7 Days Mountain Rwenzori hiking Safari Uganda will transport you to Mt Rwenzori National Park for mountain hiking. The climb will take you to Weismann’s Peak (4,620 m) and Stella Peak (4,626 m). Margherita Peak, the highest summit of Mount Rwenzori, stands 5109 meters above sea level and was designated a World Heritage Site in 2008.
Mt Rwenzori is a block mountain formed of fractured rocks rising from the bottom of the Western Rift Valley. In AD 150, the Alexandrine geographer Ptolemy gave it the name “Mountains of the Moon”. Mt Rwenzori was placed on the map on May 24, 1888, by the explorer named Henry Stanley, and he termed it ‘Ruwenzori’, a local term in Bakozo tribe to mean rain maker
Ms Beryl Park, who was 78 years old at the time, became the oldest person to ascend Margherita Peak in 2010. Mt Rwenzori is located in western Uganda, near the Uganda-DR Congo border, and is Africa’s third highest point. Mt Rwenzori Mountains National Park is home to around 217 known bird species, 19 of which are Albertine Rift endemics, and over 70 animal species.
Day 1: Entebbe Airport/Kampala City – Drive to Mt Rwenzori National Park.
Upon your arrival at Entebbe International Airport or after enjoying breakfast at your hotel, our company representative will meet you. This individual will serve as your driver guide and will provide a brief overview of your 7 Days Mount Rwenzori Hiking Uganda Safari.Thereafter, begin your journey to the Rwenzori Mountains National Park by stopping in Kasese for lunch and some shopping before continuing on to your reserved accommodation.
The tour will take around 6 hours and will take you through the most gorgeous areas, including magnificent landscapes and tea plantations. So you won’t be bored during the entire journey. While in Kasese, register with the Rwenzori Mountaineering Service (RMS) headquarters. Dinner and overnight
Accommodation options include Equator Snow Lodge (Luxury), Hotel Margherita (Midrange), Base Mountain Camp (Budget).
Meal plan: Lunch and Dinner
Day 2: Begin hiking at 1,450 meters and reach Sine Hut at 2,596 meters, for a 1,146-meter elevation gain.
After breakfast, proceed to the starting site for a briefing, obtain a porter, and begin your trek by ascending the valley floor and passing through large forest trees of Mt Rwenzori’s Afro Montane Forest Zone. This is a steady ascent while listening to the symphonies of various birds and viewing primates such as blue monkeys, black and white Colobus monkeys in groups of 15 to 20 individuals, and the rare L’Hoest monkey scampering and swinging in the tree branches. There are several plant species present, including bamboo thickets, forest trees, low shrubs, mushrooms, and many moss and lichen-covered vines hanging from the big trees, giving an impressive appearance.
Enock’s Falls is about 150 meters from Sine Hut and provides an excellent opportunity to snap a beautiful screensaver for your memories. Sine Camp 2,596, you may experience the grandeur of the Afro Montane Forest while watching spectacular waterfalls crashing over the rocks. During the night, you may join your guides around the campfire and learn a lot about the mountains and their culture.
Sine is located below the bamboo zone, which is home to a variety of bird species. The Sine camp is only 150 meters from Enock Falls, and above it is a bamboo forest with a variety of bird species, so your stay will be memorable. Dinner and overnight
Accommodation: Sine camp Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: hike from Sine camp to Mutinda camp.
Begin your hike to Mutinda camp at 8:30am, passing through the Bamboo-Mimulopsis Zone, which can be challenging due to steep stairs. During the wet season, this terrain might be muddy and treacherous, slowing down the hiking speed. The forest cover and ambiance of this area are breathtaking. You will climb around 551 meters height and 1.8 kilometers to Kalalama Camp at 3,147 meters, which is located in the Heather-Rapanea Zone at the point. You will then take a brief break to unwind with a cup of tea or coffee before continuing to Mutinda Camp.
This route meanders up and down, avoiding several tiny knolls along the way, crossing numerous small water streams, and passing near moss-covered waterfalls. Later, ascend gradually along the banks of a wonderful mossy river that cascades down over the rocks beneath the Giant Heather trees, their trunks coated in green moss and old man beards (Usnea lichen) hanging from the branches. The route continues to meander as you walk up the deep valley, which is home to several plant types and flowers, as well as a large number of Heather trees, creating a delightful misty ambiance.
Accommodation: Mutinda Camp.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 4: Trek from Mutinda Camp to Bugata Camp
Have your substantial morning breakfast and leave Mutinda camp for Bugata camp along a marshy path, especially during the rainy season, but with the assistance of your guide and porter, you will breeze through it.There will also be multiple boardwalks across the hardest spots. You will cross the Mutinda valley via tussock grass and everlasting flowers, mixed with several massive Lobelias, before ascending a difficult portion to the Namusangi Valley (3,840 meters), which finishes suddenly with lovely waterfalls and spectacular views of the Mutinda Peaks. The Namusangi Valley is vast, with numerous hills and slopes, and you will cross multiple bogs as you hike slowly up to Bugata Camp at 4,062 meters.
The Bugata Camp is located at Bamwanjara Pass above Bugata Lake and offers breathtaking views of Lake Kopello and Weismann’s Peak, which is completely covered in snow. Down the valley, you can see Lake Kanganyika and Lake Africa, as well as many other small peaks leading to Mutinda Camp. This area is overgrown with tussock grass, everlasting flowers (Helichrysum), gigantic lobelia (Lobellia gibberoa), St John’s Wort (Hypericum becquaeritii), and huge groundsel. The Red Forest Duiker (Cephalophuc nigrifrons rubidus) is a subspecies of duiker that lives alone in the Rwenzori Mountains.
Bugata Camp is a decent facility with clean toilets, bathrooms with warm water, and solar lighting. It also includes a helipad (GPS reading N 18.312 E29 53.457) where a helicopter may be rented in the event of an emergency; however, it is highly expensive, costing approximately $10,000 per hour of flight time, which is far more than in other nations, therefore insurance is required to cover such rescues.
Accommodation: Bugata Camp.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 5: Bugata Camp – Trek to Weismann’s Peak (4,620m) and Stella Peak (4,626m) – Slope to Kiharo Camp
After breakfast, continue your walk from Bugata camp to Weismann’s Peak, which is 3.7km away, followed by another 800 meters to Stella Peak, for a total distance of 9km and 4 to 6 hours. The journey begins by strolling on the hillside below steep cliffs above Lake Bugata, then around a ridge point to Lake Kopello, where you will walk along the shore of the lake with an average temperature of 2˚C. As you hike up, you will get a spectacular view of the four lakes along the valley below, which is so amazing, and it is preferable to take videos for memory.
The final stretch to the top is steep on solid rock, which can climb difficult when there is snow and may need the use of ropes for safety. So, on a clear day, you can see all of the Rwenzori Mountains’ principal peaks, including Mt Speke, Mt Baker, and Mt Stanley, from this top. The summit of Weismann’s Peak is comparatively flat, with rich moss growing on the rocks creating a magnificent environment, while Stella Peak, which is 4,626 meters close Weismann’s, requires complete technical knowledge and a strong mind for heights. We thus do not recommend crossing to Stella Peak.
After taking enough shots at the peak, descend continuously to Kiharo Camp, which is 3,460 meters below the Nyamwamba Valley. At the head of the valley, there is a large area of thick huge Groundsel with large evergreen vegetation and moss, with rocky peaks towering above, creating its own microenvironment. As you continue to descend the valley, you will note that the topography consists of various flat swampy regions where glaciers stood and melted millions of years ago, leaving a wall of large boulders in its wake. This valley is the home ground for numerous Red Forest Duiker. Dinner and overnight
Accommodation; Kiharo Camp
Meal plan; Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
Day 6: Kiharo Camp – Slope to the starting place to conclude your 7-day Rwenzori Mountains hiking.
Rise early in the morning to enjoy your breakfast before continuing on your Nyamwamba Valley trail, which is typically downhill and unconditionally superb with lovely views and moss-covered rocks along the river, pouring waterfalls, forests among the best in the Rwenzori Mountains, and deep valleys. This path took six years to develop a clear route that is simple enough for tourists. In 1937, several explorers and geologists headed by McConnell attempted to locate a path across this valley but were entirely unsuccessful and were obliged to return and seek another route.
A few kilometers from Kiharo Camp, the trail curves to the right and follows the river. Around here, you will see Duikers feeding, and you may ask your guide to walk along the river. After a short distance, there is a steep river with several waterfalls, so you will turn away from the river to follow a small ridge around the difficult areas.
Accommodation option; Equator snow lodge (Luxury), Hotel Margherita (Midrange)
Late, on the bottom, you will encounter another river beside a massive rock shelter called Riverside Rock Shelter, where you will eat lunch before crossing a little creek that slowly ascends. On your way, you will be delighted to come across a beautiful forest that is home to numerous bird species, primates, and small mammals such as duikers and hyrax, before concluding your fantastic trekking with a drive to Kasese town to check in at your reserved hotel to relax, eat dinner, and spend the night.
Accommodation options include Equator Snow Lodge (Luxury), Hotel Margherita (Midrange), Sandton Hotel Kasese (Budget), and Rwenzori Base Mountain Camp (Budget).
Meal plan; Lunch/Dinner
Day 7: Kasese town – Drive back to Entebbe International Airport
After breakfast, check out and travel back to Entebbe International Airport to catch your journey home after a spectacular 5-day mountain trekking adventure to Weismann’s Peak (4,620 meters) and Stella Peak (4,626 meters). You will travel through Queen Elizabeth National Park, where you will see wildlife such as elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, warthogs, and many others. You will then continue your drive through Mbarara city, with an en-route stop at Kayabwe Equator crossing landmark to take a memorial photo, watch a water experiment, eat lunch, and then proceed to Entebbe airport end your 7 Days Mount Rwenzori hiking Uganda Safari.
The 7-day Mount Rwenzori trekking Uganda Safari includes;
Transport for 7 days in a 4×4 WD
Fuel for seven days.
English-speaking driving guidance.
Bottled mineral water on your safari
Porters and UWA Ranger Guide
Accommodation for six nights
Full-board food package (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).
All en route meals
All park admission costs for five days.
Hiking for five days in Rwenzori National Park
A visit to the Equator marker.
