7 Days Rwenzori Hiking

You will travel to RMS headquarters after breakfast at the camp, where you will receive a briefing on the entire trek. Start your hike from Nyakalengija through the Bakonzo settlements to the entrance to the Mount Rwenzori National Park, where you can register before entering the park. You will begin the central circuit trail trek through a dense tropical forest filled with tall elephant grass and thorny bushes. Numerous animal species call this forest home, including the forest elephant, chimpanzees, hyrax, black-and-white colobus, L’Hoest’s monkeys, duiker, and three-horned chameleon. In addition to numerous tree and plant species, some of the bird species include the Handsome Francolin, Rwenzori Turaco, Long-eared Owl, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Strange Weaver, and Rwenzori Batis. You should anticipate seeing some of them.

After eating breakfast at the hut, you will need to walk for about 40 minutes through dense forest and bushes to reach the Kurt Shafer Bright, which is where the Mubuku and Bujuku rivers meet. After that, you will spend a few hours moving through a bamboo forest mixed with mountainous forests and slick, moss-covered rocks. You can anticipate seeing a variety of forest-dwelling bird species while hiking. You will continue climbing up to Nyamulejju Rock Shelter, where you will stop for lunch. This is where the first hikers used to occasionally camp and spend the night. If the weather is clear, you will be able to see Mount Stanley and Mount Speke from this point. After that, you’ll keep traveling through the mountain forest until you arrive at John Matte Hut, where you’ll have dinner and spend the night. The majority of hikers take a bath in the cold but incredibly refreshing river Bujuku near the hut. The Margherita glacier, which is located on Mount Stanley between the Alexandra and Margherita peaks, will also be visible to you.

You will cross the Bujuku River and travel through a forest to reach the lower bigo bog after breakfast at the hut. The huge lobelias can be found in this swampy valley area. This section of the Rwenzori used to be the hardest because it is so wet. In particular, female hikers found it difficult to jump from one tussock to another. The walk to the end of the swampy area is currently made much easier for hikers by a walk board. You can anticipate seeing enormous lobelias, everlasting flowers, and groundsels as you move. The start of the upper bigo bog will then be reached after a strenuous hike along a ridge. A boardwalk leads up to Lake Bujuku as well. You will attempt to reach Bujuku hut by navigating the last small, muddy area without any walk boards after the boardwalk. You can see Lake Bujuku, Mount Speke, Mount Baker, and Mount Stanley from this vantage point. You are now able to climb Mount Speke and Mount Stanley.

Have breakfast at Bujuku Hut before continuing the 5-7 hour hike to Elena Hut. You will pass through the upper Bigo bog’s side walls. After that, you’ll hike up and down Lake Bujuku’s rocky slopes. The trail ascends to the 4374-meter Scott-Elliot pass, passing through more swamps and the exhilarating Ground gully, as it climbs the steep slopes of Lake Bujuku on the west. At the top of the gully, a metal ladder will be used to climb over a steep section. The trail is then split into two sections. The Elena Hut and a steep trail above huge boulders lead to Mt. Stanley on the right trail, while the left trail descends to Kitandara Lakes and leads to Scott-Elliot Pass. The Elena Hut is located in an extremely chilly area of Mount Stanley’s rocky section. Right now, Mount Baker and Mount Speke can be seen clearly because you are on the Rwenzori’s highest mountain.

You will need to get up early today, Prepare yourself by eating breakfast at Elena Hut, dressing in your warmest clothing, donning your harness, warm hand gloves, and headsock, as well as your helmets and headlamps, and making sure your sunglasses are in your daypack. Trek through the Stanley plateau to reach Mount Stanley’s Magherita Peak. You will use the ropes to aid you in moving through steep, rocky terrain. You will learn how to operate the equipment while on the ice from the guide. It will be necessary for you to use an ice axe, crampons, and you on the glacial sections.

You will arrive at the bottom of the Margherita glacier after traveling for a few hours past the Stanley plateau glacier. The hardest part of the entire Rwenzori hiking experience is this. You will ascend Mount Stanley, also known as Margherita Peak, by hiking through this glacier (5109m). You can see Ireen Lake, Mount Speke, and the surrounding area from the summit. Next, descend to Elena Hut for lunch before continuing to Kitandara, the most picturesque location on the Rwenzori, through the Scott Elliot pass. After eating at Kitandara, stay the night. If there are many people, you might spend another night at Elena Hut before moving on the next day.

After eating breakfast, proceed carefully through the slippery area that forms the base of Mount Baker. Ascending steeply from Kitandara up the headwall, the trail continues along the south side of the Rwenzori Mountain until it reaches Fresh Field Pass, spreading out from Mount Baker’s foothills. The base camp for the famous expedition led by the Duke of Abruzzi in 1906 is now passed as the long, muddy descent continues past Bujangolo’s rock shelter. This will take you about 5-7 hours. Once you arrive at Guy Yeoman Hut, which is situated along the banks of the Mubuku River, you can eat dinner and stay the night.

You will travel through the bamboo forests as you descend to Nyabitaba from Guy Yeoman. The descent may involve careful balancing over vertical mud or steep rock because there may not be much to hold onto. You will arrive at Nyabitaba hut after approximately 5 hours of hiking, where you will make a stop for lunch. The subsequent three hours of descent will take you to Nyakalengija.