Lava flow and vegetation near Lake Kivu, eastern highlands region, Congo (Democratic Republic)

Lake Kivu is one of the Great Lakes of Africa. It lies on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, at the altitude of 1,463 m, and is in the Albertine (western) Rift, a part of the Great Rift Valley. Lake Kivu empties into the Ruzizi River, which flows southwards into Lake Tanganyika. Lake Kivu sits very close to the neighboring Nyiragongo Volcano and is one of three known volcanic lakes. During his trip to Congo (now Democratic Republic of Congo), Elisofon visited the Virunga game park, in Eastern Congo, north of Lake Kivu. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon traveled to Africa from early March 1951 to July 1951.