12-Day Rwenzori Summit & Gorillas
12 daysCombinationMargherita PeakGlacier travel required
- Days
- 12
- Route
- Combination
- Start / end
- Nyakalengija
- Summit
- Margherita Peak
- Max altitude
- 5,109 m
- Glacier travel
- Required, final section
- Price from
- On enquiry
Overview
Uganda's highest point and its rarest primate. There is a recovery day between the summit and the gorilla trek, because coming off a 5,109 m push straight into Bwindi is a bad idea.
Where it reaches
Montane forest, Bamboo, Heather & moorland, Afro-alpine, Nival — rock, snow and ice
Elevation profile
Day by day
About these altitudes
Camp altitudes on the Central Circuit are the figures in general use on this route. Treat them as indicative rather than surveyed — a metre either way makes no difference to how the day feels. Walking times vary too much between groups to be worth publishing; your guide will pace each day to your party. The Rwenzori section here follows our 8-day Central Circuit Margherita itinerary exactly — see that page for the full day-by-day detail of days 1-8 below.
- Day 1Nyakalengija → Nyabitaba HutMontane forest
1,650 m → 2,651 m
Central Circuit start — see our 8-day Margherita Peak trek for the full description.
- Day 2Nyabitaba Hut → John Matte HutHeather & moorland
2,651 m → 3,505 m
Into heather and bog.
- Day 3John Matte Hut → Bujuku HutAfro-alpine
3,505 m → 3,962 m
Bigo Bog and Lake Bujuku.
- Day 4Bujuku Hut → Elena HutAfro-alpine
3,962 m → 4,541 m
Summit base camp.
- Day 5Elena Hut → Margherita Peak and back to Elena HutNival — rock, snow and ice
4,541 m → 5,109 m
Summit day.
- Day 6Elena Hut → Kitandara HutAfro-alpine
4,541 m → 4,023 m
Descent begins.
- Day 7Kitandara Hut → Guy Yeoman HutHeather & moorland
4,023 m → 3,505 m
Continued descent.
- Day 8Guy Yeoman Hut → NyakalengijaMontane forest
3,505 m → 1,650 m
Exit the park.
- Day 9Kasese → KaseseMontane forest
A deliberate rest day. Coming off an eight-day trek and a 5,109 m summit push straight into another physically demanding activity is a genuine mistake — this day exists specifically to avoid it.
- Day 10Kasese → Bwindi areaMontane forest
Travel day to Bwindi — a genuine long drive, built in as its own day rather than combined with anything else.
- Day 11Bwindi → BwindiMontane forest
Mountain gorilla trekking, on foot through Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
- Day 12Bwindi → DepartureMontane forest
Return travel, timed around your onward flight.
What this trek does not include
International flights, Uganda visa fees, personal travel insurance, tips for guides and porters, and alcoholic drinks. Verified facts on this page are sourced to UNESCO World Heritage List, entry 684.
Booking
Prices depend on group size, season and whether the trek is private or joining others. Send us your dates below and we will reply with a route suggestion and a full price breakdown, park fees shown as a separate line.
Plan the 12-Day Rwenzori Summit & Gorillas
Tell us your dates and group size — we reply personally, usually within one working day.