Mount Muhabura , Virunga Mountains , Rwenzori Mountaineering services
Mount Muhabura is sometimes referred to as mount Muhavura, it’s one of the extinct volcanos in the Virunga Mountains and it’s located between the border of the republic of Rwanda and the republic of Uganda. Mount Muhabura is known as the third highest of the eight main mountain range. Muhabura is a local word which means guide as referred to by the batwa and bafumbira people.
Mount Muhabura is the tallest at (4,127) meters above sea level with 36 meters wide Crater Lake on its summit, it mainly lies in Volcanoes national park, Rwanda and partly in Mgahinga gorilla national park; it can be viewed from many parts of the Uganda and Rwanda. It’s the tallest and difficult to hike taking a full day including steep climbing ladders
Getting there, Hiking Muhabura Mountain
The park is located in Kisoro district about 10km south of kisoro passing through Kabale, south-western Uganda. It’s about 510kms (8-9) hour’s drive on a good tarmac road from Kampala Uganda’s capital and largest city. You can also reach muhabura (Mgahinga national park) by air using daily flight from Entebbe airport to Kisoro air field about 2 hours using the Aerolink from here you can be picked and taken to the park headquarters in Mgahinga national park. You can use a private means or public means to reach there.
If you hire a self-drive car from any car rental company you drive and head towards the town of Kisoro and its just about one and half hour’s drive from the town of Kabale, from kisoro if you do not know very well the place, you can ask from the town of kisoro for direction and then later drive to Mgahinga gorilla national park headquarters. However, if you hire the car with GPS, it will give you the right direction.
If you’re going by bus once you arrive in Kisoro just ask any motor-taxi to take you to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park headquarters, they’re quite familiar to trekkers coming out for a day hike at mount Muhabura. If you go by tax, it’s advisable to keep the phone number and name of the driver, you can call him to come and pick you up when you’re finished, it’s very hard to walk from Muhabura to the town of Kisoro after long hours of traversing steep terrain.
However, if you book the all package with a tour and travel company, they will organize for you everything including transportation and accommodation, you will be driven either from Kampala or Entebbe to the park. Tour and travel companies have experienced drivers who will drive you with a lot of care up to the park, they will feed you with any relative information you need to know while on safari.
Climbing mount Muhabura
Climbing Muhabura Mountain is one of the most interesting and sought after activity done at Mgahinga national park. The trek begins very early in the morning and the activity is guided by experienced guides and trekkers, in case you need a porter, you can hire one at the park headquarters. The trek to the top is so magnificent; you can enjoy fantastic views over the other five volcanoes and the twin lakes of Burela and Ruhondo.
The hike is rewarding with crater lakes near the summit and the vegetation is most of the time drier than in other areas of the volcanoes national park. Some levels of physical fitness is needed in order to reach the top and the slopes are very steep, The hike will typically take a full day.
Muhabura has a good location to enjoy stunning scenic views of all the Virunga chain of 8 volcanoes as well as snow capped peaks of Mountain Rwenzori.
The hike starts at 7:00am from the park headquarters in Mgahinga national park, from where visitors will have to drive / be driven to the base of the volcano or starting point. The permits for the hike are available at the park headquarters and they can be purchased on the day of the climb, no advance booking is necessary.
What to pack for mount Sabinyo hike
- Pack long sleeved shirts and trousers
- Hiking boots/shoes
- Don’t forget to pack rain coat it can rain at any time in Uganda
- Stocking hat for warmth
- Don’t forget to pack a camera with battery
- Binocular are also essential
- Garden gloves for cold weather at the top
- Packed Lunch and snacks
