To the extreme west of
Uganda, 25 km from the small town of Kasese on the border with the
DRC, is the Rwenzori Mountains National Park. It's a World Heritage Site
of outstanding natural beauty. These are the fabled, glacier topped
‘Mountains of the Moon’ that rise into almost permanent
equatorial mists, their slopes covered with giant and strange vegetation.
At the centre of the range, there are six peaks carrying permanent
snow, three with glaciers. Mount Margherita, at 5 100 metres,
is the third highest mountain in Africa. Beautiful, mist-shrouded
jagged crags, enclosing numerous lakes, the Rwenzoris with their ‘Lord
of the Rings’ atmosphere, are a distinct change in landscape
from anywhere else in Uganda, or indeed East Africa. The Rwenzori National
Park was gazetted in 1991. It is 120 km long and 48 km wide, covering 996
sq kms of rugged mountains and rainforests. These forests start above
3 000 metres and include giant forms of lobelia and heather. Indeed all plant and tree species here seem to grow unusually big.
Unfortunately, the Rwenzori National Park was closed in July 1997
due to rebel activity in the DRC border region, but was re-opened
in 2001, thanks to the security situation in the region improving.
The park now offers superb trekking and climbing with fabulous views
and unusual scenery. The most popular trek is the 7-day circuit route. You are
accompanied by porters and guides and overnight in mountain huts.
The Rwenzoris are the main watershed for the River Nile and it rains
throughout the year, with exceptional heavy rains from March to June
and September to December. Because of this, trekking here is possibly
the muddiest in the world. And when the mud stops, it’s replaced
by watery bog. Hi-Tec mountaineering boots are well-nigh useless and
most people trek in welly boots - even with crampons on! A walking stick
is imperative, not only to steady yourself, but also to probe the thickness
of the mud and bog in your path. As you can imagine, it’s
slow going. Come prepared. However having said this, there have been
recent improvements – some of the bogs have wooden walkways
and there are new bridges over the trickier rivers. This 7-day trek
doesn’t climb any specific peaks but this can be organised
for people with mountaineering experience. The attempt at climbing
Mount Margherita involves a night spent at Elena Hut at
4 540 metres; thereafter the use of crampons, ropes and an ice axe is
essential.
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