Physical fitness is required for the challenging Rwenzori hike up to Margherita (5,109m). Nine days of excellent hiking are good for reaching Margherita Peak and returning. Travelers or hikers with ordinary fitness levels and climbing skills can stay for eight days. Because not every climber can keep up with and maintain the same hiking pace, we advise larger parties to hike the Rwenzori Mountain for a minimum of nine days.
Starting in Nyakalengija and passing through the Bakonzo villages will bring you to the entrance of the Rwenzori Mountains National Park, where you can register before starting your journey up to Margherita. Beginning your core circuit trail trip, you will pass through a deep tropical forest covered in high elephant grass and dense bushes. In addition to many other animal species, this forest is home to the forest elephant, chimpanzee, hyrax, black and white colobus, L’Hoest’s monkeys, duiker, and three-horned chameleon. Handsome Francolins, Rwenzori Turacco, and other bird species can be seen along the way, which travels 1060 meters to the Nyabitaba hut where you will spend the night.
It takes about 30 minutes to get from Nyabitaba Hut to the Kurt Shafer Bright, which is where the Mubuku and Bujuku rivers meet, through dense woodland and shrubbery. At this point, the enchantment has become incredibly pure. After that, you will spend a couple of hours moving through a bamboo forest interspersed with mountain woods and moss-covered rocks. In addition, you can anticipate seeing a variety of forest-dwelling birds while you hike.
Continue climbing until you reach Nyamulejju Rock Shelter, where the early hikers would occasionally camp and, in clear weather, you can see Mount Stanley and Mount Speke. You arrive at John Matte Hut in between 5 and 6 hours, depending on your pace, where you will have dinner and stay the night.
A hike up the Rwenzori to Margherita Peak is always a blast. From there, you can continue past John Matte Hut, cross the River Bujuku, and hike through the forest to the lower bigo bog. The huge lobelias can be found in this swampy valley location. This section of the Rwenzori used to be the hardest since it is so wet. In particular, female hikers found it difficult to hop from one tussock to another.
The walk to the end of the swampy area is currently made more easier for hikers by a walk board. You can anticipate seeing enormous lobelias, everlasting blooms, and groundsels as you walk. The start of the upper huge bog will thereafter be reached after a strenuous climb along a ridge. A boardwalk leads up to Lake Bujuku as well. You will attempt to reach Bujuku hut after the boardwalk by navigating the last little, muddy region without walk boards.
The lake Bujuku, the mountains Stanley, Speke, and Baker will all be visible from this vantage point. You can now climb Mount Speke and Mount Stanley, which will take you 5 to 6 hours total to complete. Bujuku Hut will be your overnight destination.
It takes 5 to 7 hours to climb from Bujuku to Elena Hut while crossing by the slopes of the upper Bigo swamp. Then you will trek up the rocky slopes of Lake Bujuku. The Elena Hut is located in a chilly and rocky section of Mount Stanely. You are now on the top of the Rwenzori mountain range, where you can see both mountain Baker and mountain Speke in full view. These two mountains might occasionally be difficult to see because of the fog that surrounds them.
The following day, set out from Elena Hut and hike through the Stanely Plateau and Margherita Glaciers to the summit of Mount Stanley. You will learn how to operate the equipment while on the ice from the guide. You can see Irene Lake, Mountain Speke, and the surroundings from the summit. Next, descend to Elena Hut for lunch before continuing to Kitandara, the Rwenzori’s most picturesque location. It takes 10–12 hours to hike to Kitandara in one day. While taking as many photos as you can, explore Margherita summit. Continue the next day and return to Nyakalengija; this could take three to two days.
In addition to trekking the Rwenzori Mountain, tourists frequently travel to Uganda’s Bwindi Forest to search for gorillas. This is one of the best opportunities in the world to see the shy primates in their natural environment. Mountain gorilla populations are presently most abundant in Bwindi Forest, with Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park taking second position globally.
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