closest relatives the chimpanzees and the endangered mountain gorillas.
Tourists travelling to the Virungas for major wildlife activities like gorilla tours, chimpanzee tracking, birding, snake tracking and yet they could simply visit the Virungas with a specific interest of hiking any of the mountains.
Hiking the Virungas is a very worth activity because it’s a combination of various tourism products. Tourists going for a hike of any of the mountains have many chances of viewing the major wildlife residents of the forest along the slopes because hiking trails cut across them. Different birds, mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, monkeys can be sighted en route up hill. Let’s look at the hiking experiences one can get from the most outstanding Virunga volcanic mountains in Uganda.
It’s a one day hike, which starts as early as 7:00 am with briefing from your guide on the general overview of the hike. Hiking to the summit can take from 4 – 5 hours – If you haven’t reached the summit BY 1:00 – 30 PM, you just slope back to the camp offices.
At the peak, you can realize the true beauty of the pearl of Africa mainly because of the stunning panoramic views of the unique scenery in Uganda and a view of both Uganda, Rwanda and democratic republic of Congo.
The mount Sabyinyo hike can be completed in about 8 hours up hill and largely depends on one’s physical energy and ability. Best time to go mountain Hiking is during the dry season. Avoid rainy seasons. Conclusively, the slopes of Mount Sabyinyo contain biologically diverse ecosystems