7-Day Rwenzori Margherita Peak Trek from Kasese via the Central Circuit

• On this day, after breakfast at 8:30 a.m., you will meet all the guides, porters, and chefs, and check your hiking gear to ensure you have received equipment in the correct size for summit day.
• Afterwards, your driver and guides will take you to the Uganda Wildlife Authority headquarters at the Rwenzori gate. The guide will introduce you to the park warden, and you will receive an induction, briefing, and registration before starting the trek.
• Thereafter, you will officially begin the hike by passing through farmland to the park boundary, which follows the Mubuku River. You will cross the Mahoma tributary before starting a long, steep ascent onto a giant ridge until you reach Nyabitaba Hut at 2651 m. During this part of the trail, you will pass through grassland, the Montana forest zone, heather, and tropical rainforest. On the right-hand side, you will see the Portal Peaks. You may be lucky enough to hear chimpanzee calls or spot black-and-white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, the brilliant Rwenzori Turaco, and different chameleons. You will also pass rivers and waterfalls before reaching Nyabitaba Camp.

Hike duration: 5-6 hours. Elevation height: 1,036 m

• 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 a long, exhausting stretch of slippery, moss-covered rock.
• From the Nyamuleju rock shelter, Mount Stanley and Mount Speke can be seen before you continue into the zone of giant heather, lobelia, and groundsel.
• Finally, reach John Matte Hut after passing through the tiring bog, where you will have dinner and stay overnight.

Hike duration: 7-8 hours. Elevation height: 854 m

• From John Matte Hut, the trail drops down to cross the Bujuku River and enters Lower Bigo Bog, the home of giant lobelias.
• Jumping from tussock to tussock, the bog is finally crossed, though rarely without your feet sampling some freezing ooze below.
• The upper Bigo Bog gives way to Bujuku Lake, with views of Mount Baker to the south and Mount Stanley to the west.
• Bujuku Hut is well located in the shadow of Mount Baker and Mount Speke. It is set in a narrow valley below Stuhlmann Pass.
• This camp is good for acclimatization for clients attempting the summits of Mount Stanley and Mount Speke. Dinner and overnight at Bujuku Hut.

Hike duration: 4-5 hours. Elevation height: 457 m

• Leaving Bujuku, the trail takes you through more bog, climbing the steep slopes west of the lake and through the magical forest of Groundsel Gully. Turn to your right and continue up to Elena Hut and Mount Stanley on a steep trail over large boulders, while the trail on your left leads to Scott-Elliot Pass and down to the Kitandara Lakes. The trail on the left is used by those not climbing Margherita Peak as they continue to Kitandara Hut.
• Those climbing the peak will have dinner and spend the night at the cool and icy Elena Hut.

Hike duration: 5-6 hours. Elevation height: 579 m

• Very early in the morning, you will attempt the climb to Margherita, the highest peak of Mount Stanley.
• To reach the summit of Margherita, the climb takes about 4-5 hours, depending on the weather conditions and your pace on the mountain. This tough walk takes you over three glaciers, slippery rock, ice, and exposed open areas on many sides.
• Climbing onto the glaciers, cross the Stanley Plateau and proceed with the ascent. Acclimatized to fog, altitude, and cool weather, you will scramble up to the summit of Margherita, the highest peak of the Rwenzori Mountains.
• Then, descending from Margherita Peak back to Elena Hut will take about 2-3 hours.
• After lunch at Elena Hut, descend to Scott-Elliot Pass (4372 m asl.), where you can enjoy spectacular views of Bujuku Lake and Mount Speke.
• After that, the trail takes you through an alpine zone of sparse vegetation and rough boulders and descends past the Kitandara Lakes.

Dinner and overnight at the Kitandara Camp.
Descend duration: 3-4 hours.

• From Kitandara, take the trail that ascends steeply up the headwall, spreading out from the base of Mount Baker and continuing along the mountain's south side to Fresh Field Pass, 4282 m asl.
• At this point, you can view the Congo to the west and Mount Stanley to the north. From the pass, continue across the long, high alpine mossy terrain.
• Thereafter, the descent starts through steep rocky trails and the rock shelter at Bujongolo, the base camp for the historic expedition by the Duke of Abruzzi in 1906, before continuing to Guy Yeoman Camp for the night.

Hike duration: 6-7 hours.

• 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 descending to Nyabitaba to complete the circuit.
• Continue descending from Nyabitaba Camp and complete your hike by the evening at the gate, marking the end of your 7-day Rwenzori Margherita Peak Trek. Descent duration: 6-7 hours.
• Upon arrival, you will be welcomed by the community with a traditional dance celebrating your success in conquering Rwenzori Mountain, which is one of the most important landmarks in Uganda.
• This trip can also start from Kasese town or Fort Portal, where our guide driver will meet you and bring you to Rwenzori Mountain to our offices. Alternatively, you can use Link buses or a Baby Coach to travel to Kasese.