The Rwenzori Mountain national park is largely covered by the mountain, and it lies along the Uganda – DRC border in Western Uganda.
Labeled “the mountain of the moon” by Ptolemy, an ancient Greek astronomer, and geographer, mountain Rwenzori has six ranges, but Mount Stanley with its third highest peak in Africa – Margherita: 5,109m (16,762 ft) is the most hiked.
It’s a block mountain whose name Rwenzori or Ruwenzori as the locals call it means “Rain-maker” or “Lord of the Clouds” because of its snow-capped peaks.
This is the only place with snow in Uganda. And although it’s not as high as Kilimanjaro, it requires more technical skills and endurance to climb its notoriously muddy and steep terrain as well as offers a more striking panoramic view of the Albertine rift valley and surrounding areas.
The park’s equatorial glaciers, landscape peppered with waterfalls, lakes, and a diverse flora of gigantic mossy heather trees and flowering lobelias that give the area a ‘La La land’ feel make it one of Africa’s most beautiful Alpines.
It’s best to hike the Rwenzoris during the dry season from December to February and June-October because the park tends to be colder than usual during the wet season, plus the rains can make hiking difficult.
Temperatures at high altitudes can range between 10-15°C /50-59°F during the day and 2-6°C /35.6-42.8°F at night.
Activities to Do
Mountain Climbing
Rwenzori Mountain national park has several challenging trails that suit different people and their fitness levels. For avid mountain climbers looking for a worthy quest, hiking to the Margherita summit can be a great adventure. Treks can range from 1-2 days for shorter peaks to 7 or 12-day expeditions to the Margherita peak.
As you hike the mountain through a remarkably unique and diverse wilderness, you may catch sights of the rare, dark Rwenzori leopard, blue monkeys, and endangered animals, such as the L’hoests monkeys, Rwenzori Duiker, forest Elephants, chimps, and Rwenzori Otter Shrew as well as the endemic sunbirds.
Community Visits
The Bakonzo people live in the Rwenzori Mountains, and you can pay them a visit at their homesteads where they can entertain you with cultural performances and offer you their local cuisine. You can also take walks around their villages and see how they carry out their day-to-day activities.
Birding
The park hosts over 217 bird species that you can observe on a birding safari. These include the Albertine Rift endemics, such as the highly sought-after Ruwenzori turaco, Blue-headed sunbird, Barred long-tailed cuckoo, Handsome francolin, Golden-winged sunbird, Rwenzori Batis, and the Cinnamon chested bee-eater.
Nature Walks
You can walk through the tropical forest while marveling at its towering bamboo and supersized fig trees with birds perched upon them to see the different waterfalls on the slopes of the mountains. Along the way, you may also see various mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.
