The Musanze Caves

The plain around Musanze sits on lava from the Virunga volcanoes, and where the surface of a flow cooled while molten rock kept moving beneath it, long tubes were left behind. The Musanze caves are a section of that system, some two kilometres of passage opened for visitors with walkways, steps and lighting at the entrances, entered through a collapsed roof section where daylight falls in a shaft onto ferns. Inside, the passage runs high and wide in places and narrows elsewhere, with bats overhead and the ropey texture of the original lava flow visible on the walls and floor. Guides explain the geology and the caves' use as shelter at various points in the region's past.

What you actually see

• The entrance shaft - daylight falling through a collapsed roof onto ferns.
• Lava flow textures - ropey surfaces and flow lines on the walls and floor.
• Bat colonies - roosting overhead in the higher chambers.
• The walkway route - roughly two kilometres of passage, guided.

When to go

Any time of year, since the caves are unaffected by weather, though the walk in is easier in the drier months. Tours run through the day and take around two hours including the briefing.

Honest expectations

It is dark, uneven and wet underfoot in places, with low sections that require stooping; helmets are provided for a reason. Anyone uneasy in confined spaces will find parts of it uncomfortable. The lighting is minimal, so photography without a proper camera is largely futile. It is a good half-day filler in Musanze rather than a destination in itself.

Nearby

Volcanoes National Park and the gorilla trailheads are minutes away; Lake Kivu lies southwest.