9-days Rwenzori Mountain Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Entebbe – Rwenzori Mountain National Park
After breakfast and the briefing on the 9-Days Rwenzori mountain tour we will take off to the Rwenzori Mountain National Park (also known as the Mountains of the Moon). The drive will take approx. 7 hours. We will have lunch in Fort Portal and then continue to Mihunga where we overnight.
The equatorial snow peaks include the third highest point in Africa; Margherita (5109 metres), Alexandria (5083 metres) and Albert (5087 metres)
Accommodation and meals:
Mihunga Lodge
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 2: Trek to Nyabitaba (2650 metres)
You will start your 9-Days Rwenzori mountain tour challenge with the trek to Nyakalengija trail head (1600 metres) where the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) will provide and informative briefing prior to commencing the trek. Our trek will take us past Bakonjo homesteads dwarfed by steep foothills and banana plantations. We will follow the trail along the Mubuku River to then cross the Mahoma River before steadily climbing through Podocarpus Forest.
Accommodation and meals:
Nyabitaba Hut (2650 metres)
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 3: Trek to John Matte Hut (3350 metres)
Third day of the 9-Days Rwenzori mountain tour will start off from Nyabitaba early after a substantive breakfast. We will follow a small trail dropping down through the forest to the Kurt Shafer Bridge, just below the convergence of the Bujuku and Mubuku Rivers. The forest gradually turns into a bamboo zone where the trail is slippery and moss covered. A zone of the giant heather, lobelia and groundsel vegetation emerges before the Nyamileju rock shelter before traversing a bog to the hut.
Accommodation and meals:
John Matte Hut (3350 metres)
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4: Trek to Bujuku Hut (2900 metres)
Continue the 9-Days Rwenzori mountains tour on a trail that crashes down to cross the Bujuku River and enters Lower Bigo Bog, home of giant lobelias. We will cross the bog to the Upper Bog before continuing to Lake Bujuku where views of the highest mountain can be seen.
Accommodation and Meals:
Bujuku Hut (3900 metres)
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Trek to Elena Hut
After Bujuku, we will climb the muddy trail up passing the lake ascending to the Scott Elliott Pass (4372 metres). A metal ladder will take you oven an extremely steep section after which the trail branches; the right one leads up to Elena Hut and Mt. Stanley over a steep rocky trail, the left leads to the Scott Elliot Pass and down to Lake Kitandara.
Accommodation & meals:
Elena Hut (4541 metres)
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: Ascent to Mt. Stanley (5109 metres) to Kitandara Hut (4027 metres)
For those Rwenzori Mountain Hikers travelers that do not wish to climb the peak, a more restful day walking from Elena Hut (4541 metres) to Lake Kitandara (4023 metres). For those who wish, but also depending on altitude sickness, visibility, climbing ability we will climb a further three hours to Margherita peak (5109 metres) and later down to Kitandara Hut. We will trek to the Elena glacier before moving on to the Stanley Plateau. We will climb and scramble to the Margherita summit, the highest point of the Rwenzori. The use of crampons and ropes may be necessary. We will need to be prepared for a tough, arduous time in the mountains. We will then return to the Scott Elliot pass, view the magical Bujuku Lake and Mt. Speke at a distance and will then continue down to Lake Kitandara.
Accommodation & meals:
Kitandara Hut
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Trek to Guy Yeopman Hut (3260 metres)
After breakfast we will climb from the base of Mt. Baker to the south side of the mountain to the Fresh Field Pass (4280 metres). From there we can view the Congo to the west, Mount Stanley to the north. From the pass, the boggy trail will continue downwards, passing the rock shelter at Bujangalo, the base camp for the historic expedition by the Duke of Abruzzi in 1906.
Accommodation & meals:
Guy Yeoman Hut (3262 metres)
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 8: Trek to Nyakalengija Trail Head (1600m ASL)
The trail to Nyabitaba Hut can be muddy and very slippery under foot.
Accommodation & meals:
Nyakalengija trail head
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 9: Transfer back to Entebbe
Your Rwenzori mountains hiking safari driver will meet you at your stay, check you out and transfer you back to Entebbe in time to catch your flight back to Entebbe. This will mark the end of your 9-days Rwenzori mountain tour.
Accommodation & meals:
No Accommodation
Breakfast, Lunch
End of the tour
