Few countries in Africa can combine trekking through jungle thickets, where light bounces off the dense shrubbery illuminating your path in a haze of green, with mountaineering to snow-capped peaks where icicles hang above the clouds and wildlife walks across savannah grasslands that stretch for miles but East Africa can.
The short answer is you can find fantastic trekking routes of various difficulties almost everywhere in Uganda, certainly at all the most popular destinations.
We’ve broken down your options as follows:
- Gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda
- Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda and Rwanda
- Rwenzori Mountains
- Light forest walks
- Kidepo Valley & The Ik Trek
Rwenzori Montains
The Rwenzoris – the fabled Mountains of the Moon – lie in western Uganda along the Uganda-Congo border. The equatorial snow peaks include the third highest point in Africa, while the lower slopes are blanketed in moorland, bamboo, and rich, moist montane forest. Huge tree heathers and colorful mosses are draped across the mountainside with giant lobelias and “everlasting flowers”, creating an enchanting, fairy-tale scene. Towards Lake Kitandara after the summit of Mt. Margherita (5109m). Mt. Baker on the left side.
Rwenzori Mountains National Park protects the highest parts of the 120km-long and 65km-wide Rwenzori mountain range. The national park hosts 70 mammals and 217 bird species including 19 Albertine Rift endemics, as well as some of the world’s rarest vegetation.
The Rwenzoris are a world-class hiking and mountaineering destination. A nine- to twelve-day trek will get skilled climbers to the summit of Margherita – the highest peak – though shorter, non-technical treks are possible to scale the surrounding peaks.
For those who prefer something a little less strenuous, neighboring Bakonzo villages offer nature walks, homestead visits home cultural performances and accommodation, including home-cooked local cuisine.
