Rwenzori Mountains Climbing | 11 Days

From $1,250 per person
Duration: 7 Days/6nights – Climbing
Visiting: Rwenzori Mountains National Park.
What to Expect
- High altitude mountain lakes
- Conquer Africa’s ‘rain maker’
- Walk over Ice-on-the-Equator
- Unique vegetation zones.
- Giant Lobelias .
- Climb Africa’s 3rd tallest mountain.
- Reaching Margherita Peak 5109m
Route Map
Climbing Rwenzori Mountains – 11 days (7 Days trekking)
Climbing Rwenzori mountains is highlight for most active adventure seekers in Uganda. gazetted in 1991 and was recognised as a World Heritage site in 1994 and Ramsar site in 2008. Highest point: 5,109m above sea level on Mt Stanley’s Margherita Peak. Mt. Stanley is bisected by the border with DR Congo.
Explore this Rwenzori which is not volcanic like East Africa’s other major mountains but is a block of rock upfaulted through the floor of the Western Rift Valley. The Rwenzoris were christened the “Mountains of the Moon” by the Alexandrine geographer Ptolemy in AD 150.
The explorer Henry Stanley placed the Rwenzori on the map on 24th May 1888. He labelled it ‘Ruwenzori’, a local name which he recorded as meaning “Rain-Maker” or “Cloud-King.”
Rwenzori Mountains National Park protects the highest parts of the 120km-long and 65km-wide mountain range range. The national park hosts 70 mammals and 271 bird species including 19 Albertine Rift endemics, as well as some of the world’s rarest vegetation.
Things to Know:
- 7 days/6nights are Rwenzori Trekking days up to Margherita peak
- 4days/3nights are Non-Trekking days including arrival and transfers.
Acclimatisation with day hikes: For first time hikers, its helpful to acclimatise yourself with higher altitudes before beginning your trek, you will feel more fit and prepared for what’s ahead on your way up the top. An excellent way to do this is to arrive at a couple of days earlier and condition yourself with some day hikes.
Walk slowly & drink lots of water.
Drink water throughout the day and while resting in the evening is one way of staying hydrated. One of the most common phrases you will hear on the mountain is “go slow”. When climbing 10 – 20 thousand feet, it is important to pace yourself. The slower you go, the more oxygen you will get in your body and the better you will acclimatise. Remember, it is the journey, not the destination
Frequent breaks along the climb: As you keep climbing, getting closer to the summit, the air gets thinner, with each step forward, their chances of developing altitude sickness. It is much better to stop, take a breath, and relax throughout the day to keep you from burning out in the end.
Mountaineering equipment. Climbing Rwenzori mountains requires use of mountaineering gear and equipment to help you reach the summit. All necessary equipment like ropes, crampons, harnesses, Ice Axe, climbing boots are available for hire.
Climbing Rwenzori Mountains – 11 days (7 Days Climbing)
Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe
Arrival at Entebbe International Airport and transfer to Hotel in Entebbe for an overnight.
- Midrange: 2Friends Entebbe
- Comfort: Boma Hotel
Day 2: Road Transfer from Entebbe to Kasese Town.
After breakfast, we drive to Kasese via Mityana – Fort Portal road with a stopover in Fort Portal for lunch and thereafter, we hit the road to reach Kasese Sandton Hotel for an overnight rest. This drive will take around 5 – 8hrs depending upon number of stops to stretch the muscles while breath taking.
- Driving distance & time: 430km/7 hours
- Midrange: Sandton Hotel
- Comfort: Equator Snow lodge
Day 3: Nyakalengija (1615m) to Nyabitaba Hut: Elevation-2650m
Trekking time: 6-7hours.
Early in the morning, after having a cup of coffee, drive to Nyakalengija
Trailhead (1600m). Meet porters and guides and begin hiking up to Nyabitaba hut. Walk through the matooke/ Banana plantations on the side of the steep foothills, past the local Bakonjo homesteads. Continue with the trail along the Mubuku River, through landslides. After crossing the Mahoma River, climb steeply through bracken fern slopes and Podocarlupus forest to Nyabitaba Hut.
Dinner and Overnight at Nyabitaba Hut.
Day 4: To John Matte Hut (Elevation:3350m)
Trekking time: 7-8hours.
From Nyabitaba follow the trail that drops down through the forest to the Kurt Shafer Bridge, just below the confluence of the Mubuku and Bujuku rivers. Passing through the bamboo forest, traverse through a long and exhausting stretch of slippery moss-covered rock. From the Nyamuleju rock shelter, Mount Stanley and Mount Speke can be seen before passing into the zone of the giant heather, lobelia and groundsel. Finally reach John Matte Hut after passing through the tiring bog, for Dinner and Overnight at John Matte Hut.
Day 5: To Bujuku Hut (Elevation:3962m)
Trekking time:4-5hours.
From John Matte Hut the trail drops down to cross the Bujuku River and enters Lower Bigo Bog, the home of giant lobelias. Jumping from tussock to tussock, the bog is finally crossed but rarely without the feet sampling some of the freezing ooze below. The Upper Bigo bog gives way to Bujuku Lake, with views of Mt Baker to the South and Mt Stanley to the West.
Bujuku Hut, well located in the shadow of Mount Baker and Mount Speke, is set in a narrow valley below Stuhlmann Pass. Dinner and overnight at the Bujuku hut.
Day 6: To Elena Hut (Elevation:4541m)
Trekking time: 5-6hours.
Leaving Bujuku, the trail takes you through more bog, while climbing the steep slopes west of the lake and through the magical Groundsel Gully as it ascends to Scott-Elliot Pass at 4372m. At the head of the gully a metal ladder takes you over a steep section after which the trail is divided into two. The trail on your right leads up to Elena Hut and Mount Stanley on a steep trail over large boulders, while the trail on your left leads to Scott-Elliot Pass and down to Kitandara Lakes. Dinner and Overnight at the Coolly and Icy Elena Hut.
Day 7: Margherita peak (Elevation:5109m)
For those aiming at reaching Margherita peak (5109m), continue to the base of the Stanley Glacier. To reach the summit of Margherita, the climb takes about 5 hours depending on the weather conditions and the pace of climbing this mountain. This tough walk takes you over three glaciers, slippery rock, ice and very exposed areas which are open on many sides.
Note that this climb is for only physically fit and technical climbers. Climbing on to then glaciers, cross the Stanley Plateau and proceed with the ascent. Acclimatized to fog, altitude sickness and coolly weather, scramble up to the summit of Margherita the highest peak of the Rwenzoris. The descend from Margherita peak back to Elena Hut will take you about 2 – 3hours.
Given the high altitude and the tough conditions even if you do not reach the peak, don’t get disappointed. Prepare for you return through the Scott-Elliot pass, where there are spectacular views back to Bujuku Lake and Mount Speke, up to Mount Stanley and down to the Kitandara Lakes. After the trail that passes you through an alpine zone of sparse vegetation and rough boulders, descend past the Kitandara Lakes for dinner and overnight at the Kitandara Camp.
Day 8: Guy Yeoman Hut (3260m)
Trekking time: 6-7hours.
From Kitandara, take on the trail that ascends steeply up the headwall, spreading out from the base of Mount Baker and continuing along the south
side of the mountain to Fresh field Pass. At this point you can view into the Congo to the west and Mount Stanley to the north. From the pass, take on the long trail passing the rock shelter at Bujongolo, the base camp for the historic expedition by the Duke of Abruzzi in 1906.Dinner and Overnight at Guy Yeoman Hut.
Day 9: Nyabitaba (2650m) – Nakalengija Head Office
Trekking time: 7hours.
Take on the path down to Nyabitaba hut. The path can be slippery and muddy and therefore requires careful balancing over the vertical mud or steep rock. Remember this is part of the adventure with in this mountain. After lunch in Nyabitaba, start to descend to the base to complete your trek. Thereafter drive to your hotel for a cool beer.
- Dinner & Overnight:
- Midrange: Sandton Hotel
- Comfort: Equator Snow
Day 10: Transfer to Entebbe
Driving distance & time: 430km/7 hours
Today morning we transfer by road trip to back to Entebbe. Meals: Breakfast
Internal flight – one way – Optional: Please note that it is possible to take an internal flight from Kasese airstrip back to Entebbe airport. Please inform our safari expert to have your internal flight booked at the time of booking this trekking. This is charged at extra cost.
Price Includes
- Park entrance fees
- Food, chef, Gas cooker,
- Porters wages
- Guides in the park
- All transfers.
- Private transportation to Rwenzori mountains national park
- English speaking driver guide.
- Accommodation on the mountain huts
- Meals: Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch as on indicated on itinerary, Water
Accommodation before and after mountain trekking
- 2 nights in Kasese; before and after climbing.
- 1 night in Entebbe
Price Excludes
- International Air ticket.
- Drinks
- Uganda Visa
- Tips and gratuities to guides.
- Items of personal nature, entertainment,
- Mountain climbing equipment hired at $125 for a rope, crampons, ice axe, harnesses, & helmet
Day | Destination | Lodging | ||
Arrival Day | Arrival – Entebbe | 2 Friends | ||
Transfer Day | Entebbe-Kasese | Sandton Hotel | ||
Climb Day1 | Rwenzori – Trek | Nyabitaba Hut | ||
Climb Day2 | Rwenzori – Trek | John Matte Hut | ||
Climb Day3 | Rwenzori – Trek | Bujuku Hut | ||
Climb Day4 | Rwenzori – Trek | Elena Hut | ||
Climb Day5 | Rwenzori – Trek | Kitandara Camp. | ||
Climb Day6 | Rwenzori – Trek | Guy Yeoman Hut | ||
Climb Day7 | Rwenzori – Trek | Sandton Hotel | ||
Transfer Day |
Meals-Full Board: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included
Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour can be arranged for extra cost!
Mountain Equipment Hire per item
- Rope: $25
- Pair of Crampons: $25
- Harnesses: $25
- Ice Axe: $25
- Climbing Boot: 25
- Rubber boots: $10
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