7 Days Rwenzori Kilembe Trail Hike

This is the first day of 7 Days Kilembe Trail expedition and it begins with a hike from the rangers post at Kilembe to the Rwenzori national park entrance point for registration, meeting with your mountain crew and gaining access into this park to start your hike.

Take a walk at the base of the mountain’s rainforest zone that is home to various animals including an array of various monkey species like the colobus monkeys, the blue monkeys, and the endemic birds like the Rwenzori Turaco. The day’s trek will take you to Sine camp for a much-needed lunch break and refreshments before you carry on with your trek to your first overnight camp at Kalalama which is located at an altitude of 3,147 m. This camp will be you camp for the night where you will have dinner, rest and overnight sleep as you prepare for day 2 of trekking.

Dinner and Overnight at Kalalama Camp.

Arise and shine early in the morning at around 7 am for preparation of climbing Rwenzori on day 2 then have breakfast at around 9 am in the morning. Depart you camp for the day’s trek that traverses the bamboo-mimulopsis zone of Rwenzori, a steep climb with plenty of high steps that will lead you to your resting spot for refreshments and a hot cup of tea or coffee.

You will continue with your trek along the heather zone, crossing several streams and even waterfalls. The entire terrain is covered by blankets of green moss vegetation and many outcrops of Giant Heather trees, sometimes in a misty atmosphere.

The day’s trek leads you to Mutinda Camp, at an altitude of 3.688 m named after the Mutinda Peaks and you can ascend further for about 1 hour and 30 minutes to Mutinda Lookout at 3.925 m, before descending for another hour back to camp.

The moss-covered rock outcrops of Mutinda Lookout will reward you with amazing views across the Rwenzori Mountains, down to Kasese town and Lake George. You will return to the cabins of Mutinda Camp late in the evening for the much-needed rest, next day’s briefing,

Dinner and overnight at Mutinda Camp.

The third day of your journey to the Peak of Rwenzori begins with an early morning breakfast at 9 am then a trek across the boggy terrain that is characterized by typical marshy, wet vegetation and tussocks.

As you edge closer to the Alpine vegetation zone you will start seeing the giant lobelias (Lobellia gibberoa), the groundsel (Senecio adnivalis) and the everlasting flowers while you trek across the Mutinda valley. You will come across a steep ascent segment of your day’s trek up to Namusangi Valley (3.840 m) that will reward you with the best view of the Mutinda Peaks. Along the Namusangi Valley you will traverse various bogs as you head up to Bugata Camp that sits at an altitude of 4.062 m which is the arrival point of the day.

Weisman’s Peak on Mount Luigi of Savoy with is covered by the snow most of the time, is visible from the Bugata Camp filled with tussock grass, everlasting flowers, giant groundsel and giant lobelia.

This trek takes you through lake Kitandara that flows up to the Democratic republic of Congo. From the nearby Plozza Rock you will give you awesome views of nine lakes down the valley and Lake Nusuranja.

Bugata Camp is equipped with solar lights, eco-toilets and good bathrooms. It is here at Bugata Camp that you will rest, have dinner and sleep.

Dinner and overnight at Bugata Camp.

After early morning breakfast your trek will start with a steady ascent towards Bamwanjara Pass that features several long flat bogs and glacial lakes in the valley that extends beneath.

Finally getting to the top of Banwamjara Pass (4.450m) you will be rewarded with stunning views of all the main snowcapped peaks and it has small shelter for you to rest and enjoy the scenery.

You will then descend to both lower and upper Kachope lake which is rather steep and at plenty of times, very muddy but scenic as it offers amazing views of Kachope Lakes and McConnell’s Prong. Hunwick’s Camp (3,974m) is the arrival point of the day. The Camp sits on a ridge overlooking Rwenzori’s snowcapped Mt Baker.

Dinner and overnight at Hunwick’s Camp

We are getting closer to our goal of reaching the summit at Margherita with a day 5 trek on Rwenzori mountains. This trek leads us to Margherita Camp and we begin the trek by crossing several wet areas and small rivers originating from Mt Baker and Fresh fields Pass.

The climb to Scott Elliott Pass is an adventurous ascent traversing the pass and up the ridge of Mt Stanley to Margherita Camp at an altitude of 4,485 meters which is underneath Elena Hut of the Rwenzori Mountaineering Services.

It lies under a ring of high rocks and fascinatingly, it is the original camp that the Italian Prince Luigi Amadeo di Savoia, Duke of the Abruzzi used when he climber the Rwenzori Mountains.

Scott Elliot rewards you with stunning views of Mt Baker, Scott Elliot Pass and some of the high glaciers on Rwenzori’s Mt Stanley.

The hiking distance measures 4.2 kilometres. You will get here late in the evening and have some rest as you prepare for the summiting day the following day by preparing the ropes, hiking boots, ice-breaking axes as well as crampons a brief crash course that familiarize yourself with how to use this equipment and attires.

Dinner and overnight at Magherita Camp.

This day is reserved for making a summit attempt. It is essential to wake up a few hours after midnight, preferably at # am in the morning for a much dreaded and demanding hike to the top of the mountain.

After your early morning breakfast, you will embark on your summiting journey at around 4 am to Margherita peak on Rwenzori’s Mt Stanley. The main reason for this early trek is to make it through the glacier before sunrise as once it melts it will be difficult to pass through the glacier.

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The climb up Margherita glacier is steep and requires that you are fit. On getting near to the top of the glacier you then climb around an exposed section of rock, which is also bolted and roped, to get on the ridge running up to the top of Margherita Peak (5.109 m).

After reaching the summit you enjoy the scenic of almost the whole coun5ry as you are now at the highest point in the country. You will eat the special food package that you carried from day one at the starting point.

Wake up to the shrill calls of the Ruwenzori Turaco (Ruwenzorornis johnstoni) and other birds. After breakfast, you walk down the valley which is home to many species of birds that dive in and out of the thick vegetation.

Chameleons are a common sight as they crawl along the branches of the thick vegetation feeding on insects. In the clear areas, you may catch a glimpse of a Duiker quietly feeding surrounded by Giant Lobelias and a variety of flowering plants.

After descending a few kilometres, you climb two hundred metres height to a ridge overlooking the valley, before crossing several small valleys and streams to Kyalavula. Walk back to the Base Camp from where you will be awarded your Rwenzori hiking certificate and this will mark the end of this mesmerising hike.