Mount Nyangani: Alien Base, Ancestral Spirit, or Mountain of Lost Souls?

Zimbabwe's highest peak, Mount Nyangani, stands at 2,592m in the Eastern Highlands. It is breathtaking. It is also whispered about. At least 8 people are known to have vanished on its slopes over the past few decades without a trace. The real number is likely higher, because not every lost hiker or herder makes the news. Despite searches by police, park rangers, and locals who know the mountain's paths, some people simply disappear.

The most widely reported cases include:  

1981: Two teenage daughters of former Finance Minister Dr Tichaendepi Masaya vanished during a family hike. No bodies, no belongings, no sign of struggle were ever found.  
1986: 8-year-old Robert Ackhurst disappeared while visiting the mountain with family. Search teams combed the forests for days. He was never seen again.  
2014: 31-year-old tourist Zayd Dada walked ahead of his wife and friends on a trail near Mutarazi Falls and never returned. His phone, shoes, and jacket were found later. He was not.  

Other accounts: Local guides speak quietly of porters, gold panners, and schoolchildren who have "gone into the mist" over the years. Some names never reach national newspapers.

"Alien Base" claims reignite the mystery

The mountain was thrust back into global headlines after former CIA remote viewer Lyn Buchanan claimed on the American Alchemy podcast that Mount Nyangani was identified as one of four sites worldwide linked to extraterrestrial activity during the US government's Cold War "Stargate Project".

The Stargate Project ran from the 1970s to 1995 and tested "remote viewing" - the idea that people could mentally "see" distant places. Buchanan said Nyangani featured in sessions as a location of unusual interest. He provided no evidence, and no scientific or government data has ever verified the claim.

The story spread fast online because Nyangani already carries a reputation for mystery. But it's important to say: there is no scientific evidence of an alien base on Mount Nyangani. Remote viewing remains unproven and is not accepted as evidence by science or courts.

Why do people disappear on mountains? The hard truth

Before we reach for "devi" or aliens, mountain rescue experts point to natural reasons why Nyangani is dangerous:

1. Weather that changes in minutes: The Eastern Highlands get sudden fog, freezing rain, and 100km/h winds. Visibility can drop to 2 metres. Even experienced hikers get disoriented and walk in circles until exhausted.
2. Terrain & waterfalls: Nyangani has deep gorges, slippery granite, and Mutarazi Falls - one of Africa's highest. A misstep can mean a fall into forest or water where bodies are hard to recover.
3. Hypothermia: Temperatures can fall below 0°C with wind chill. A person can become confused and stop making rational decisions within 30 minutes.
4. Getting lost off-trail: The mountain has few marked paths beyond the main trail. Phone signal is unreliable. Once someone leaves the group, even 50m off the path, they can be impossible to find in mist and thick forest.

These factors explain most global mountain disappearances. But for families left without answers, "accident" never feels like enough.

"Devi" – The spirit of the mountain

In Shona folklore, Mount Nyangani is guarded by Mbuya Nyangani - the "Grandmother of Nyangani". She is described as the spirit or  devi of the mountain. Elders say she protects the forests, controls the weather, and punishes disrespect.

Local stories tell of:
- Hikers who mocked the mountain and were swallowed by mist.
- People who took stones or plants without permission and never found their way back.
- A "door" in the rock that opens for the worthy and closes for the greedy.

Whether you see devi as literal spirit or as ancestral wisdom coded as story, the message is consistent: respect the mountain. Many disappearance accounts include details like bad weather coming suddenly, or the person walking off alone - things that fit both natural and spiritual explanations.

A touching truth: Some mountains don't give back

The pain for families is not just loss. It's the not-knowing. No grave to visit. No closure. Just questions in the mist.

Maybe Mount Nyangani is not hiding aliens. Maybe it is hiding a lesson we've forgotten: that nature is not ours to conquer. That some places demand humility. That a mountain 2.5km high, wrapped in cloud, can remind us how small we are.

For the mothers who still set a plate for daughters lost in 1981. For the couple who still hike Nyangani hoping to find a trace of Zayd. For every family with an empty chair - the mountain keeps its secrets.

And perhaps the real mystery is this: In a world of satellites and drones, there are still places on Earth where a person can step into fog and become part of the mountain forever.

There is no evidence of extraterrestrial bases on Nyangani. There is evidence of grief, of awe, and of a mountain that has been sacred to the Shona people long before CIA remote viewers ever spoke its name.

Until science or spirit gives us more answers, the best we can do is remember the lost, respect the mountain, and tell their stories — so no one disappears from our memory, even if they disappeared from the world