Mount Lico is an inselberg mountain in the Alto Molocue District of Zambezia Province in northern Mozambique, most notable for its old-growth rainforest and its minimal penetration by humans. Mount Lico is approximately above sea level but is distinctive in having sheer rock walls of up to above the surrounding countryside that have all but prevented human intrusion. The forest on top, within a volcanic crater, covers only about .
In 2012, Mount Lico was identified as a place of special scientific interest by Julian Bayliss of Oxford Brookes University, who had earlier similarly identified Mount Mabu some southwest, by using Google Earth to search for significant landforms and vegetation features.
In May 2018, Bayliss led a multidisciplinary expedition to scale the sheer walls of Mount Lico and begin the study of its unique habitat. Although it had been considered unlikely that humans would have entered the mountain's forest prior to this expedition, evidence was discovered in the form of several pots which had been placed, possibly for religious reasons, at the source of a stream on the mountain top.
See also Afromontane Mount Mabu
References
External links Lico: Mountain of Mystery The story of an expedition into an unexplored forest... Scientists are exploring a lost rainforest hidden in a Mozambique volcano for the first time The Secret Garden: How Google Earth led a team of scientists to discover an untouched mountaintop rainforest Mongabay: Secrets revealed: Researchers explore unique, isolated forest in Mozambique Lonelyplanet: A hidden mountain rainforest has been uncovered using Google Earth DMM Climbing: Monte Lico’s rainforest ‘lost world’ BBC News Mundo: El científico que descubrió gracias a Google Earth un bosque recóndito a más de 8.000 kilómetros de distancia de su casa (Spanish) Julian Bayliss: Mount Lico photos (Feb17, Nov17, May18 expedition) Outthere.fr: Comment Google Earth permet de faire d’incroyables découvertes naturelles (French)