3-Day John Matte Camp Trek
3 daysCentral CircuitNo summit
- Days
- 3
- Route
- Central Circuit
- Start / end
- Nyakalengija
- Summit
- No summit
- Glacier travel
- Not required
- Price from
- On enquiry
Overview
The shortest way to see the high mountain properly. You get above the forest into the heather, and you come back down. You do not see a glacier.
Where it reaches
Montane forest, Bamboo, Heather & moorland
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.
- Day 1Nyakalengija → Nyabitaba HutMontane forest
1,650 m → 2,651 m
The trail climbs steadily through montane forest from the park boundary at Nyakalengija, following the Mubuku valley. Expect mud from close to the first hour, dense canopy overhead, and the first sense of the range closing in around you. Nyabitaba sits on a ridge at the top of the forest zone, generally the first clear view back down the valley.
- Day 2Nyabitaba Hut → John Matte HutHeather & moorland
2,651 m → 3,505 m
The route descends briefly to cross the Mubuku and Bujuku rivers before climbing again into bamboo and then heather forest. This is where the giant heathers hung with lichen begin, and where the ground starts holding water in earnest. John Matte sits in the heather zone proper, with groundsels beginning to appear on the approach.
- Day 3John Matte Hut → NyakalengijaMontane forest
3,505 m → 1,650 m
A long descent retracing the route back through Nyabitaba and down into the forest to the trailhead — the only day on this trek covering ground from both previous days in one push, so a good pace and an early start matter more here than on the way up.
What this trek does not include
International flights, Uganda visa fees, personal travel insurance, tips for guides and porters, and alcoholic drinks.
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 3-Day John Matte Camp Trek
Tell us your dates and group size — we reply personally, usually within one working day.