10 days, 9 nights · Entebbe · Rwenzori Mountains · Trip code LGS-UG 1009
Ten days on the Central Circuit of the Rwenzori, the Mountains of the Moon, climbing from farmland through bamboo and bog to the glaciers and giant lobelias of the high camps. Margherita Peak, the summit of Mount Stanley at 5,109m, can be added with an extra day or two and the right equipment. Talk to our team and we will get the logistics right.
Transfer to your hotel in Kampala. An optional tour of Kampala and the surrounding areas can be arranged.
Papyrus Guest House or Airport Link Guest House · Bed and breakfast
Drive to Kasese, arriving in the afternoon. Your guide visits the park offices in the evening to finalise the mountaineering logistics.
Margherita Hotel, Kasese · Bed and breakfast
You begin at the park headquarters (1,646m), walking past wattle-and-mud Bakonjo homes and climbing gradually through elephant grass and garden plots. It takes about forty minutes to reach the park boundary. The trail follows the Mahoma River for two and a half hours, then climbs steeply through bracken fern slopes and podocarpus forest to Nyabitaba Hut (2,652m).
Nyabitaba Hut · Full board
The trail leads west then drops steeply to the Kurt Shafer Bridge below the confluence of the Bujuku and Mubuku rivers. After crossing, the muddy trail climbs steadily through bamboo forest. After an hour and a half you reach an area of slippery boulder hopping that many hikers consider the most difficult footing on the circuit. Nyamileju means “place of beards”, after the lichen and moss draping the nearby trees. On a clear day Mounts Stanley and Speke are visible from the rock above the hut.
Nyamileju Hut · Full board
You continue to John Matte Hut (3,414m) through a tiring bog full of extraordinary plants. The slow pace is a chance to examine and photograph this unique environment. Hikers who feel they have reached their limit should consider John Matte a reasonable stopping point, enjoying the bog vegetation and the views before returning to Nyabitaba.
John Matte Hut · Full board
You cross the Bujuku River into the lower of the two Bigo Bogs, jumping tussock to tussock. The trail follows the southern edge until it reaches the round metal hut and rock shelter at Bigo. A steep section leads to the upper bog, where a boardwalk makes the walking easier and keeps hikers from damaging the ground. An hour and a half beyond, after crisscrossing the river, you reach Bujuku Lake, with Mount Baker to the south, Mount Stanley west and Mount Speke north.
Bigo Hut · Full board
A newer trail rises and falls twice before climbing steeply through the moss-draped Groundsel Gully towards Scott Elliot Pass (4,372m). At the head of the gully a short ladder covers a particularly steep section. A right-hand branch leads to Elena Hut (4,430m), the base camp for climbing Margherita Peak, which needs an extra day or two and can only be attempted with ice axes, mountain boots, crampons, ropes and prior arrangement with your guides.
Kitandara Lake Hut · Full board
An early start if you intend to reach the park headquarters in one push, roughly eight hours. The alternative is a night at Nyabitaba Hut.
Nyabitaba Hut · Full board
Descend and complete the trek by evening. At the park office there is a simple restaurant run by a local women’s group, a good place for a well-earned beer and a candlelit meal before returning to your hotel in Kasese.
Margherita Hotel, Kasese · Full board
Transfer to Kampala or Entebbe International Airport for your flight home.
Send us your dates and party size and a guide will come back with availability, permits, and a fixed quote.