Rwenzori Mountains Climbing

HIGHLIGHTS

Starts/Ends: Entebbe, Uganda

Country Visited: Uganda

Main Activities: Mountain Climbing/Hiking

Strength Demand: Highly Demanding

10 Day Rwenzori Mountains Climbing – Central Circuit

Route: Entebbe – Rwenzori National Park – Entebbe

The “central circuit” trail of Rwenzori Mountains is the main hiking activity which people undertake when visiting the Rwenzori mountain ranges. The 10 Day Rwenzori Mountains Climbing consists of a hike lasting six nights and seven days, starting from the headquarters of the Rwenzori Mountains National Park at Nyakalengija. The trial follows a circular path around Mount Baker, spending the night in five different Huts, and reaching a maximum altitude of 4.372 m at Scott Elliot Pass.

The central circuit is the best experience of the 10 Day Rwenzori Mountains Climbing because of its landscape and vegetation. Third circuit also gives the opportunity to see very close the peaks and glaciers of Mount Speke, Mount Stanley, Mount Luigi di Savoia, and Mount Baker.

Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe Airport

Your guide will meet you at the airport and transfer to the hotel of your booking in Kampala. Time allowing you will betaken of a short city excursion in Kampala and later return to your Hotel for Dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Sojovalo Hotel (BB)

Day 2: Travel to Rwenzori Mountain National Park

You will have breakfast and set off for a 7-8 hour drive to the Rwenzori Mountains National Park in Western Uganda. We will drive through the towns of Masaka, Mbarara and Kasese with a stopover at the Equator line for you to get the opportunity of standing intwo hemispheres at the same spot and take memorable photos. Another stopover will be in Mbarara for lunch. We shall arrive in Kases town in the late afternoon and proceed to Rwenzori Base Camp Guest House where we shall have dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: RMS Cottages

Day 3: Climb to Nyabitaba Hut

You will receive briefing from the Rwenzori Mountaineering Services (RMS) and Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) at the Rwenzori Mountains National Park Head Quarter at Nyakalengija (1.646m).

You will also rent hiking equipment from here and get a porter to help you with the luggage. The hike starts through the plantations and homes of the Bakonjo, the people of the mountain, gradually reaching garden plots and elephants grass. Following the Mobuku River up to the point of crossing Mahoma River the trail passes through open bracken fern slopes and Podorcarpus Forest, up to Nyabitaba Hut (2.652m). On the way you will coe across monkeys, the Rwenzori Turaco and hear the chimpanzees.

Accommodation: Nyabitaba Hut (FB)

Day 4: Climb to John Matte Hut

From Nyabitaba Hut you cross the Kurt Shaffer Bridge through a muddy area and continue the trail up through the bamboo forest to reach Nyamuleju Hut. This point marks the start of the giant lobelia and groundsel zone. The way passes through a bog along the Bujuku River. This train takes about 6 hours. Mount Stanley and the snow capped Margherita and Elena Peaks can clearly be viewed from this point. The final point is John Matte Hut (3.414m).

Accommodation: John Matte Hut (FB)

Day 5: Climb to Bujuku Hut

From John Matte Hut you cross the Bujuku River and enter a grassy bog where you experience how to jump from tussock to tussock. You reach Bigo Hut and enter the upper Bigo bog, proceeding to Lake Bujuku, where the alpine savannah zone of little vegetation starts. At Bujuku Hut (3.962m) you have a good view of the peaks of Mount Stanley, Mount Baker and Mount Speke. At Bujuku there is a junction from where you can climb to Mount Speke or Margherita and Alexandra peaks.

Accommodation: Bujuku Hut (FB)

Day 6:Climb to Kitandara Hut

From Bujuku Hut you climb to Kitandara Hut through moss draped groundsel vegetation to Scott Elliot Pass (4.372m), the highest point of the loop trail and the foothills of Mount Baker. The path is very rocky and steep. From this point you will enjoy a spectacular view of Margherita peak, Elena and Savoia glaciers and Mount Baker.

Accommodation: Kitandara Hut (FB)

Day 7: Climb to Yeoman Hut

From Lake Kitandara you climb to Freshfield Pass (4.282m), a long flat of high alpine mossy glades, before descending the circuit among rocky and boggy areas. The panorama is dominated by the glaciers of Mountains Stanley and Baker. A muddy trail leads to Akendahi, Bujongolo and Kabamba rock shelters, where the Kabamba valley starts down to Guy Yeoman Hut (3.261m). This can take up to 6 hours. The hut is surrounded by a beautiful landscape of mountains, lush vegetation and rivers.

Accommodation: Yeoman Hut (FB)

Day 8: Descent to Nyabitaba hut

Today you complete the central circuit by going back to Nyabitaba Hut. The trail takes about 6 hours and offers a good scenic view of the Mobuku and Kichuchu rivers and their valleys which are rich in plants and flowers of the heather zone before reaching the bamboo forest. You will come across Kabamba falls on the way and continue to Nyabitaba. You can spend the night here or descent further to Nyakalengija to complete the circuit.

Accommodation: Nyabitaba Hut (FB)

Day 9: Descent to Nyakalengija

This day we descend from Nyabitaba to Nyakalengija which takes about 3 hours. Enroute we will branch off for a 40 minutes trail to see Lake Mamoha before finally getting to the park headquarters. Dinner and overnight will be at RMS Cottages.

Day 10:Transfer back to Kampala

We drive to Kampala after breakfast with a stop for lunch enroute and to buy souveniors, arriving in Kampala in the late afternoon. Dependngonyour flight schedule you will either be transferred to the airport for your outbound departure flight or to a hotel of your booking for a well-deserved rest.

OPTION THREE

5 Day to Bujuku Hut Itinerary

Day 1: Nyakalengija (1615m) – Nyabitaba Hut (2651m)

Day 2: Nyabitaba (2651m) – Mubuku River (2600m) John Matte Hut (3380m)

Day 3: John Matte (3380m) to Bujuku (3962m)

Day 4: Bujuku (3977m) – John Matte

Day 5: John Matte – Nyabitaba (2651m) – Nyakalengija (1615m