Nyiragongo volcano & Mountain gorillas: tour photos of our June 2017 expedition
Ingrid Smet´s photo diary of our 4-11 June 2017 Nyiragongo lava lake and mountain gorillas expedition in Rwanda and DR Congo, as well as some safari images of the 2 days extension she afterwards undertook in Akagera National Park.

Day 1 - Entrance to the Kigali Genocide Memorial in the capital of Rwanda (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 1 - Hundreds of fruit bats hanging out in certain trees in Kigali (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 1 - Fertile farmland on the outskirts of Rwanda´s capital (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 1 - In the land of a thousand hills, the capital is also spread across a number of valleys (Phot... [info]
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Day 1 - Lunch in a nice local restaurant in Kigali (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 2 - Having left Kigali: looking back onto the capital in the background and a small local market... [info]
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Day 2 - Rwandan women carrying the harvest from the fields to a local market (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 2 - View across Rwanda´s hilly countryside (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 2 - Beautiful scenery along the way from Kigali to Goma (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 2 - Local farmers´ market on the way to Goma (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 2 - Our guide Sam looking for the nicest bananas tot take with us (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 2 - Local transport for people and produce at the farmers´ market (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 2 - Rwandan women selling their harvest at the local farmers´ market (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 2 - Root vegetables are very popular and easily grown in western Rwanda (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 2 - Filling up the logistic vehicle with fresh local supplies for our Nyiragongo camping (Photo... [info]
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Day 2 - Rwandan lady bringing her harvest to the local market in the traditional way (Photo: Ingrid ... [info]
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Day 2 - Hilly scenery of western Rwanda (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 2 - As Rwanda is Africa´s most densely populated country, its countryside is intensively used fo... [info]
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Day 2 - One of many local ways of transport (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 2 - Buffet lunch with fresh fruit juice during our drive from Kigali to Goma (Photo: Ingrid Smet... [info]
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Day 2 - Typical cultivated Rwandan landscape (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 2 - Preparing the harvested carrots for transport (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 2 - At the ´little border´ between Rwanda and DR Congo which ten thousands of citizens cross on ... [info]
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Day 2 - Panorama for Lake Kivu taken from our hotel and looking towards Rwanda (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 3 - First clear view of Nyiragongo volcano (with Shaheru crater to the left) (Photo: Ingrid Smet... [info]
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Day 3 - Porters preparing for the hike up to the volcano´s summit (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 3 - Many porters come from the small Congolese village opposite Kibati control post, the start o... [info]
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Day 3 - Bicyle at the porters´ village (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 3 - The bright blue border plates of Virunga National Park at the Kibati post (Photo: Ingrid Sme... [info]
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Day 3 - The first part of the hike up Nyiragongo (from 2000 to ca. 2250 masl) is mostly through shad... [info]
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Day 3 - First short resting stop on the trek to the volcano´s summit (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 3 - At the start and each resting point, the head ranger of Virunga National Park explains the n... [info]
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Day 3 - As vegetation gets more scarce we follow the path on loose lava material from old eruptions ... [info]
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Day 3 - Looking back fron Nyiragongo´s lower flank towards Rwanda (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 3 - Marcelling, the Goma volcanologist who accompanies us on Nyiragongo, found a lava bomb (Phot... [info]
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Day 3 - the second part of the hike (ca 2250 - 2500 m asl) is less shaded and over loose volcanic de... [info]
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Day 3 - View from Nyiragongo´s lower flank to the flat rift valley and beyond the hills of Rwanda an... [info]
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Day 3 - Hiking up the lower slopes of Nyiragongo volcano (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 3 - Halfway through the hike we get a clearer view towards the volcano´s large truncated summit ... [info]
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Day 3 - The third resting point at ca 2750 m asl is near the large fracture from which the fissure e... [info]
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Day 3 - Many of Nyiragongo´s lavas have radial clusters of white prismatic crystals of nepheline, a ... [info]
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Day 3 - Continuing the hike up Nyiragongo we sporadically pass through some more densely vegetated a... [info]
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Day 3 - The last ca 200 m from the fourth resting point are straight up the steep upper slopes of th... [info]
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Day 3 - On Nyiragongo we camp in the simple A-frame huts provided for by Virunga National Park (Phot... [info]
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Day 3 - View from the summit camp site, with some huts on the foreground, Shaheru crater in the cent... [info]
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Day 3 - At ca. 3400 m asl it can be rather cold, humid and windy on the volcano´s summit - but there... [info]
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Day 3 - Sitting on the crater rim waiting for the clouds and volcanic gasses to lift for a first vie... [info]
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Day 3 - When the clouds around the summit are gone, we can see the lights of Goma city at the shore ... [info]
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Day 3 - As the view inside the caldera becomes more clear we can see the red glow of the active lava... [info]
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Day 3 - Pattern of the cracked thin crust on above the glowing hot lava (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 3 - At different locations, the lava lake´s surface is broken up by large gas bubbles rising up ... [info]
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Day 3 - Exploding gas bubbles fragment the lava lake´s red hot liquid and create Pele´s hair (Photo:... [info]
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Day 4 - The western part of the summit caldera bathing in first sunlight (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 4 - Panorama of Nyiragongo´s summit caldera after sunrise on 7 June 2017 (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 4 - Group breakfast in our ´dining room´ under the older wooden hut structures that had been pre... [info]
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Day 4 - View from Nyiragongo´s summit down to Shaheru crater - and the camp toilets in the centre ri... [info]
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Day 4 - One of the Congolese craws that fly around the summit (hoping for some kitchen scraps) (Phot... [info]
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Day 4 - Marcellin, the Goma volcanologist who accompanies us during our stay on Nyiragongo, explains... [info]
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Day 4 - Overview of the central part of Nyiragongo´s summit caldera (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 4 - Zoom onto the still smoking 2016 hornito (right) and the dark brown lava flows it erupted an... [info]
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Day 4 - View onto the southeastern inner caldera wall, where fumaroles rise from the southern fissur... [info]
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Day 4 - Standing on the rim of Nyiragongo´s summit caldera! (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 4 - Observing the lava lake during the daytime (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 4 - Hiking back from the morning observation point to the summit campsite (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 4 - Our camping cook Benjamin doing his magic in a small tented kitchen (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 4 - Freshly cooked lunch on Nyiragongo´s summit (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 4 - Afternoon observations: as the clouds slowly lift and the volcanic gasses are blown into the... [info]
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Day 4 - Through the haze of volcanic gasses we see large lava bubbles exploding at the lake´s surfac... [info]
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Day 4 - The view onto the lava lake´s surface and small fountains becomes better as daylight fades (... [info]
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Day 4 - The edge of the lava lake is often the location of spattering fountains (Photo: Ingrid Smet... [info]
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Day 4 - Late afternoon observation of the lavlake (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 4 - Preparing the tripods for the evening observation in the hope that the clouds and volcanic g... [info]
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Day 4 - The glow of the lava lake has pink and purple hues around dusk (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 4 - After dinner observations are difficult as the lava lake is strongly degassing and the plume... [info]
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Day 4 - Geometric pattern of the lava lake´s crust seen in between volcanic gas plumes (Photo: Ingri... [info]
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Day 4 - Large explosion of a gas bubble at the surface of the lava lake. The gasses and clouds becom... [info]
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Day 5 - In the early hours of our second night, the clouds have lifted and the gass plumes are mainl... [info]
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Day 5 - Starry night sky above the steep caldera walls illuminated by the lava lake´s red glow (Phot... [info]
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Day 5 - Nighttime photography of the lava lake from the summit caldera rim (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 5 - Nyiragongo´s lava lake at dawn (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 5 - Photographers trying to catch the different light and colours which quickly succeed one anot... [info]
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Day 5 - Whilst the red hot glow is still very strong inside the dark caldera, the eastern sky become... [info]
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Day 5 - Nyiragongo´s actively bubbling lava lake around dawn on our second morning in the volcano´s ... [info]
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Day 5 - View of the western caldera walls and active lava lake before sunrise (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 5 - Sunlight floods the eastern sky above the summit caldera (silhouette of Mikeno volcano to th... [info]
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Day 5 - Silhouettes of Mikeno (left) and Karisimbi (right) volcanoes behind Nyiragongo´s eastern cal... [info]
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Day 5 - Volcanic gas plumes drift upwards from the active fumaroles in the southern fracture zone th... [info]
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Day 5 - Watching the sun rise between Mikeno and Karisimbi (right) volcano (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 5 - morning view of the central part of Nyiragongo´s summit caldera and its active lava lake (Ph... [info]
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Day 5 - Panorama across Nyiragongo´s summit caldera around sunrise on the 2nd morning (Photo: Ingrid... [info]
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Day 5 - Walking back from the sunrise view point to the camp site (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 5 - View from the caldera rim across the camping huts to Shaheru crater (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 5 - The first sunlight illuminating the inner caldera walls brings out the different colours and... [info]
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Day 5 - Local plants growing on Nyiragongo´s summit (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 5 - Our cook Benjamin starting the preparations for lunch (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 5 - Once the sun is up over the caldera it is much more difficult to see the lava lake´s surface... [info]
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Day 5 - Observing the lava lake in the morning (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 5 - small (dead) snake that we discovered among the lava rocks on the caldera rim (Photo: Ingrid... [info]
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Day 5 - Short morning hike towards the western part of the caldera rim (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 5 - Photographing Nyiragongo´s summit caldera from a different viewpoint (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 5 - Exploding gas bubbles push through the lava lake´s surface... (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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day 5 - ...making small lava fountains that propel small drops and thin threads of lava into the air... [info]
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Day 5 - ... some of which are further spun out by the wind into Pele´s hair (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 5 - Closer view of the still smoking 2016 hornito and the fumaroles in the platform behind it (P... [info]
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Day 5 - Hiking along and photographing from Nyiragongo´s summit caldera rim (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 5 - Exploding gas bubble at the edge of the lava lake (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 5 - Nyiragongo´s lava lake during the day time is often partially obscured by the gas plumes it ... [info]
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Day 5 - Although some parts of the caldera rim used to be vegetated, volcanic gases killed off these... [info]
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Day 5 - Daytime view of the spattering lava fountains on the lake´s surfce (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 5 - Gas bubbles explode and break through the lava lake´s surface (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 5 - View onto the inner cliffs of the southern part of the caldera, with the campsite on top (Ph... [info]
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Day 5 - The entire campsite on Nyiragongo´s summit caldera (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 5 - Spending time at our huts during the cloudy afternoon hours (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 5 - As the light grows more faint towards the evening, the red glow of the lava lake becomes onc... [info]
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Day 5 - Late afternoon view across the western part of the caldera and the lava lake on our second f... [info]
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Day 5 - Small lava fountains at the edge of the lake (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 5 - Edge of the lava lake with its orange red crack pattern and bubbling lava (Photo: Ingrid Sm... [info]
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Day 5 - Larger gas bubble exploding through the lava lake surface (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 5 - Sunset pink hues of the lava lake´s glow reflected on the gas plumes (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 5 - Nyiragongo´s lava lake after sunset (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 5 - Dusk colours across Nyiragongo´s caldera and lava lake (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 6 - Last breakfast on Nyiragongo´s summit (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 6 - All set and ready to start the descent back down to the starting point at Kibati patrol post... [info]
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Day 6 - One of the Virunga National Park rangers who escorts the group on the daily descent from the... [info]
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Day 6 - At the bottom of the first steep 200 m of the hike back down from the summit (Photo: Ingrid ... [info]
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Day 6 - Some of out porters at one of the rest point, they left their village at 3 am to arrive on t... [info]
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Day 6 - Hiking down across the older volcanic deposits on Nyiragongo´s lower slopes (Photo: Ingrid S... [info]
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Day 6 - Virunga National Park ranger proudly wearing the park´s emblem (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 6 - Group photo at the starting point of the Nyiragongo summit hike after we all got safely back... [info]
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Day 6 - Colourful Congolese houses near the Kibati patrol post (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 6 - Street view on the road back to Goma (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 6 - The wooden bike is the symbol of Goma and very important for those Congolese who own one as ... [info]
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Day 6 - Street market in Goma town (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 6 - colourful cafe and food store in Goma (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 6 - Vehicle at the Goma Volcano Observatory (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 6 - Studying the geological map of Nyiragongo and the volcano´s seismic signal at the Goma Volca... [info]
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Day 6 - One of the Goma Volcano Observatory scientists explains us the different monitoring methods ... [info]
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Day 6 - Volcano alert level plates stacked at Goma Volcano Observatory until they will be placed aro... [info]
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Day 6 - After the Goma Volcano Observatory visit we are ready to return to the hotel at the shore of... [info]
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Day 6 - Lake Kivu in the afternoon sunlight, looking towards the Rwandan shoreline (Photo: Ingrid Sm... [info]
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Day 7 - Dawn colours over lake Kivu - and one of the grey crowned cranes that are kept on the hotel ... [info]
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Day 7 - Early morning street view in Goma with Nyiragongo´s silhouette in the background (Photo: Ing... [info]
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Day 7 - Nyiragongo towers over the city of Goma and its inhabitants starting out on a new day (Photo... [info]
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Day 7 - On a clear day, Nyiragongo´s truncated summit also dominates the surrounding landscape (Phot... [info]
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Day 7 - Silhouette of the Nyiragongo massif and its 3 overlapping cones: the southern Shaheru crater... [info]
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Day 7 - changing a flat tire on the rough road from Goma to the starting point of the gorilla tracki... [info]
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Day 7 - Hazy silhouette of Nyamuragira, Nyiragongo´s volcanic neighbour which is an active shield vo... [info]
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Day 7 - Virunga National Park´s logo on one of their jeeps (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 7 - Patrol post at the start of the mountain gorilla tracking on the lower slopes of Mikeno volc... [info]
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Day 7 - View onto Mikeno volcano on the first part of the hike towards the Natural Park boundary (Ph... [info]
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Day 7 - It later turned out that we had the furthest away mountain gorilla family so that we spend 1... [info]
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Day 7 - ... as well as crossing through countless small villages and cultivated fields... (Photo: In... [info]
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Day 7 - ...where we received a great deal of curious attention from the local farmers´ children... (... [info]
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day 7 - ...before we reached the edge of the Virunga National Park from where we spent another hour ... [info]
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Day 7 - ...but the effort was all worth it when we got to see this baby gorilla hiding close to his/... [info]
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Day 7 - Our mountain gorilla family had a few youngsters, out of which this kid was surely the most ... [info]
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Day 7 - Two mountain gorilla kids not at all minding the small group of humans closeby... (Photo: In... [info]
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Day 7 - ... and completely loosing themselves in their plays (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 7 - This Virunga National Park ranger has visited this particular family almost every day over t... [info]
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Day 7 - Young mountain gorilla playing on the back of his dad the silverback (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 7 - Mother mountain gorilla and father silverback lying around (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 7 - Close up of one of the silverbacks of the family (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 7 - Mother and child, with the latter always much more interested in those humans (Photo: Ingrid... [info]
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Day 7 - Before going near the mountain gorillas, everyone is obliged to wear a mouth mask to reduce ... [info]
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Day 7 - One can get really close to the rather peaceful and lazy mountain gorillas of Virunga Nation... [info]
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Day 7 - Protrait of a mountain gorilla mother seemingly lost in thoughts (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 7 - Hiking back to the starting point for the gorilla tracking, through small local villages (Ph... [info]
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Day 7 - Congolese children herding goats on the lower flanks of Mikeno volcano (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 7 - Hiking back to the park patrol post through the fields and green highlands (Photo: Ingrid Sm... [info]
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Day 7 - A field of climbing beans with behind it Mikeno´s summit in the clouds (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 7 - As in Rwanda, as much of the countryside is being cultivated as possible, including small sc... [info]
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Day 7 - Our motorcylce Virunga National Park escort accompanying us on the way back to Goma, with Mi... [info]
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Day 7 - View along the side of the road in a Congolese town between Rumangabo and Goma (Photo: Ingri... [info]
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Day 7 - Late afternoon light on Mikeno (left) and Karisimbi (right) volcanoes (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 8 - Rwandan scenery along the road back to Kigali (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Day 8 - From across parts of Kigali from the goodbye lunch location (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Akagera NP extension - bird (black-bellied bustard) during late afternoon game drive (Photo: Ingrid ... [info]
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Akagera NP extension - A group of impala´s disturbed by our late afternoon game drive (Photo: Ingrid... [info]
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Akagera NP extension - Grey headed king fisher around dusk (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Akagera NP extension - Dawn above Lake Ihema, Rwanda´s second largest lake located at the border wit... [info]
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Akagera NP extension - Our main guide and driver for the volcano expedition, Sam, is also guiding us... [info]
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Akagera NP extension - zebras! (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Akagera NP extension - Small pond with numerous weaver birds´nests in the small bush at the edge of ... [info]
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Akagera NP extension - enjoying our game drive crossing the entire park from north to south (Photo: ... [info]
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Akagera NP extension - warthog (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
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Akagera NP extension - staring female impala (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(85 Hits)
(85 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - wading bird (African wattled lapwing) (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(71 Hits)
(71 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - hippos! (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(80 Hits)
(80 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - View of the grass savanna in the northern part of the park (Photo: Ingrid Sme... [info]
(77 Hits)
(77 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - wide grassland savanna in the northern sector of the park (Photo: Ingrid Smet... [info]
(77 Hits)
(77 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - snake on the road (young black mamba) (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(100 Hits)
(100 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - giraffe (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(82 Hits)
(82 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - staring giraffe (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(72 Hits)
(72 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - female waterbuck (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(60 Hits)
(60 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - view across the savanna to Lake Ihema and Tanzania beyond (Photo: Ingrid Sme... [info]
(73 Hits)
(73 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - typical park road, 4WD recommended (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(67 Hits)
(67 Hits)

AAkagera NP extension - elephant (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(80 Hits)
(80 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - elephants on the move (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(78 Hits)
(78 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - Hippos resting on the land with a wading bird (cormorant) (Photo: Ingrid Smet... [info]
(81 Hits)
(81 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - evening view across lake Ihema (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(69 Hits)
(69 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - late afternoon game drive in the park (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(73 Hits)
(73 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - a pair of grey crowned cranes finding a sleeping spot for the night (Photo: I... [info]
(91 Hits)
(91 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - light of dusk over lake Ihema (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(76 Hits)
(76 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - fellow 4WD jeep (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(72 Hits)
(72 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - woodland kingfisher (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(73 Hits)
(73 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - paradise kingfisher (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(90 Hits)
(90 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - pied kingfisher (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(90 Hits)
(90 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - black cormorants (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(76 Hits)
(76 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - monitor lizard at the shore of Lake Ihema (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(82 Hits)
(82 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - goliath heron (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(78 Hits)
(78 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - quickly escaping Nile crocodiles (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(86 Hits)
(86 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - wading bird (egret) (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(74 Hits)
(74 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - comorant mother with a nest of 2 chicks (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(73 Hits)
(73 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - African fish eagle (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(76 Hits)
(76 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - the closest we (think) we got to the park´s lions that have been recently rei... [info]
(90 Hits)
(90 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - drving to the park´s exit (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(82 Hits)
(82 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - bananas everywhere! (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(81 Hits)
(81 Hits)

Akagera NP extension - Kigali traffic (Photo: Ingrid Smet) [info]
(84 Hits)
(84 Hits)