Rwenzori and Great Apes

/ per person

(0 Reviews)

Region: West and South of the country

Duration: 13 days

Type: trekking and safari

Activities:

Treks and Walking Safaris: 7 day hike/ascent in central Rwenzori, 1 gorilla tracking day in Bwindi Forest National Park, 1 chimpanzee tracking half-day.
Game-drives and boat trip: 2 days in Queen Elisabeth National Park, including 1 safari boat ride on Kazinga Channel

Physical level: difficult

Comfort: nights in mountain huts (or tents), guesthouses & lodges**(*)

Period: January-February and July-august only

Group: 3 to 8 participants (maximum 2 vehicles)

Sneak preview:

With our Mukonjo team and Eric, French biologist and mountain guide, we set off to discover the legendary « Mountains of the Moon »; the fierce Rwenzori summits capped with ice and snow mark the frontier between the savannas of East Africa and the low dense forests of West Africa. Interestingly, more hikers ascent the Rwenzori to explore and view the fascinating vegetation then to climb its 20 peaks of more than 4500 meters altitude: dense primary forest, bamboo zone, afro-alpine meadows and bogs dotted by gigantic plants ! Here, because of a strange evolution pattern, common plants grow to incredible proportions: lobelias weigh in at 60 kilos, while groundsel plants tower above us and heather shoots up to some 10 meters tall… For many trekkers though, the tough conditions combined with the weird vegetation and spectacular views on the glaciers and snow-capped peaks are all part of the attraction. Some 500,000 Ugandans, mainly of Mukonjo and Muamba bantu origins living below the Rwenzori National Park boundaries depend on its glaciers’ and rains’ watershed for their year-round agricultural productions: mainly coffee, beans, maize, yams, Irish potatoes, wheat, bananas and passion fruits.

In addition to this 3rd highest mountain of the « Black Continent », 5109 meters altitude at Margherita Peak, Uganda conceals beautiful open savannas and impenetrable primary forests, about 200 volcanoes and numerous lakes scattered throughout the Western Rift. Following this occidental Rift Valley, whose lakes and mountains border Congo to the west, our itinerary offers a variety of landscapes, ecosystems and animal species: the African great fauna, plus the impressive mountain gorilla, the mischievous chimpanzees and an incredible bird variety, cumulating here East African and West African species (1060 species in total)!

Strong Points:

A stunning variety of landscapes and ecosystems: savannas, extinct volcanoes & calderas, lakes and swamps in Queen Elisabeth, the rain forests in Bwindi and Rwenzori plus its extraordinary afro-alpine vegetation dominated by the glaciers.
A reception in a friendly community: the Batwa pygmies, an ethnic group renowned for its frienzied dances.
Queen Elisabeth National Park offer us the African great fauna: buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, lions, leopards, numerous elephants, colorful birds, etc.
Our boat trip on Kazinga Channel give us the opportunity to observe a variety of water birds, hippos, crocodiles, monitor lizards, buffaloes and elephants…
Walking in the forest of Bwindi, we will observe the endangered mountain gorilla, plus different primates and forest bird species.
1 extremely experienced passionate mountain guide and biologist living in Uganda and our Rwenzori Mukonjo team.

Trekking

Uganda

From our gallery

Tour Plan

Day 1: Entebbe Airport > transfer to hotel:

Meet and assist upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport and a transfer to your hotel near Lake Victoria for overnight on Bed & Breakfast basis.

Day 2: Kampala > Kasese:

We go for a city tour in Kampala before heading westward to Fort Portal. We continue with a scenic journey to Kasese, the base of the mountain where we sojourn overnight.

Day 3: Trek Rwenzori 1, Nyakalengija (1600m) > Nyabitaba hut (2650m): (about 5-6 hours hike / elevation gain +1000m):

We drive to Nyakalengija Trailhead (45 minutes transfer). There, we meet our porters and guides and begin hiking up to Nyabitaba. We walk through the banana plantations and continue along the Mubuku River. We climb steeply through bracken fern slopes and Podocarpus forest to Nyabitaba Hut. Dinner and overnight at the hut.

Day 4: Trek Rwenzori 2, Nyabitaba > John Matte hut (3350m): (6-7 hours hike / +800m and -100m):

We follow the trail that drops down through the forest to the Kurt Shafer Bridge. Passing through the bamboo forest, we traverse through a long stretch of moss-covered rock. From the Nyamileju rock shelter, Mt Stanley and Mt Speke can be seen before passing into the zone of the giant heather, lobelia and groundsel. Reach our hut for dinner and overnight.

Day 5: Trek Rwenzori 3, John Matte hut (3350m) > Bujuku hut (3977m); (5-6 hours hike / +750m and -100m):

From our hut, our trail enters Lower Bigo Bog, which gives way to Bujuku Lake, with views of Mt Baker (4843 meters altitude) to the South and Mt Stanley (5109 meters, Peak Margherita) to the West. Bujuku Hut is set in a narrow valley below Stuhlmann Pass. Dinner and overnight at the hut.

Day 6: Bujuku (3977m) > Elena hut (4541m) (4-5hours / +600m): Elena hut (4541 m) – Margherita Peak (5109 m) – Kitandara hut (4023 m).

The trail takes us through more bog, as it ascends to Scott-Elliot Pass at 4372m. On our right, the trail leads up to Elena Hut and Mount Stanley on a steep trail over large boulders, while it leads on our left to Scott-Elliot Pass and down to Kitandara Lakes. Dinner and Overnight at the coolly Elena Hut, a wild place with spectacular views up to the glaciers and down into the Kitandara Valley.

Day 7: Elena hut > Pic Margherita (5109m) > Kitandara hut (4023m) (8-10hours / +600m and -1100m):

Option 1: For those aiming at reaching Margherita Peak, the climb takes about 5-7 hours, depending on conditions, for only physically fit and technical climbers. Return through the Scott-Elliot pass. Descend past the Kitandara Lakes for dinner and overnight. This is an average of 8-10 hours. Ascent supplement: 170 USdollars per person Option 2: Elena hut > Kitandara Hut without the summit: (6h00 hike, +350 m and -800m): From our hut, we retrace the previous day route 20 minutes of time to meet the main Bujuku-Kitandara path. We continue downhill to reach a viewpoint overlooking the upper Kitandara lake. We pass it to the left, reach lower Kitandara lake and our hut, offering one of the best settings with great views back up the valley to the main peaks.

Day 8: Kitandara hut > Guy Yeoman hut (3260m) (6hours / - 800m):

We take on the trail that ascends steeply up the headwall, continuing to Freshfield pass. At this point we can view into the Congo to the west and Mount Stanley to the north. From the pass, we take on the long trail passing the rock shelter at Bujongolo, the base camp for the historic expedition by the Duke of Abruzzi in 1906. We pass Kabamba waterfall and reach the hut.

Day 9: Guy Yeoman hut > Nyakalengija > Queen Elizabeth National Park (7-8h00 / -1600m) :

Today we take on the path down to Nyabitaba hut early morning. This can take about 3-4 hours. After lunch at Nyabitaba Hut, we descend gently down to Nyakalengija, where we meet with our driver to take us to our comfortable lodge. This will also take an average of 3-4 hours & a 2 hours transfer.

Day 10: Queen Elizabeth National Park:

We embark on a sunrise game-drive. The vast savannah plains, swamps and forests of Queen Elizabeth are home to about 95 mammals and over 600 bird-species. After lunch, transfer for our afternoon boat-ride on Kazinga Channel: a thread of water which is a lifeline to crocodiles, hippos and a wide range of birds. Return and spend the remaining part of the day in the wild.

Day 11: Queen Elizabeth > Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park:

This early morning, we enter the Chimpanzee sanctuary for our tracking session; in silence, we observe them feeding, having fun and heading to the ground, right in front of us ! Afterwards, we proceed to the Ishasha southern section of Queen Elisabeth N.P., which is renowned for its open landscapes and its tree-climbing lions, hanging in Fig and Acacia Trees. We finally proceed to our Bwindi Forest lodge.

Day 12: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park:

A chilly and misty morning, we follow our ranger-guide into the gorilla sanctuary. On sight of them, we keep silent and watch them feed, play, rest... Bwindi Forest is an ancient forest with a diversity of flora and fauna for us to see, feel and experience. Back from our experience in this deep forest, we pay a visit to a familial group of friendly Batwa pygmies.

Day 13: Bwindi Forest > Entebbe:

We get on board for a scenic road-trip to Mbarara, enjoying a unusual “Coriolis stop” at the Equator for a photo opportunity and shopping for curio items. We proceed to Entebbe for your flight departure.

Rwenzori and Great Apes