Mountain Hiking Uganda

Mountain Hiking & Dramatic Wildlife of Uganda

Less crowdy, more private and scenically rewarding

The Pearl of Africa offers fantastic trekking opportunities to make your hiking and trekking trip a once-in-a-lifetime experience. While on a combined hiking, game drive, and walking safari, you will be up close and personal with the most remarkable wildlife and scenic landscapes on the continent.

Mt. Rwenzori, the fourth highest mountain in Africa, has peaks adorned with permanent glaciers. It provides an incredible array of snow-capped peaks right next to the equator. On the opposite side, Mt Elgon, bordering Kenya, offers fantastic scenery and is rich with culture, dense forests, and bamboo belts. The volcano is extinct with an enormous crater, surrounded by several jagged peaks. You will have the opportunity to explore ancient caves and zip past spectacular cliffs, with streams cascading and creating dramatic waterfalls.

Climbing Rwenzori Mountains Summits

Less crowdy, more private and scenically rewarding

Rwenzori is the highest peak in Uganda and the fourth highest in Africa. It consists of six massifs separated by deep gorges. The mountains that make up Rwenzori include Mount Stanley at 5,109 metres (16,762 ft), Mount Speke at 4,890 metres (16,040 ft), Mount Baker at 4,843 metres (15,889 ft), Mount Emin at 4,798 metres (15,741 ft), Mount Gessi at 4,715 metres (15,469 ft) and Mount Luigi di Savoia at 4,627 metres (15,180 ft) elevation.

When the peaks were first explored at the end of 1975 by Polish climbers, six separate massifs held glaciers on their flanks. Today, they are just three, with one of those having only tattered remnants of its earlier glaciation. The Rwenzori mountain peaks are not as shear or as individually spectacular as those seen in the Himalayas, the Andes, or even the Alps. However, there is something about the Rwenzori ranges: its perpetual mists, the wild plants that seem better suited for some otherworldly science fiction fantasy than anywhere that is actually real, the rime encrusted glaciers less than 50 kilometers from the equator, its long and fabled history or the few numbers of climbers that make this place one of the world’s greatest treasures. It was the place that I had wanted to visit above all others for many, many years.

The Ruwenzori mountains are known for their vegetation, ranging from tropical rainforest through alpine meadows to snow. The range supports its own species and varieties of giant groundsel and giant lobelia and even has a 6 m (20 ft) tall heather covered in moss that lives on one of its peaks. Rwenzori Mountains National Park is now a World Heritage Site. It is surrounded jointly by Rwenzori Mountains National Park in southwestern Uganda and the Virunga National Park in the eastern Congo.

The first traverse of the Ruwenzori’s six massifs was done in 1975, starting on 27 January and ending on 13 February. The summit climbing was done by Polish climbers Janusz Chalecki, Stanisław Cholewa, and Leszek Czarnecki, with Mirosław Kuraś accompanying them on the last half of the climb. Travelers follow different trails depending on their fitness level and the endpoint. The most commonly used Rwenzori hiking trails include; Central Circuit, which takes 8 days to Margherita (the longest), Muhoma Loop, which takes 3 days (the easier trail), Chimpanzee Trail, which takes one day; and Kilembe Trail, which also takes a single day

Hiking Mount Elgon, Uganda

Less crowdy, more private and scenically rewarding

Mountain Elgon, named by the Maasai, Elgonyi, lies in eastern Uganda on the border with Kenya at 4321m, with its highest peak Wagagai situated on the Ugandan side. It was once the highest peak, but soil erosion reduced it and is now the 8th highest peak in Africa and the 4th in East Africa. Suam and Turkwel rivers tap the swamps on the caldera’s uneven floor.

The vegetation starts with the moorland zone, containing tree heaths, lobelias, and giant groundsels that extend down to 3,050 m, where bamboo forest than temperate deciduous forest cover it below an altitude of 2,550 m. The Bantu-speaking Gishu cultivators of coffee, bananas, millet, and maize occupy its western slopes.

Apart from climbing Mt. Elgon, one can enjoy the fascinating wildlife along the slopes, varied vegetation, water pools, falls, caves, community walks, and breathtaking scenery.

If interested in one of Nkuringo Walking Safaris’ Mount Elgon hiking challenges, pic one of the two major trails. Sasa trail or Budadiri trail, accessible from Mbale, is more direct to the peaks and goes through the bamboo forest. Piswa trail is more manageable to hike than the Sasa trail. Or take both hiking trails with the climb starting by ascending via the Sasa trail and then descend via the Piswa trail. This journey begins from Budadiri to the hiking trail that leads to Sasa River Camp, which may take approximately 2 hours. Climb to Sasa Patrol Hut for about two hours, then take a one-hour climb to Mude Cave campsite.

You may continue on a two-hour climb up to Jackson’s summit 4,192 m if you are a strong hiker. You then proceed to climb to Wagagai Peak (4,321 m). It takes approximately 4 hours. After some rest, return to Mude Cave for an overnight, then descend to the Caldera and hot springs and camp at the Hunter’s Cave. The hiking trail then heads to Piswa Patrol Hut. From there, connect to Kamnarkut and later trek to Kapchorwa, taking about 5-6 hours. You can also explorer the communities, visit the Sipi Falls, or conduct a coffee tour.

Hiking Virunga Volcano Mountains

Less crowdy, more private and scenically rewarding

The Virunga Mountains are a chain of volcanoes in Central & Eastern Africa, along the northern border of Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda’s southwestern border. The Virunga Mountains range of eight volcanoes runs from east to central Africa, perpendicular to the Rift Valley in which Lakes Kivu (Rwanda) and Edward (Uganda) lie.

The Virunga Volcano Mountains include Mount Sabinyo 3,669 m (12,037 ft), Muhavura 4,127 m (13,540 ft), Gahinga 3,473 m (11,394 ft), Mikeno 4,437 m (14,557 ft), the active Mount Nyiragongo 3,470 m (11,380 ft), Nyamuragira 3,058 m (10,033 ft), Visoke 3,711 m (12,175 ft), and Mount Karisimbi 4,507 m (14,787 ft).

Uganda shares 3 of the Volcanoes offering excellent volcanoes hiking with lots of unique and rare wildlife that inhabit the slopes, for example, Mountain Gorillas, Golden Monkeys, endemic birds, and mountain vegetation. You can access the western volcanoes from Goma and Rutshuru in DRC, Kisoro in Uganda, and Ruhengeri and Gisenyi in Rwanda.

Rwanda hosts 5 of the 8 Virunga mountain volcanoes. The hiking Virunga volcano mountains adventures are accessible on each of the volcanoes apart from Mt Sabinyo, which has got so many craters proving difficult and dangerous to hike. However, it is easy to climb the Uganda side of Sabinyo since the terrain is accessible.

Trekking mountains Muhavura, Sabinyo, and Gahinga, is easier from Uganda. Visoke and Karisimbi are best climbed from Musanze, Rwanda. Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira are the youngest formed volcanoes and still active. Mikeno, Nyiragongo, and Nyamuragira are entirely in DRC, though you should reach them via Kigali, Rwanda’s capital.

Apart from Karisimbi and Mikeno, hikers can climb the other Virunga mountains on a single-day excursion. On Karisimbi, be sure to bring a tent and sleeping bag as the camping spot is at 3660m. On Mikeno, the Kabara hut at 3250m is no longer usable, so a tent is needed here. There are no reliable sources of drinking water despite all the rain.

Hiking in Karamoja Region

Less crowdy, more private and scenically rewarding

The Karamoja plateau is defined by a string of volcanic mountains starting from Mount Kadam (elevation 3,063m ), Mount Napak (elevation 2,538m), Mount Moroto (elevation 3,083m), and Mount Morungole (elevation 2,749m). The Karamoja Mountains are a great alternative to the more strenuous hikes on Rwenzori, Virunga, and Elgon, with a milder climate, lower elevation.

They require no special equipment or technical climbing experience. Our Karamoja hiking adventures are a mix of rich encounters with Uganda’s highland people, breathtaking views, and unique sights along the trails, and excellent campsites where you can enjoy the sunset, the stars, and sunrise over the planes of Karamoja.