The Rwenzori Mountains Trekking is Africa’s best kept Amazing secret trek, it ranks as one of the top ten “best Iconic things” to do in East Africa. The Rwenzori Mountains hiking can be undertaken in the range of mountains in the Albertine Rifft valley of East Africa. The mountain range runs for about 130 km north to south along the border between western Uganda and the eastern DRC. The Mountains Rwenzori has famously been termed for long as the “Mountains of the Moon”, for centuries the moniker has been synonymous with the Rwenzori due to its unique flora and unearthly beauty.
The Rwenzori Mountain trekking experience offers a stunning destination for experienced mountaineers, and is perfect for adventure travelers. It’s tucked away in the remote and sparsely populated western part of the country. Consequently offering visitors a quiet and untouched corner of incredible natural beauty and diversity to explore, these are still by far the biggest glaciers in Africa.
The unique landscape of the mountain Rwenzori hike range is outstanding, you get to climb from tropical rainforest, through alphine valleys to glaciers. The ascent to the challenging Margherita (5,109m), Africa’s 3rd highiest mountain will see you encounter demanding ascent with muddy conditions and variable weather on your Mountain Rwenzori Uganda safari trek.
The vegetation is wild, unique and varied, and there are birds and animals living in the forest that can be found nowhere else on earth. The jungle-filled valleys are regular shrouded in mist, while the highest mount is perennially covered in snow (even though its sits near the equator). The views in all directions are absolutely breathtaking as you undertake to trek the Rwenzori Mountains!
When it comes to Mountain Trekking in Africa, it all rings at Mount Kilimanjaro. Forget the Kili Crowds, the Mountain Rwenzori Trek and Hike experience will offer glimpses of a vast array of spectacular plants, tress along the different 6 climate zones, birds, wildlife such as Forest Elephants, Leopards, giant forest hog, dear including endangered Rwenzori black-fronted or red duiker, a number of primate species such as blue monkeys, Angola colobus monkey, black-and-white colobus, I’Hoest’s monkeys and Chimpanzees some cute and rarely sighted birds.
You also see tropical rainforest, waterfalls, and other incredible and unique flora, culminating in a high alpine environment like the Andes or Himalayas. The Rwenzori Mountains trek is not to be missed for its stunning beauty and outstanding array of habitats and ecosystems.
Uganda’s Rwenzori Mountain Trekking range is Africa’s top mountain trek destination, having three of the continent’s five highest peaks. The Mountain’s summits are spectacular, with uncrowded routes and the high-altitude forests that teems with life.
The 995 km² Rwenzori Mountains National Park was gazetted in 1991 and was recognized as a World Heritage Site in 1994.The Rwenzori consists of six distinct mountains, Stanley, Speke, Baker, Emin, Gessi and Savioa. Mt Stanley’s 5109m Margherita Peak is the third highest point in Africa.The Rwenzori was named as the “Mountains of the Moon” by the Alexandrine geographer Ptolemy in AD 15O. The explorer Henry Stanley placed the Rwenzori on the modern map on the 24th May 1888. He labeled it ‘Ruwenzori’, a local name that he recorded as meaning “rain maker” or “cloud-king.” The oldest person to reach the Margherita Peak was Ms Beryl Park, aged 78!
Back in AD150, the geographer Ptolemy wrote of a snowcapped mountain range in the heart of Africa, which he claimed represented the source of the Nile and which he named. Montes Lunae – the Mountains of the Moon. Seventeen centuries passed before the explorer Henry Stanley located such a mountain in western Uganda and established that, though Lake Victoria is the primary source of the Nile, the great river is also supplied with equatorial meltwaters. Stanley mapped the range as ‘Rwenzori’, a local name that he recorded as meaning “rain maker” or “cloud-king.”
In the years since Stanley’s 1888 visit, the Rwenzori has become established as one of frica’s great mountaineering adventures, offering the chance to ascend snow peaks and walk on equatorial glaciers that represent the highest and most intriguing source of the Nile. Though the range is now established as the Rwenzori, the Mountains of the Moon tag remains apt for the higher contours are the domain of a weird and wonderful botany that imparts a distinctly alien feel. Unlike other regional mountains, moreover, the high Rwenzori really does feel like a place apart; after starting a trek, a week can pass without a glimpse of the real world that lies
beyond.
The Rwenzori range, which lies on the Uganda-Congo border on the edge of the Albertine Rift Valley, measures approximately 110km long and 50km wide. The high Rwenzori bears six distinct mountains. Mt Stanley (5109m); Speke (4890m); Baker (4843m); Emin (4797m); Gessi (4715m) and Luigi da Savoia (4627m), all of which bear their own crown of peaks. Though its summit is only the third highest point in Africa, after the volcanic Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, the Rwenzori, which is an upfaulted block, is Africa’s highest mountain range.
Trails ascend to the peaks from Kilembe, Mihunga and Katebwa. Make no mistake; climbing the mountain is tough. Conditions are cold and wet, the terrain is steep and boggy and a week or more is needed to reach (and descend from) Mount Stanley. But with the help of local Bakonzo guides and porters, the mountain can be
climbed and the rewards are vast. Indeed your Rwenzori experience will likely rank among your most challenging and satisfying achievements.
There are two main hiking routes in the Rwenzori Mountains National Park.
The popular one is the Central Circuit Trail which may take about eight days to summit Mount Stanely and the Kilembe Route. The latter one has variations you can choose from while on your Rwenzori Mountains trekking adventure.
The route is managed by the Rwenzori Mountaineering Service and the local community that live adjacent to the mountain. This is the oldest trail that is used by the trekkers that would wish to hike the Rwenzori mountains and summit Magherita Peak.
It is the shortest trek to reach the Rwenzori Mountains peak. However there can be some variations on the trek route, the trail typically will take 6-7 days to reach the peak and descend back.
This is the newest trail for summiting Mountain Rwenzori and it is managed by the Rwenzori Trekking Services. The trail takes its route beginning in Kilembe in the south-east, and later joining the central circuit at the Kitandara Lakes. This routes takes quite longer days to summit, usually 7-9 days depending on the hiker’s strength. This makes the route longer than the Rwenzori Central Circuit route for your Rwenzori trekking.
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