7 Days Rwenzori Trekking Expeditions - Kilembe Trail Hike

As its well-known that Rwenzori Mountains have two hiking routes that the Kilembe Trail and the Central Circuit that all lead you to Margherita Peak which the best place for hikers in Uganda.

Either you book the 8 Days/ 7 nights Rwenzori central circuit hike or 8 days/ 7 night Rwenzori kilembe Trail you will experience the ultimate adventure goal of reaching to the highest peak on Mt Rwenzori and the highest point in the country with the experienced guide of either Rwenzori mountaineering services or Rwenzori Trekking Services.

The kilembe hike trail is also called as the “Southern Circuit” of the Rwenzori Mountains and its managed by Rwenzori Trekking services(RTS) . The difference is in the hurts and the following will be the hurts :

Sine Hut (2,585 m), Kalalama Camp (3.147m) to Mutinda Camp (3.688 m), Bugata Camp (4.062 m), Butawu Camp (3.974 m), Margherita Camp (4,485 m.) and you will return to Butawu Camp on the same day you will reach at the top, descend to Kiharo Camp (3,460 m.) and finally the rangers post which will make the end of the 7 days Kilembe hiking trail. Book the 7 Days Rwenzori Kilembe hike to enjoy an ultimate rwenzori mountains hiking tour

This trip is 7 Days Rwenzori Kilembe Hike Tour when the client is starting the trip from kasese town ( Rangers post) and it will be ending in kampala or we have an option of jumping an overnight stay in one camp , thats the day you will be going to the peak and return down.

Day 1: Kilembe (1,450m) to Kalalama Camp (3147m)

Day 3: Transfer to Rwenzori with game drive in Ishasha

This is the first day of this masmerising trip that will start from the rangers post and head straight to the Rwenzori national park entrance point into this park and this will mark the official beginning of this hike.

This walk takes you the mountain forest zone where you might have encounters with species of monkeys like the colobus monkeys and the blue monkeys, then birds like the Rwenzori Turaco. You will proceed and reach Sine camp where you will have a stopover and enjoy your lunch and other refreshments. Then you will proceed and reach the first overnight camp at Kalalama which sits at 3,147 m.You will spend the first night at this camp in the cabins where you will be served dinner, get briefed about what will transpire the following day and then sleep over.

Day 2: Kalalama Camp (3.147m) to Mutinda Camp (3.688 m)

On this second day of this hike, you will be up by 7 AM and get ready for the days hike. You will enjoy your breakfast and at exactly 9AM you will set off for this hike that will see you pass through the bamboo-mimulopsis zone, which is steep climb with many high steps. You will reach a resting point where you will a cup of tea and some refreshments.

From this point you proceed along the heather zone, passing by several streams and even waterfalls, all covered by the typical green moss vegetation. You will see a lot of Giant Heather trees, sometimes in a misty atmosphere.

The arrival point of the day is Mutinda Camp, at 3.688 m named after the Mutinda Peaks. From this point, you can climb further to Mutinda Lookout, 3.925 m, about one hour and half walk plus one hour to descend back to the camp.

The place is worth a visit as you stand on moss covered rocks with views across the Rwenzori Mountains, down to Kasese town and Lake George. You will reach this camp late in the evening and check into the cabins for dinner and overnight. You will be briefed about the following day and then retire to your beds.

Day 3: Mutinda Camp to Bugata Camp (4.062 m)

Still on the hike to the peak, here comes day 3 of this trip that will begin at exactly 9 Am that straight away startswith going through the boggy terrain with the typical wet vegetation and tussocks.

You enter the Alpine vegetation zone with the presence of the giant lobelias (Lobellia gibberoa), the groundsel (Senecio adnivalis) and the everlasting flowers as you cross the Mutinda valley. You later climb a steep section up to Namusangi Valley (3.840 m), from where you will enjoy the best view of the Mutinda Peaks.Along the Namusangi Valley you cross various bogs as you climb to Bugata Camp at 4.062 m which is the arrival point of the day.

You will have a view of the Weisman’s Peak of Mount Luigi of Savoy, often covered by the snow. The vegetation area is covered with tussock grass, everlasting flowers, giant groundsel and giant lobelia.

This walk also takes you via lake Kitandara that stretches up to the Democratic republic of Congo.From the nearby Plozza Rock you will get fantastic views of nine lakes down the valley and Lake Nusuranja.

Bugata Camp has good facilities with solar lights, eco-toilets and bathroom. You have dinner and spend the night. You will be briefed about the following day and then retire to your cabins for the night.

Day 4: Bugata Camp to Hunwick’s Camp (3.974 m)

On this day you will wake up and have your breakfast and begin on the hike to the almost the epitome of this hike that started four days ago. After breakfast you will start your hike to climb up Bamwanjara Pass. The trail climbs steadily with several long flat bogs.

As you climb you look back to see the glacial lakes far down in the valley. On reaching the top of Banwamjara Pass (4.450n) you get excellent views of all the main snowcapped peaks where we have a small shelter for you to rest and enjoy the scenery.

This walk leads you down to both lower and upper Kachope lake which is steep and often very muddy but offers fantastic views of Kachope Lakes and McConnell’s Prong. Hunwick’s Camp (3,974m) is the arrival point of the day. The Camp is set on a ridge overlooking snowcapped Mt Baker. Today trekking is about

Day 5: From Hunwick’s Camp to Margherita Camp (4,485 m.)

Day 3: Transfer to Rwenzori with game drive in Ishasha

This is the most important walk of this hike to the Margherita camp which will be followed with making it to the summit the following day. This a walk along the ridge before crossing several wet areas and small rivers coming from Mt Baker and Fresh fields Pass.

The walk up Scott Elliott Pass is enjoyable as you climb through the pass and up the ridge of Mt Stanley to Margherita Camp at 4,485 meters which is below Elena Hut of the Rwenzori mountaineering services.

It is sheltered with a ring of high rocks and it is the original camp used by the Italian Prince Luigi Amadeo di Savoia, Duke of the Abruzzi. From here you have great views of Mt Baker, Scott Elliot Pass and some of the high glaciers on Mt Stanley.

The day’s hike to this camp is 4.2 kilometers. So you will reach here late in the evening and relax a little bit. Then you will prepare and go through what will transpire the following summiting day. So this exercising will entail preparing the ropes, the hiking shoes, ice breaking axes as well as crampons. So you will pass through how to use these equipment and attires. Then you will retire to your cabins for a night.

Day 6: Hike to the Summit and back to Hunswick Camp

This is the D-day of this hike and it will turn out to be the longest and most hectic day yet the most sought after day on this entire hike. So this day will entail waking up as early as 3AM and have your breakfast.

So you will set off at exactly 4AM hiking to Margherita peak of Mt Stanley. This early movement is aimed at making it through the glacier before sunrise as it sunshine makes the glacier totally impassable as it melts.

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 your special food package that you carried from day one at the starting point.

Day 7: Descend back to the Ranger post

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 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 Lobellias and a variety of flowering plants.

After descending a few kilometers, 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 masmerising hike.