Trekking in Uganda

Uganda shares borders with Zaire and Rwanda. Much of Zaire is mountain and rainforest and the terrain is some of the most difficult in the world. Bwindi is one of the last places where the mountain gorillas still survive. Most backpackers come to the camp ground where it costs about six dollars a night. There are pit latrines that are just a hole in the ground so for the faint hearted be warned. The facilities are basic and tracking gorillas can take hours or a whole day so you will need a good tracking guide. It is a good idea to wear protective clothing because there are stinging plants and the animals might touch you. Only twelve people per day are allowed to see the gorillas. A major conservation effort is under way to protect the mountain gorillas and so far it has been successful. poaching has been a major threat and gorillas can get killed by them. The guide will track the gorilla pack and tell you where they are going and sometimes you can come across elephants as well. You cannot get too close to the gorillas by law. The forest is so thick that most of the time they are well hidden and can live for up to forty years.

The Kasese road passes through the Queen Elizabeth National Park. Nowadays the parks of uganda are pretty safe to visit. The herds are increasing in size. The market town of Kasese is the nearest town to the Rwenzori Mountains. The hotel Saad is a favourite for travellers. For fifteen dollars a night you will possibly get hot water, a mosquito net over the double bed. Book at the Rwenzori MOuntain office for your trek to the Mountains. You will have to take porters and guides and buy food in Kasese such as rice or pasta. Sometimes sign language is easier than speaking. Make sure you buy the food for the trek such as rice, aubergine, boots, watermelons, gloves. The Rwenzori Mountains need lots of preparations if you want to trek there.

The Rwenzori Mountains stretch along the Uganda-Zaire border. The trek takes about six days and starts from the village of Ibanda and then winds it way to John Matte Hut, Biga Hut, Bujuku Hut, Elena Hut and ends at the Margherita Summit at over 15,000 feet(5100 meters) - it is the highest peak on Mount Stanley. There are huts for tourists where you can sleep at the end of each days walk. You could walk for eight hours per day and take lots of water and eat lots of food on the trek. The scenery changes from tropical rainforest to snow. It rains a lot here and the track can disintegrate into a mud bath. The mud at times can be unbearable and trekkers often turn back after a few days. The river run fast and hard and can take lives of villagers and trekkers. The guides and porter are essential and may cost up to three hundred dollars for the trek. An army ration pack will give you all you need for twenty four hours and are good to take along on your trek. The porters have lots of fun and trekking parties are the local tribes source of income so they love the tourists.

The nights can be cold and the temperature drops a degree every hundred meter of height. You will need the right equipment and be an experience climber or go along with one. This is one of the toughest treks in Africa so be prepared. The upper reaches of the Rwenzori MOuntains were not explored by Europeans until about a hundred years ago. It is a unique environment because of the height and the wetness due to tropical rains. If you are sleeping outdoors heating rocks can be a good idea because it is freezing at night when you are trying to sleep. Anyone who climbs the Margherita Peak is considered a man of courage by the locals and the mountains have special gods to protect them. There is a glacier at the top it is so cold and high. It may even hail and it will be freezing in the hut. In mid August in Africa it is snowing. It is a four hour walk from the last hut to the top of Margherita Peak. It is very cold and difficult to climb and they are called the Mountains of the moon. The fog may come so visibility may be limited, make sure you take ropes and the higher you get the harder it is to take even the smallest step.

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