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The snow capped peaks of the Rwenzori mountain range lie along
and shares the western border of Uganda with the Democratic
Republic of Congo. It is regarded to be legendary snow-capped
mountains of the moon, described by Ptolemy in AD150. The
highest peak reaches an elevation of 5,102m, it is also Africa’s
tallest mountain range, exceeded in altitude only by the free
standing volcanoes of Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro.
The distinctive glacial peaks are visible form miles around,
but the slopes above 1600m are the preserve of trekkers who
rate the Rwenzori to be the most challenging of all African
trekking tours. The
park covers a total area of 998 square kilometres and is
120 km long. The mountain has several peaks with the highest
being Margherita peak. This peak is the goal main trekking
route known as the Central Circuit Trail.
The main attraction in the Rwenzori is the luxuriant vegetation
found above 3000m which includes the Giant lobelia. It is
also a home birds such as the Rwenzori turaco and Olive
pigeon. A variety of large mammals inhabit the lower slopes
including chimpanzees.
Trekking
The best time for trekking and mountaineering is during
the dry seasons from mid December to March and from June
to mid August.
Activities
Trekking and mountaineering
Bird watching
Access
The town of Kasese is about 7 hours drive from Kampala either
via Mbarara or via Fort Portal. The trail head at Ibanda
is a further 1 hour from Kasese.
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