Mountain Rwenzori National Park in the western region of Uganda is a prime tour destination for visitors who love challenging adventures. Alias the ‘Mountains of the Moon,’ the Rwenzori Mountain ranges have the third-highest summit in Africa, and the highest in Uganda. The park occupies parts of Bundibugyo, Kasese, Ntoroko, and Kabarole districts. The mountain is also situated right at the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
What to see?
Terrain
There are plenty of scenic terrains to view at the Mount. Rwenzori National Park. Among them are the mountains that make up the ranges. These include Mount Margherita on Mount. Stanley. This is the highest peak, at 5,109 meters above sea level. Other key mountains are Speke, Baker, Luigi Di Savoia, Emin, Gessi, and Weissmann’s Peak, etc. The mountainous ecosystem also offers spots where you can strategically stand to see ridges and valleys like Bukuju.
Flora
There are lots of vegetation species to see in the terrain of the Mountain Rwenzori National Park. These include plenty of vegetation, including tropical rainforest, bamboo, Afro-alpine, savannah grassland/woodland, and montane forest, among others. These often occupy various zones on the mountain. The unique flora at Mount. Rwenzori National Park includes ferns, moss, heather, lobelias, bamboo, giant groundsels, and others.
Fauna
There are over 217 bird species recorded inside the Mount. Rwenzori National Park. Bird species include handsome francolin, Lagden’s bush shrike, Rwenzori batis, Archer’s robinchat, long-eared owl, and montane sooty boubou, among others. The park has over 70 mammal species recorded, which include extremely rare ones. These include Rwenzori leopard, L’hoest’s monkey, Rwenzori otters, bush elephants, and chimpanzees, etc.
Open waters
Mount. Rwenzori National Park is endowed with tens of lakes, rivers, streams, and other across various parts of its slopes. Some of them connect to other major water bodies in Uganda. While exploring the mountain, you will get a chance to encounter a number of them. These include Lake Bukuju, Lake Mahoma, River Wassa, River Nyamwamba, River Mpanga, River Lamya, River Nyamughasani, and River Rwimi, etc.
Climate and Weather
The Mount. Rwenzori National Park experiences a tropical climate due to its proximity to the equator. This is characterized by both a wet and a dry season each year. Wet seasons receive heavy rains and run from March to May and August to November. There are also two dry seasons experienced. The main dry season occurs from June to July. Another dry season runs from December to January. These are characterized by reduced rainfall patterns.
Rainfall patterns are highly dependent on the movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. With heavy rains, the destination can receive over 1,500 mm on average annually. Temperatures recorded during the day range between 10-15 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, at night, temperatures can fall to around 2-6 degrees Celsius. This implies that Mount. Rwenzori National Park is a chilly place.
Activities
Mountain hiking
Hiking the Mount. Rwenzori is the highlight of any visit to the Mount. Rwenzori National Park. The most popular trails for hiking the mountain include the Rwenzori Central Circuit, the Southern Circuit, the Kazingo Circuit, and the Kilembe Trail.
Birding
It offers an opportunity for a visitor to explore the mountain and spot plenty of birds, including Albertine endemics. Birds to see include the colorful Rwenzori turacos and handsome francolin, among others.
Nature walk
A guided nature walk is an ideal way of exploring Mount. Rwenzori National Park. Besides the breathtaking scenery, you will see a lot of flora and fauna while walking in the mountains. Rwenzori. These include elephants, buffaloes, duikers, rock hyrax, giant forest hog, chimpanzees, blue monkeys, and Rwenzori colobus monkeys, etc.
How to get there?
Getting to Mount. Rwenzori National Park can be reached either by road or by air transportation. Using road transport from Kampala takes around 8-9 hours. The journey covers almost 400 kilometers, especially if you are traveling in a 4-wheel safari land cruiser. At Standard Safaris, we offer these vehicles for hire. However, SUVs, safari vans, saloon cars, and buses are part of our fleet of vehicles. They all offer views of the lovely Ugandan scenery during the road trip.
Air transport is another option for visitors who wish to travel to the Mount. Rwenzori National Park is very fast. Domestic flights are offered from Entebbe International Airport to Kasese Airstrip daily. The scheduled flights take 1 hour and 15 minutes, while others take around 2 hours. From the airstrip, a guide from Standard Safaris will drive you to the Mount. Rwenzori National Park for your tour.
When to visit?
Visiting Mount Rwenzori can be done throughout the year. However, perfect conditions for trekking and viewing are in the dry season. The rainfall patterns are relatively lower, and atmospheric temperatures are milder than during the wet season. This makes the exploration of Mount. Rwenzori is comfortable and safe. The trekking routes are less muddy, thus less slippery. The views of the glaciers, snow-capped peaks, and wildlife are much clearer during this time.
