10 Mount Rwenzori Climbing Safari

You will depart for Kasese through Fort Portal in south-western Uganda following an early breakfast. There are many intriguing sights to see along the way, making it a really attractive journey, including food markets, people, woodlands and the enormous tea estates. After lunch, you’ll make a stop in Fort Portal, and then we’ll continue on to Kasese where you’ll spend the night. Your guide will give you a preliminary briefing regarding the hike.

In the morning, you’ll head to the UWA Park Headquarters to start your trip. The rangers will give you a briefing on the National Park’s regulations at the gate. After that, we’ll begin ascending the valley floor while passing through an Afro-Montane Forest Zone. There is a possibility to witness many monkeys and woodland birds on this steady ascent. There are many different types of plants, including bamboo thickets, low shrubs, flowers, mushrooms, and numerous vines that are covered in moss and lichen and dangle from the big trees, giving the area an astounding attractiveness. Before arriving to Sine Hut, the day’s arrival point at 2.585 meters above sea level, you stop at Enock’s fall, a stunning natural setting. Dinner will be provided, and you will the night stay here.

After breakfast, the trip begins at 8.30 am, and shortly after you enter the zone of bamboo-mimulopsis, a tough ascent with numerous tall stairs. You arrive at Kalalama Camp (3.147 meters), which is situated in the heather-rapanea zone, after traveling for about 1.8 kilometers. You can relax and have a cup of tea here. After passing multiple streams and waterfalls that are all covered in the usual green moss vegetation, you will continue along the heather zone. Many Giant Heather trees can be found, sometimes in a misty environment. The destination for the day is Mutinda Camp, which is located at 3.688 m and is called for the Mutinda Peaks. The camp is situated close to a small river that empties into a waterfall and provides a chance to cool off and unwind. You might choose to make the one-hour, 30-minute ascent and descent to the top of the Mutinda Lookout. Standing on moss-covered rocks with a 3,925-meter elevation and looking out over the Rwenzori Mountains, Kasese town, and Lake George is an incredible experience.

The route from Mutinda Camp is a little soggy, with the usual tussocks and damp vegetation. As you cross the Mutinda valley, you will enter the Alpine vegetation zone, which is home to enormous lobelias (Lobellia gibberoa), groundsels (Senecio adnivalis), and everlasting flowers. Later, you ascend a hard portion to reach Namusangi Valley (3.840 m), from which you can see the Mutinda Peaks at their best. As you ascend to Bugata Camp at 4.062 m, today’s destination point via the Namusangi Valley, you traverse a number of bogs. Views of Mount Luigi of Savoy’s Weisman’s Peak, which is frequently covered with snow, will be seen. Tussock grass, everlasting flowers, gigantic groundsel, and giant lobelia are among the plants that cover the area’s vegetation. You may get breathtaking views of nine lakes down the valley as well as Lake Nusuranja from the neighboring Plozza Rock. During the dry season, you can hike straight up the valley, although a more picturesque trail meanders over the hilltops, offering spectacular views of Lake Nusuranja from Plozza Rock. Here, you may also enjoy stunning views of the nine-lake valley that is surrounded by rocky peaks and ridges.

The trek is 6.2 kilometers long, beginning at 4,062 meters and ending at 3,974 meters after climbing over 4,450 meters. The Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird (Nectarinia johnstonu dartmouthi), which is common in this area and particular to the Rwenzori Mountains, feeds primarily on the nectar of Giant lobelia and Giant groundsel, which are abundant in the area. From the Banwamjara Pass, where we’ve provided a small shelter for you to rest and take in the landscape, you can see all of the major snow-capped peaks in superb detail. Although the descent to Kacholpe Lakes is difficult and frequently muddy, it rewards walkers with stunning views of the lakes and McConnell’s Prong. Butawu Camp (3,974m) is located on a ridge high above the Butawu River, which flows through Kitandara Lakes and descends from Scott Elliott Pass. It offers spectacular views of the snow-capped Mt. Baker.

Return along the ridge, and then ford a number of wetlands and small rivers coming from Fresh fields Pass and Mt. Baker before joining the Butawu River. The Scott Elliott Pass hike is pleasant as you ascend through the pass and over the ridge of Mount Stanley to Margherita Camp, which is located below Elena Hut at 4,485 meters. It is the original camp that Italian Prince Luigi Amadeo di Savoia, Duke of the Abruzzi, utilized. It is protected by a ring of high rocks. From here, one can see Scott Elliot Pass, parts of Mount Stanley’s tall glaciers, and Mount Baker in excellent detail. The hike is 4.2 kilometers long for the day.

Today you will ascend Margherita Peak (5,109 meters), return to Margherita Camp, and then descend to Butawu Camp (3,974 meters) for the night. Wake up at 4.30 a.m., grab a short food, and then start climbing to reach the Stanley Glacier before daybreak. It is considered a steep scramble and can be challenging when Elena’s ascent is covered in snow and ice. However, the climb to Margherita Glacier can be difficult and treacherous in inclement weather. Once on the Stanley Glacier, the traveling is easy. A new fixed static rope with bolts every three meters has just been built by Rwenzori Trekking Services. It descends a ledge to the top of a six-meter aluminum ladder. For anyone in reasonable fitness, this is a safe route. You must be physically fit to make the hard ascent up Margherita Glacier. When you are almost at the top of the glacier, you will climb around an area of exposed rock that is also bolted and roped to reach to the ridge leading up to Margherita Peak’s summit. Margherita Peak offers spectacular vistas on clear days, and you’ll succeed in your mission.

After a late breakfast, you’ll begin the strenuous trek up Bamwanjara Pass, which is steep and may be somewhat muddy in wet weather, making it slow going and exhausting. You can spot hyrax sitting at the entrance to their rock shelter, warming them in the sun, as you cross the pass. The Rwenzori leopard, their major predator, is occasionally spotted. There aren’t many leopards remaining since they have historically been aggressively hunted for their skin. On a misty or cloudy day, you might be lucky enough to catch a fleeting glimpse of one as it moves between the rocks, but this is extremely uncommon. After dinner, stay the night at Bugata Camp.

Early in the morning, depart in the general direction of Lake Bugata and the Kopello Lake outlet, and then ascend 200 meters to the intersection of the two valleys. The thick Giant Groundsel, dense evergreen vegetation, and moss may be seen as you make your way down the upper reaches of the Nyamwamba Valley, with the granite peaks rising above. You’ll notice as you make your way down the valley that the ground is made up of a number of flat, bog-like places where, millions of years ago, glaciers once rested and melted, leaving a wall of large rocks in front of where they lay. Numerous red forest duikers (Cephalophuc nigrifrons rubidus) reside in the valley. Stay the night at Samalira Camp at 3,170 meters or Kiharo Camp at 3,460 meters. As they rest in the steep cliffs above, rock hyraxes can be heard calling throughout the night.

Wake up to the loud bird sounds, including those of the Ruwenzori Turaco (Ruwenzorornis johnstoni). Following breakfast, you take a stroll down the valley, where you may see a variety of birds diving into and out of the dense greenery. Chameleons are frequently seen as they forage for insects while crawling along the branches of the dense vegetation. You might see a duiker quietly eating in the open spaces, surrounded by giant lobellias and other beautiful plants. After a short distance of descent, you climb 200 meters to a hill that overlooks the valley, and then proceed across a number of tiny valleys and streams to reach Kyalavula. Go back on foot to Base Camp.

Following breakfast, you will depart for Kampala early in the morning. You will stop for lunch in Mbarara at the Igongo Cultural Center, which showcases the Banyakitara people’s ancient history and culture along with their tools and household items, on the way back to the city. After Masaka, you will have the chance to stop at the Equator for photo opportunities, souvenir shopping, and tea or coffee.

After that, we will transport you to the guesthouse, campground, or hotel of your choosing in Kampala or Entebbe; alternatively, if you wish to continue your vacation elsewhere or return home, we will transport you straight to Entebbe Airport for a subsequent flight.