There is a place where the pulse of Africa beats loud, where dense canopies swallow the light and the air is thick with the sounds of creatures few have ever seen. These are the wild frontiers of Gola: an ancient “glacial refugium” sheltering species that have survived since the ice ages.

Alpine massifs, deep valleys, near-2,000 metre mountains and roughly 100 glaciers embellish an inviting but unforgiving Arctic landscape that has been home to the Sami people for millennia.

Pitchfork bandits, banana beer and brain amoeba. A breathtaking and occasionally alarming introduction to the vast and verdant landscapes of Africa's forgotten island.

Virunga National Park is home to an exceptionally active volcano, Mount Nyiragongo. Fiery and volatile, this dramatic volcanic giant is very much alive and likes to let you know it.

​Sitting on the northern shore of Lake Kivu, Goma's rhythm is ungoverned but steady, ever resilient and unquestionably vibrant. We take a short pitstop in a city ever-acclimatising to decades of civil war.

Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira are exceptionally active. The World Health Organisation warns that continued tectonic rifting could lead to catastrophic loss of life in the Lake Kivu region.