The Rwenzori Mountains

The Rwenzori is not a volcanic range but a block of ancient rock pushed up along the rift, and it carries the third-highest peak in Africa, Margherita at 5,109 metres, along with some of the continent's last glaciers, which are retreating fast and measurably. What makes the trek unlike anything else is the vegetation on the way up: zones of bamboo, then giant heather hung with moss, then an Afroalpine world of groundsel and lobelia several metres tall standing over black bog. The ground is the defining feature. Much of the lower route crosses waterlogged moss and mud where every step sinks, which is why the Rwenzori has a reputation as the wettest and hardest of Africa's big treks.

Highlights

• Afroalpine zone - giant groundsel and lobelia above the heather belt.
• The glaciers - shrinking ice on Margherita and neighbouring peaks.
• Bigo bog - the notorious boardwalked and unboardwalked wetland crossing.
• The circuit huts - the chain of mountain huts on the central route.

When to go

June to August and December to February are the drier windows, which here means less rain rather than dry. Snow and ice conditions on the summit vary; the technical section needs a climbing guide and equipment.

Before you go

This is the wettest major trek in Africa and the mud is genuinely relentless; gaiters and proper boots are not optional and everything gets soaked. Guides and porters are compulsory and the cost is high. The summit push is a glacier climb requiring rope and crampons, not a walk. Many trekkers do the shorter routes to the Afroalpine zone and skip the peak entirely, which is a sensible choice.

Nearby

Queen Elizabeth National Park lies south; Fort Portal and the crater lakes are north.

Key facts