Climb of Ruwenzori (5,109 m), gorillas and safaris

Visit and make some purchases in this pleasant capital set out on seven hills before a departure due west for the massive Ruwenzori where one will find the escarpment of the Western Rift, plantations of tea and bananas. In the evening after a briefing and preparation of the trek tomorrow, we settle in Kasese, in the shadow of the peaks of Ruwenzori, close (380 m).

Transfer / Transport: by private car, approximately 8 hours drive
Meals: breakfast at the hotel – lunch at the restaurant on the road – dinner at the hotel
Accommodation: night in the hotel

Morning departure from Nyakalengija, from the coast at 1,600 meters above sea level through the banana and coffee plantations, then the rain forest, dense and luxuriant: macarangas, giant figs, podocarpus, rubber trees, tree ferns where squirrels, chimpanzees and forest antelopes evolve. The forest plays a real role of sponge for the tropical rainfall it absorbs during the rainy season. Waters that emerge as downstream sources, including the Mubuku River, hence the richness of the Piedmont cultures. At the end of the day, we reach Nyabitaba Hut on the ridge.

Number of hours of walking: 6 hours
Altitude difference: + 1,000 m / – 50 m
Altitude end of the day: 2,650 m
Meals: breakfast at the hotel – lunch of a picnic – dinner in a shelter
Accommodation: night in a shelter (or tent available)

We cross the confluence of Bujuku and Mubuku rivers for a day of progression through heather and moss-covered forest, bamboo, peat bog and scalloped areas. of mosses and lichens towards Nyamileju hut. Discovery of the luxuriant altitude vegetation specific to the Ruwenzori, in particular by discovering the peat bogs of altitude.

Number of hours of walking: 6 to 7 hours
Altitude difference: + 900 m / – 100 m
Altitude end of the day: 3,350 m
Meals: breakfast at the hut – lunch of a picnic – dinner in a hut
Accommodation: night in a shelter

We cross the amazing highland peat bog area which offers great views of the surrounding peaks, including the famous Speke Mountain (Vittorio Emmanuele Peak – 4,890 m), skirting Bujuku River, we reach Bigo hut (3,444 m). The trail branches off to the southwest in a dense vegetation, as the Bujuku valley, narrow soon rounding the beautiful Lake Bujuku from the left (possible views of the peak Margherita), we ignore the rock shelter formed by the cave Cooking Pot Cave ”to finally reach the foot of the Speke, Baker and Stanley Mountains, at Bujuku hut.

Number of hours of walking: 4 to 5 hours
Altitude difference: + 700 m / – 100 m
Altitude end of the day: 3 960 m
Meals: breakfast at the hut – lunch of a picnic – dinner in a hut
Accommodation: night in a shelter

We cross to the west the alpine lawns punctuated by rocks and giant groundsel towards the Scott-Elliott pass (4 370 meters) which we cross at the end of 3 hours of progress (junction for Elena hut, base of nocturnal ascension of the summit located at 3:00). We discover Lake Bujuku, the nearby glaciers, with Elena hut at their base (optional step at 4,541 meters depending on our acclimatization and weather conditions). Facing the glaciers of Mount Stanley, the Elena Hut will be the highest point on the Ugandan side of the Ruwenzori for trekkers who do not climb the summit (ice axes and crampons mandatory).

Number of hours of walking: 4 hours
Altitude difference: + 600 m
Altitude end of the day: 4,541 m
Meals: breakfast at the shelter – picnic lunch – dinner in a shelter
Accommodation: night in a shelter

For those who make the summit: from the refuge to the frontal, climb easy slopes along the Stanley East glacier, to easily access the Stanley Plateau (4 850 meters). We descend at the foot of the rocks of Alexandra peak, then go up the glacial valley to reach the pass between the points Alexandra and Margherita. From there, an hour’s walk to the summit Margherita (5,109 meters), which we climb after a short and steep climb. Descent by the same route. Then we continue our descent until Kitandara (Cf. below).

For those who do not make the summit, we go down directly to Kitandara: we cross groves of giant groundsel interspersed with huge blocks of rock and we see the Butawu valley in the west, opening to the nearby Congo and dominated by the Savoia and Edward glaciers. On the right, the Sella and Weismann peaks of Mount Luigi of Savoy that we discover en route to the Freshfield Pass (4,280 m); the last look at Mount Stanley and we make our way to the beautiful Kitandara Twin Lakes.

Number of hours walking with the summit: about 11 hours
Elevation with the summit: + 850 m / – 1,350 m
Number of hours of walking without the summit: about 4 hours
Elevation without the summit: + 150 m / – 650 m
Altitude end of the day: 4,023 m
Meals: breakfast at the shelter – picnic lunch – dinner in a shelter
Accommodation: night in a shelter

Cape on the Mubuku Valley. We visit the cave Bujongolo (3,798m), which we pass by, whose prestigious past is engraved since the historical expedition of the Duke of Abruzzo in 1906, with a detour via the Kabamba waterfall and we reach Guy Yeoman hut.

Number of hours of walking: 6 hours
Elevation gain: + 100 m / – 800 m
Altitude end of the day: 3,260 m
Meals: breakfast at the shelter – lunch of a picnic – dinner in a shelter
Accommodation: night in a shelter

A rather long and technical stage in steep and rocky terrain, then following the beautiful valleys of the Mubuku and Kichuchu rivers, then easy in the bamboo and dense vegetation of the mist forest. Past the Nyabitaba refuge (2,650 m), ”freewheeling” to Nyakalengija, from where we gain a vehicle from our lodge, to the nearby Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Number of hours of walking: 6 to 8 hours
Altitude difference: + 100 m / – 1,600 m
Altitude at the end of the day: 1,600 m
Meals: breakfast at the hut – lunch at a picnic – dinner at the lodge
Accommodation: night in lodge

Morning safari for lions, leopards, hyenas, elephants and other animals. In fact, we have here 600 species of birds and 95 species of mammals, including the endemic Ugandan cobs (population estimated at 17 000). After lunch at the lodge, cruise the Kazinga Channel, where buffaloes and elephants quench their thirst. It will also be an opportunity to observe from our boat many animal species: besides the many hippos and crocodiles, we observe many herons, egrets, cormorants, geese, eagles fishermen, etc.

Meals: Breakfast at the lodge – lunch at the lodge – dinner at the lodge
Accommodation: night in the lodge

We leave the Mweya Peninsula for the Ishasha Plains, southern area of ​​QE Park known for its grassy savannah landscapes often compared to Serengeti and his lions dozing in the acacias and ficus! Safari with a friend tidy passionate who knows how to locate and picnic based on our observations. Continuation to Buhoma and installation in forest guesthouse late afternoon: cottages on the edge of Bwindi, a friend ranger intarrissable on ”his gorillas.”

Meals: breakfast at the lodge – lunch at a picnic – dinner in a guesthouse
Accommodation: night in a guesthouse

After a ”security briefing” delivered by our rangers, we enter the dense and humid jungle of Bwindi, to find the group of mountain gorillas ”acclimated to the man” that we have been assigned. At the end of an approach in silence, punctuated by the only ”grunts friendly” pushed by our tracker guides, our patience is rewarded by the spectacle of the whole family clan: care of the mothers carrying their newborns and jokes of the young under the impassive gaze of the formidable silverback, ready to charge us with the slightest warning. We hold his breath and we face the giant cousin very small, up to 250 kilos!

Number of hours of walking: 3 to 7 hours forest with rangers-trackers, according to the group assigned
Meals: breakfast in a guesthouse – lunch of a picnic – dinner at the hotel
Accommodation: night at the hotel

W have breakfast and then we leave for Entebbe (with an unusual stop at the equator and our lunch taken way in a restaurant). According to our flight plan, we still have the possibility (options payable locally) to visit the National Botanical Garden or the Wildlife Education Center of Uganda, with the possibility of contact with cubs, young cheetahs or to participate in the feeding of chimpanzees. Then we are driven to the airport, boarding and flight to Europe.

Option: return flight from Bwindi to Entebbe (US $ 300), then connect with your international flight in the evening.
Dinner at your charge, on our advice; transfer to the airport. Flight, night and benefits on board.

Transfer / Transport: private car, approx. 7 hours drive
Meals: breakfast at the hotel – free lunch in the restaurant – free dinner, usually on the plane

—– END OF THE PROGRAM —–

For unpredictable reasons such as road conditions, poor participant health, extreme weather etc, your guide may have to adapt the program, if necessary, for the smooth running of your trip. He remains the sole judge and guarantor of your safety. Walking times are given as an indication and may vary from one participant to another.