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The Rwenzori Mountains National Park is spectacular in Uganda, home to 3rd highest peak in Africa (Margherita). The park comes from the Rwenzori Mountain Ranges, a block mountain with snow on its summits. If you are an adventure seeker on Uganda safaris, Mount Rwenzori National Park should be a must-visit this 2023.
Rwenzori Mountains National Park (RMNP) is geographically located in Southwestern Uganda (Western region). It became a National Park in 1991, and in 1994, it was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was also recognised as a Ramsar Site in 2008. The amazing bit about the Rwenzori Mountains National Park safaris is that you can explore nature as it is. The floral species are distinct and consist of bamboo woodlands, tropical rainforests, and montane cloud forests.
The legendary Mountains of the Moon are the iconic tourist attractions in this national park. This block mountain features 6 mountain ranges, with Margherita Peak being its highest peak, with an altitude range of 5109 meters. The six (6) mountain ranges that make up the Rwenzori Mountains of the Moon include Mount Speke 4890m, Mount Stanley 5109m, Emin Pasha 4798m, Mt Gessi 4715m, Mount Baker 4843m and Mt. Luigi Di Savoia 4627m. The park expands in the Kabarole, Kasese and Bundibugyo Districts. Other than Margherita, the other peaks include Albert, Alexandra and Mobius.
The Rwenzori Mountain ranges offer the most spectacular view of the surroundings, and it is the main water catchment area. Most of its rivers flow downwards and empty the water to Lakes like Lake Edward and George. What makes it such a spectacular spot is the fact that it features valleys, glaciers, rivers, lakes and flora. Over 20 lakes can be explored in this block mountain alone, and its elevation features varied floral/vegetation zones like groundsel, heather and lobelia.
Rwenzori Mountains National Park Wildlife
At the mountain slopes of Rwenzori Mountains National Park, there are a variety of faunal and floral species. The park comprises 18 mammal species, 9 reptile species, and 6 amphibian species. They include bushbucks, elephants, giant forest hogs, leopards, sitatungas, red duikers, Uganda clawed frogs, buffaloes, rock hyrax, three-horned chameleons, plus primates like chimpanzees, red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons, L’hoest monkeys, blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys.
Rwenzori National Park Birds
The Rwenzori Mountains National Park supports an estimate of 217 bird species. The park’s diverse bird species include the montane sooty boubou, Shelley’s crimson wing, red-faced woodland warblers, purple-breasted sunbird, dwarf honey guide, queen’s turacos, collared apalis, handsome francolins, Archer’s robin chat, slender-billed starling, long-eared owl, greenbuls, strange weaver birds, cinnamon chested bee-eaters, and more.
Mountaineering: Discover the Rwenzori Mountains, its spectacular peaks and other unique natural wonders on a guided mountaineering adventure. Mount Rwenzori offers the most challenging hikes, from its base to its highest peak, 5109m. A complete trek to an altitude of 5109 meters requires adequate time to maximise your adventure, about 8-10 days or more. The hikes are enjoyable along the designated trails, including the Central Circuit and Kilembe trails.
Bird watching: In the Rwenzori Mountains National Park, bird watching allows you to encounter most Albertine rift endemic and resident species. The famous birds to be spotted while on a safari in this park include the barred long-tailed cuckoos, montane Rwenzori nightjars, African long-eared owl, Grauer’s cuckoos, dwarf honey guide, African long-eared owl, blue-headed sunbird, Shelley’s crimson wing, white collared olive back, Kivu ground thrush, red thighed sparrow hawks, cinnamon-chested bee-eaters, lagden’s bush shrikes, and others.
Nature walks: Hiking or nature walks are done around the slopes of Mt. Rwenzori. The Rwenzori Mountain slopes comprise many trails, and the most popular ones include the Lake Mahoma and Buraro chimpanzee forest trails, Ruboni and Turaco communities’ trails, or hiking around the Mubuku River while viewing the splendid peaks of Mt. Baker. The different trails introduce visitors to numerous habitats rich in floral and faunal species.
Cultural community visits: Explore the local communities adjacent to the Rwenzori Mountains National Park, including the Bakonzo community. The advantage of community visits is that visitors explore distinct cultures, traditions and practices. There is also a chance to visit the traditional healers and blacksmiths. The Bulemba-Ihandiro trail is another remarkable cultural trail worth exploring, leading tourists to the Bakonzo traditional museum.
The dry season is the best time of the year for tourists to plan and consider visiting Rwenzori Mountains National Park. This occurs twice a year, with the first phase often experienced from June to August and the other phase beginning from December and going from January to February. These dry months provide excellent and memorable mountain climbing adventures.
Where to stay on wildlife or mountaineering adventure holiday
The available accommodation properties in and around Rwenzori Mountains National Park include Trekkers Hostel, Ruboni Community Camp, Mihunga Safari Lodge, Tours Holiday Inn, Hotel Margherita, Rwenzori Backpackers, Sandton Hotel Kasese, Equator Snow Lodge, Rwenzori Turaco View Campsite and more.
The Rwenzori Mountains National Park is accessible by road, and two routes lead to this park, starting from Kampala/Entebbe. The longest route takes hikers from Kampala via Masaka-Mbarara-Kasese, and the shortest one includes driving from Kampala via the Mityana-Mubende-Fort Portal route. To shorten your journey, take a flight from Entebbe International Airport (EBB) to Kasese airstrip, and the company driver guide will pick you up for transfer to the park.
Location: Plot 124, Kikumbi
P.O Box 100667, Kampala
+256759033541
+447 572778124
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