Straddling for 120km along Uganda and DRC border, the UNESCO world heritage site of Rwenzori Mountains is Africa’s tallest mountain range topped by a 5109m Margherita peak also the third-highest summit on the continent. Rwenzori Mountains National Park gazetted in 1991, protects about three-quarters of the the entire mountain ranges chain that consists up to 6 summits all above the 4000m asl. Crossed by the equator at its southern tip, the snow-capped Rwenzori mountain ranges are described as the Mountain of the Moon by the Roman geographer Ptolemy in AD 150. The name Rwenzori or Ruwenzori means “rain maker” in local dialect of the Bakonzo people that reside on its foothills. The national park protects a diverse overlapping eco-systems dictated by elevation namely.
- Afro-montane forest zone consisting of dense evergreen and patches of tropical forests up to 2800m asl.
- Bamboo zones 2500-3300m asl.
- Heather zone 3000-3800m asl.
- Afro-alpine heathland zone 3500-4500m
- Afro-alpine moorland zone extending on Alpine deserts and ice covered peaks 4400-5000m
Quick Facts
- Size: 996 km 2
- Gazetted: 1991
- UNESCO World Heritage Site: 1994
- Mammal species: 70 mammals of which 5 species are endangered, 14 threatened, 4 restricted range species.
- Birds species: 177 species including Albertine Endemics
Things to do in Rwenzori Mountains National Park
Mountaineering and Hiking
Tough and technical, the Rwenzori mountain offers an ultimate mountaineering experience on the continent. The mountain ranges attracts both the professional mountaineers and amateur hikers to various hiking plans ranging from One-day hikes to Multi-day trips and to full a 9-11 Day hikes to the summit of snow-covered Margherita at 5109m on Mt Stanley. On the trail, one can have detours to visit multiple glacial peaks including Speke at 4890m, Mt Emin 4791m, Mt Gessi 4715m, Mt Luigi da Silva 4627m providing incredible portrait landscapes of this mountain range. Mountaineering and trekking experiences in Rwenzori National Park are run by three world-class hiking companies on behalf of Uganda Wildlife Authority where each runs own trail all and offer a variety of hiking plans.
Birding Watching at Rwenzori Mountains National Park
Rwenzori Mountain National Park is a prime birding hotspot notably for the Albertine endemics and high-altitude specialists. Birding highlights include the striking Rwenzori Turaco, Abyssinian Ground Thrush, White-starred Robin, Bronze Sunbird, , Mountain Greenbul, Mountain Yellow Warbler just a fraction of a total 177 species checklist. In the heath and moorlands Malachite and Rwenzori Double-collared Sunbirds occur, Rwenzori Nightjar, Gabar Goshawk, Mountain Buzzard and more.
Mammals in the Park
The trails explore several vegetational zones where Angola and Guereza Colobus, Red-tailed and Blue Monkey, Rwenzori, Red-fronted and Yellow-backed Duiker, Montane and Three-horned Chameleon, Forest Buffalo and Elephants.