Rwenzori Mountains Trek

About This Tour

The Rwenzori Mountains straddle the equator yet carry permanent glaciers on their peaks — a paradox that has captivated explorers since Ptolemy first marked them on his maps as the "Mountains of the Moon." This 8-day expedition follows the Central Circuit to Margherita Peak (5,109 m), Africa's third-highest summit. You ascend through five distinct vegetation zones in a single trek: lush montane forest draped in old-man's-beard lichen gives way to giant heather, then bamboo thickets, then an alien landscape of 5-metre-tall Senecio and Lobelia plants found nowhere else on earth. Above 4,000 m the terrain turns to Afro-alpine bog and rock, with glacial tarns reflecting jagged ridgelines. Nights are spent in mountain huts positioned at strategic elevations for proper acclimatisation, and Bakonzo porters — whose ancestors have lived in the Rwenzori foothills for centuries — carry the heavier gear. Summit day begins before dawn, crossing the Stanley Glacier under headlamp before sunrise illuminates the Congo Basin to the west. This trek demands strong fitness and prior high-altitude experience, but rewards with one of Africa's most visually extraordinary journeys.