Mount Rwenzori Hiking Safari
Overview
Route: Kilembe Trail to Full Circuit to Margherita Peak Summit
Safari Overview
Mount Rwenzori is East Africa’s best kept secret for serious trekkers, a lush, otherworldly mountain range where moss-draped forests, giant lobelias, and ancient glaciers create an adventure unlike anywhere else on the continent. This 12 day expedition is the ultimate version of the classic Kilembe Route designed with extra days for acclimatization, more flexible summit weather windows, and side excursions to valleys and viewpoints often missed on shorter climbs.
Safari Highlights
- Follow the full Kilembe Route through varied ecological zones
- Stay in authentic high mountain huts and rustic campsites
- Trek through giant lobelia forests, Afro alpine bogs, and rocky ridges
- Summit Margherita Peak Africa’s third highest point at 5,109 m
- Enjoy additional side hikes to viewpoints and lakes for stunning photo opportunities
- Spot endemic Rwenzori birds, chameleons, and rare alpine plants
- Benefit from a safer pace with extra buffer days for weather or acclimatization
Included/Exclude
- Professional RMS mountain guides, porters, and rangers
- All park entry and trekking permits
- Huts or rustic camps along the trail
- All meals on the mountain
- Boiled drinking water during the trek
- Technical glacier equipment (ropes, harness, crampons, rentals arranged)
- Hotel in Kasese on Day 1 (bed & dinner)
- Return transfers between Kasese and Kilembe Base
- International or domestic flights (Entebbe or Kasese) Â transfers can be arranged
- Uganda visa fees
- Personal travel & evacuation insurance (mandatory for high-altitude treks)
- Sleeping bag, mountaineering boots, gloves (can be rented)
- Meals in Kasese except dinner on arrival
- Tips for guides and porters (recommended and customary)
- Personal snacks, drinks, and souvenirs
- Extra hotel nights before or after the trek
Tour Plan
Arrive in Kasese, gateway to Rwenzori Mountains National Park. Check in at your lodge and meet your RMS (Rwenzori Mountaineering Services) guide for gear checks, permit paperwork, and a detailed expedition briefing. Overnight at your lodge.
Accommodation: Sandton Hotel Kasese / Hotel Margherita / Trekkers Hostel Kilembe
Meal Plan: Dinner
Transfer to RMS Kilembe Base. Register, meet your porter team, and start your climb through lush rainforest. Cross rivers and wooden bridges while spotting blue monkeys, chameleons, and birdlife. Arrive at Sine Camp, nestled by waterfalls and giant tree ferns.
Hiking time: 5 to 6 hours
Altitude gain: ~1,150 m
Accommodation: Sine Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Climb through the bamboo zone and giant heather forest draped in moss. Pass mossy boulders and boggy sections to reach Mutinda Camp, perched on a ridge with sweeping valley views. Optional sunset acclimatization hike to Mutinda Lookout (3,975 m).
Hiking time: 5 to 7 hours
Altitude gain: ~1,000 m
Accommodation: Mutinda Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Spend the day at Mutinda Camp to aid acclimatization. Take short guided hikes to nearby viewpoints, practice glacier skills, or simply relax and soak in the alpine scenery. Overnight at the same camp.
Accommodation: Mutinda Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ascend from the heather zone into the open alpine bogs. Cross boardwalks over spongy wetlands surrounded by giant lobelias and everlasting flowers. Reach Bugata Camp, above Lake Kopello, with panoramic views of the surrounding peaks.
Hiking time: 4 to 6 hours
Altitude gain: ~500 m
Accommodation: Bugata Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Climb over Bamwanjara Pass (4,450 m) for stunning views of Mount Baker, Speke, and Stanley. Descend into the Kachope Lakes area, where dramatic alpine scenery and wetlands create otherworldly landscapes. Ascend again to Hunwick’s Camp, a favorite spot surrounded by giant groundsels.
Hiking time: 6 to 7 hours
Accommodation: Hunwick’s Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ascend steadily through rocky alpine terrain with striking glacier views. Arrive at Margherita Camp, your final high altitude base just below Mount Stanley’s glaciers. Rest, hydrate, and prepare your rope and glacier gear for the summit push.
Hiking time: 4 to 5 hours
Altitude gain: ~500 m
Accommodation: Margherita Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Pre-dawn start for your glacier climb. Traverse the Stanley Glacier using ropes and crampons (RMS guides provide training and gear). Reach Margherita Peak, the highest point in the Rwenzoris, a moment few ever experience. Take photos surrounded by Africa’s last equatorial glaciers before carefully descending to Margherita Camp for snacks, then continue down to Hunwick’s Camp for overnight.
Hiking time: 10 to 12 hours
Altitude gain: ~650 m ascent & descent
Accommodation: Hunwick’s Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Begin the full circuit return by descending through the beautiful Kachope Lakes valley. Continue past alpine bogs and ridges to Butawu Camp, an alternative campsite surrounded by rolling moorland and dramatic mountain backdrops.
Hiking time: 5 to 6 hours
Accommodation: Butawu Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Trek back towards Bugata Camp, taking time to detour for extra views or photography stops. Enjoy a slower pace to absorb the landscape and spot birds and unique alpine plants. Overnight at Bugata Camp.
Hiking time: 4 to 5 hours
Accommodation: Bugata Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Descend gradually through the alpine bog and heather zones. Pass Mutinda Camp and continue to Sine Camp, enjoying your final night in the lush montane forest with the soothing sound of nearby waterfalls.
Hiking time: 6 to 7 hours
Accommodation: Sine Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast, trek the final stretches through the rainforest back to the Kilembe Base Camp. Celebrate with your guides and porters before transferring to your lodge in Kasese for a hot shower and well earned rest. Optional overnight or onward travel.
Hiking time: 4 to 5 hours
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch
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