8 Days Uganda Gorilla & Rwenzori Mountains
The 8 days Uganda Gorilla trekking & Rwenzori Mountains hiking Safari takes you to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park & Rwenzori Mountain National Park.
Mount Stanley is the third tallest mountain in Africa, but it’s not just its height that makes it beautiful. The Southern Circuit is where the real beauty is. It has old woods, deep valleys, and stunning mountain scenery that changes with every step. The plants are very varied. There are a number of tall trees, bamboo, groves, giant heathers, lobelias, and endless fern valleys. The forests are full of birds and monkeys. As you walk down the path, you will see chimpanzee nests high in the trees. If you are lucky, you might see the chimpanzees who live there as they run away through the trees.
Cheptegei Peak is 4,907 meters high, and its top is easy to climb.
It only needs a little bit of rock climbing, and you don’t need ropes most of the time. But for safety, ropes are always carried. At the top, you can see amazing views of both Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as Alexandra Peak, Margherita Peak, and the Stanley Glaciers below. The hike to Cheptegei Peak is the same as the one to Margherita Peak, but the climb goes to Cheptegei instead of the Margherita Glacier after crossing the Stanley Glacier.
Highlights: 8 Days Rwenzori & Gorilla Trekking Safari Uganda
Day 1: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 2: Transfer from Bwindi to Rwenzori Mountains (Kilembe Trailhead)
Day 3: Trek to Sine Hut (2,596m)
Day 4: Sine Hut to Mutinda Camp (3,582m)
Day 5: Mutinda Camp to Bugata Camp (4,100m)
Day 6: Bugata Camp to Hunwick’s Camp via Bamwanjarra Pass
Day 7: Cheptegei Peak Summit (4,907m) & Return to Hunwick’s Camp
Day 8: Hunwick’s Camp to Park Gate (Nyamwamba Valley)
Detailed itinerary or 8 days Uganda Gorilla trekking and Rwenzori
Day 1: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Today is all about Mountain Gorilla Trekking, which is one of the most amazing ways to see these endangered animals in their natural environment.
After a quick breakfast, you go to the park offices to get a briefing from Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers. You are given a gorilla family that is used to people, and experienced guides take you into the dense rainforest.
Depending on where the gorillas go, the walk could take anywhere from 2 to 6 hours.
The old and strange Bwindi Forest is home to many birds and is full of ferns, figs, vines, and other plants. When you finally see the gorillas, you get to spend one amazing hour with them, watching them as they eat, clean each other, play, and interact, all just a few meters away.
After this you will go back to the lodge for lunch and some downtime after the walk. You can choose to do either a Batwa cultural walk or a guided town visit in the afternoon.
Day 2: Transfer from Bwindi to Rwenzori Mountains (Kilembe Trailhead)
After breakfast, you leave Bwindi and head north through Uganda’s beautiful hills and on to the famous Rwenzori Mountains, also known as the Mountains of the Moon.
The trip goes by tea farms, crater lakes, and countryside towns before it gets to Kilembe, which is at the base of the Rwenzori range. When you get there, you meet your porters and mountain guides for a full trek training, an equipment check, and last-minute preparations.
Day 3: Trek to Sine Hut (2,596m)
The hike starts with a walk up the valley floor through the tall trees in the Afro-Montane Forest Zone. This is a steady climb with a lot of birds, and you might see blue monkeys running through the trees. Black-and-white colobus monkeys often swing through the trees in groups of 15 to 20. You might also see the L’Hoest monkey, which is a symbol of Bukonzo culture and is protected by royal custom. Sometimes, you can hear wild chimps calling far away.
The plants are very diverse, including tall trees, bamboo, flowering shrubs, mushrooms, moss, and long vines covered in lichen that hang from the ceiling. This makes the area feel magical.
Enock’s Falls is only 200 meters from camp. The falls go through thick green plants, making it a great place to take pictures.
Sine Camp is on a thin hill in the middle of a forest with tall trees. From here, you can sit by the campfire and listen to your guides tell stories about mountain life and Bakonzo culture while you enjoy the warmth.
Day 4: Sine Hut to Mutinda Camp (3,582m)
The trek Begins at 8:30 a.m. And it takes you through the Bamboo Mimulopsis Zone, a steep part with big steps which starts almost right away after leaving Sine Hut. This area can get muddy and slippery in the wet season. This makes things take longer but adds to the excitement.
You get to Kalalama Camp (3,147 m) in the Heather Rapanea Zone after climbing 551 meters over 1.8 km and taking a short break. The trail goes on to follow hills and valleys. It crosses some streams and goes by waterfalls with moss on them while going under heather trees with lichen hanging down from them.
The path winds and slowly rises through a deep valley with a lot of different plants and a magical feeling because of the fog that fills the air.
You can climb to Mutinda Lookout (3,975m) in the afternoon to get used to the altitude. The views go across the Rwenzori mountains to the town of Kasese and Lake George far below.
Day 5: Mutinda Camp to Bugata Camp (4,100m)
Today, the path is muddy, but it’s still possible to walk on it if you carefully step from clump of grass to clump of grass.
Before you go up the steep slopes to the Namusangi Valley (3,840 m), you cross the Mutinda Valley, which has giant lobelias and is filled with tussock grass and everlasting flowers. Waterfalls with no rock behind them fall straight down the cliffs, and when you look back, you can see the beautiful peaks of Mutinda.
The path to Bugata Camp goes up over a valley that waves like a blanket.
You will spend the night at Bugata Camp (4,100 m)
Day 6: Bugata Camp to Hunwick’s Camp via Bamwanjarra Pass
The path goes up to Bamwanjarra Pass (4,450 m) after leaving Bugata Camp. There is a hut at the pass that people can use if the weather gets bad. When it’s clear, the pass has great views of the three main peaks of the Rwenzori.
As you go down from the pass, the trail goes around the wetlands with lots of evergreens, moss, giant groundsels, and lobelias. The Malachite Sunbird has been known to breed here, making it one of the best places in the Rwenzori to see the bird.
The trail goes up to Hunwick’s Camp after some steep parts. The camp is in a dramatic location above a deep valley, with great views of Mount Stanley, Mount Baker, Weismann’s Peak, and McConnell’s Prong. And you will spend the night at Hunwick’s Camp.
Day 7: Cheptegei Peak Summit (4,907m) & Return to Hunwick’s Camp
After an early breakfast you will start your trek between 4:30 and 5:30 a.m., based on the conditions and how strong the trekkers are.
At the beginning of the Stanley Glacier, you go up to its middle and then turn left toward Cheptegei Peak. When you get to the viewpoint, you can see the rocky ground below after crossing the ice. Next is a short rock climb. It is slow but steady because there is less oxygen at high altitudes.
At the top of Cheptegei Peak (4,907m), you can see Alexandra Peak, towns in the Congo, Mount Speke, the Bujuku Valley, Portal Peaks, Elena Peak, and lakes on the Congo side.
The drop goes straight back to Hunwick’s Camp.
Day 8: Hunwick’s Camp to Park Gate (Nyamwamba Valley)
One of the most beautiful parts of the Rwenzori is the plunge down Nyamwamba Valley. The trail goes by rocks covered in moss, waterfalls, deep valleys, and woods full of trees. It took six years to find this route, which goes through a valley that early traveller’s thought was impossible to cross and you can see Rwenzori Red Duikers along the river. The path goes past a lot of waterfalls and up a short hill. It then goes down through a thick forest to Forest View Camp for lunch and then continues on to the park gate.
Tour Inclusion
- Ruwenzori days
- Accommodation and meals on full board on the mountain
- English speak guide
- Park entrance
- Ice climbing equipment (ice axe, crampons, helmet, harness and ropes
- As well as gumboots
- Accommodation on the mountain
- Meals as you hike
- 2 ranger guides
- 2 porters per person
- Cheff/cook
Tour exclusion
- All personal expenses