Arrival
Arrival
Day 1
Travel to Rwenzori Foothills
Travel to Rwenzori Foothills
After your breakfast, you will be picked up from your place of stay and begin the drive to Rwenzori Mountains. Upon arrival, we will check into our booked accommodation for lunch and rest for the remaining day in preparation for the next day’s start of our Rwenzori Challenge.
- Main Destination:
- Rwenzori Mountains (Mountain Range)
- Accommodation:
- Equator Snow Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 2
Hike to Nyabitaba
Hike to Nyabitaba
The central circuit starts at the Rwenzori Mountaineering Services offices at Nyakalengija. You need to arrive in the morning to allow ample time to rent equipment and meet your guides and porters. The trail begins by passing through farmland to the park boundary beyond which it follows a thick forest along the Mubuku River, crossing its Mahoma River tributary before starting a long, steep climb up onto a massive ridge to reach Nyabitaba hut. During this part of the trip, you may hear chimpanzees and see black and white colobus, blue monkey, and the brilliantly colored Rwenzori Turaco.
The hike takes an average of 6 -7 hours.
- Main Destination:
- Rwenzori Mountains (Mountain Range)
- Accommodation:
- Nyabitaba Hut
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 3
Hiking to John Maate 3505asl
Hiking to John Maate 3505asl
From Nyabitaba follow the trail that drops down through the forest to the Kurt Shafer Bridge, just below the confluence of the Mubuku and Bujuku rivers. Passing through the bamboo forest, traverse through a long and exhausting stretch of slippery moss-covered rock. From the Nyamuleju rock shelter, Mount Stanley and Mount Speke can be seen before passing into the zone of the giant heather, lobelia and groundsel. Finally reach John Matte Hut after passing through the tiring bog, for dinner and overnight at the hut. At Johnmaate you will be able to get nice views of Mount Stanley and Magherita with clear skies. The hike takes an average of 7 - 8 hours.
- Main Destination:
- Rwenzori Mountains (Mountain Range)
- Accommodation:
- John Matte Hut
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 4
Hike to Elena
Hike to Elena
From Johnmaate Hut the trail drops down to cross the Bujuko River and enters lower Bigo Bog, the home of Giant Lobelias jumping from tussock. Following the Bujuku River we continue with the ascend to Elena Camp. You will get some incredible views of Stanley and Baker Mts as you go along till you finally reach Elena for dinner and some much-needed rest. The hike takes about 5-6 hours.
- Main Destination:
- Rwenzori Mountains (Mountain Range)
- Accommodation:
- Elena Hut
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 5
Summiting Magherita Peak
Summiting Magherita Peak
Early in the morning, we start to ascend to Margherita passing Stanley Glacier, the very first sight of endless snow requiring crampons. Depending on weather conditions and the pace of your climb, you should be able to make it up 5-7 hours. This part of Rwenzori requires some experience and skill as it gets very technical. Once at the peak, we will congratulate ourselves and take some pictures before we set back down using a different route to John Maate for dinner and overnight. Be prepared for a very long day.
- Main Destination:
- Rwenzori Mountains (Mountain Range)
- Accommodation:
- John Matte Hut
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 6
Descend to Nyakalengija-1615Asl
Descend to Nyakalengija-1615Asl
Below Guy Yeoman, the route descends the cliffs of Kichuchu. Beyond Kichuchu the muddy path crosses the Mubuku River twice through a bamboo forest before climbing downwards to Nyabitaba to complete the circuit. Continue descending Nyabitaba Camp and complete your trek by the evening at Nyakalengija, the base camp. The descent takes 7 – 8 hours.
- Main Destination:
- Rwenzori Mountains (Mountain Range)
- Accommodation:
- Equator Snow Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 7
Transfer to the home of the Mountain Gorillas
Transfer to the home of the Mountain Gorillas
We will not set off too early because we would need some rest from the previous day's intense hike from Rwenzori. We will transfer to the home of the Gentle Giants thereafter. We will enjoy the most breathtaking scenery as we head to Kisoro and we will take time to make stops to enjoy it all and take pictures. Once we arrive, we will check into our accommodation for dinner and overnight.
- Main Destination:
- Kisoro (Town)
- Accommodation:
- Lake Mulehe Safari Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 8
Face to Face With the Mountain Gorillas
Face to Face With the Mountain Gorillas
After briefing, we venture into Bwindi Forest on foot and enter a world suspended outside of time! The undergrowth thrives with diverse plants, mammals, and birds. It's a grueling task to press on through walls of vines and vegetation as your hearts pump from effort and anticipation. It may be minutes or hours before we come upon a Gorilla family but when we finally do, the encounter sweeps us into a timeless moment. We watch the juveniles play as the impressive adults groom and keep a sly but watchful eye on their human visitors and in this moment a feeling of kinship rises to close the gap that grew between us and our primate relatives over millennia. We descend elated and arrested in a timeless moment to be told and retold for years to come. Return to the lodge to catch your breath and relax for the evening or you can choose to do a community walk.
- Main Destination:
- Mgahinga Gorilla National Park (Gorillas)
- Accommodation:
- Lake Mulehe Safari Lodge
Wildlife in Mgahinga Gorilla NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 9
Transfer to Entebbe
Transfer to Entebbe
Check out of the safari lodge after breakfast and exit Bwindi impenetrable to begin your journey to Kampala with lunch en-route. As we cross the equator into the northern hemisphere, you feel the distance of the impenetrable forest but the memory lingers close by accompanying you as you journey on homeward.
- Main Destination:
- No major destination visited
- Accommodation:
- No accommodation (End of tour)
- Meals & Drinks:
