7-Day Rwenzori Mountains Hiking Adventure with Margherita Peak

• The 7-day Rwenzori hike via the Central Circuit Trail starts at Mihunga Gate in Rwenzori Mountains National Park, at about 1,651 m above sea level.
• After an early morning breakfast at your booked hotel in Kasese town, your driver-guide will take you to Mihunga Gate for the trek briefing, where you will meet the porters and guides and organise your equipment.
• The trail begins by passing through farmland to the park boundary, beyond which it follows a thick forest along the Mubuku River.
• Cross the Mahoma River tributary before beginning a long, steep climb onto a massive ridge to reach Nyabitaba Hut.
• During this part of the trip, you may hear chimpanzees and see black-and-white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, and the brilliantly coloured Rwenzori turaco bird.

Hike duration: 5-6 hours.

• 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 and exhausting stretch of slippery, moss-covered rock.
• From the Nyamuleju rock shelter, Mount Stanley and Mount Speke can be seen before you pass into the zone of giant heather, lobelia, and groundsel.
• Finally, reach John Matte Hut after crossing the tiring bog.

Hike duration: 7-8 hours.

• From John Matte Hut, the trail drops down to cross the Bujuku River and enters Lower Bigo Bog, home to giant lobelias.
• Jumping from tussock to tussock, the bog is finally crossed, though rarely without your feet sampling some of the 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, well located in the shadow of Mount Baker and Mount Speke, is set in a narrow valley below Stuhlmann Pass.
• This camp is good for acclimatisation for clients attempting the summits of Mount Stanley and Mount Speke.

Hike duration: 4-5 hours.

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

Hike duration: 5-6 hours.

• Very early in the morning, you will attempt to climb Margherita Peak, 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. This tough walk takes you over three glaciers, slippery rock, ice, and very exposed areas that are open on many sides.
• Climbing onto the glaciers, cross the Stanley Plateau and proceed with the ascent.
• Acclimatised to fog, altitude sickness, and cold weather, scramble up to the summit of Margherita, the highest peak of the Rwenzori Mountains.
• The descent 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], where there are spectacular views of Bujuku Lake and Mount Speke.
• Afterwards, the trail passes through an alpine zone of sparse vegetation and rough boulders, then descends past the Kitandara Lakes to reach Kitandara Hut for an overnight stay.

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 south side of the mountain to Freshfield Pass, 4,282 m above sea level.
• At this point, you can view the Congo to the west and Mount Stanley to the north. From the pass, continue along the long high alpine mossy trail.
• Thereafter, begin the descent through steep rocky trails and pass 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 an overnight stay.

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 past Nyabitaba Camp and complete your trek by the evening at Mihunga Gate, where your 7-day Rwenzori hiking trip ends.

Descend duration: 7-8 hours.

End of trip!