Mountains in Uganda.
The pearl of Africa is a conserved place for mountains. The mountains include mountain Rwenzori in the western part of Uganda, mount Elgon in the eastern part and so on. Uganda has got the highest peak known as Margarita which is Rwenzori’s highest peak. This peak has increasingly attracted a number of people from whole over the country. The give a very beautiful stunning view of the savannah vegetation, the lakes, forests and so on.
Mountains In Uganda At A glance.
The pearl of Africa has got a very beautiful attraction of mountains which have brought in a lot of income because of their peaks which people like to hike. These mountains have attracted a lot of people from all over. Among the mountains, there is Mountain Rwenzori which is more liked and hiked by most people. This mountain can be accessed by using road transport and air transport through the kalimba trail and the central circuit. The routes start from Kampala, passing through Mubende, to fort portal town. This journey takes over 6 hours to arrive to your final destination.
Since this is an attraction, Adventure in the wild safaris has organized packages and itineraries that include trekking in the Kilembe trail which provides beautiful stunning views of the good-looking peaks, lakes and glaciers.
Alternatively, Uganda has got mountain Elgon with wagagai peak. This is a massive solitary volcanic mountain located on the border of eastern Uganda and western Kenya. Mount Elgon is an extinct volcano that first erupted 24 million years ago.
Putting aside mountain Rwenzori and Mount Elgon, Uganda has got other mountains which include; mount Gahinga, Mount Muhabura, and Mount Sabinyo. All these are located on the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and the democratic republic of Congo.
Different Mountains In Uganda
Mount Sabyinyo
Mount Sabyinyo is a Kinyarwanda word known as Iryinyo meaning a tooth of an old man which represented religious sign of local tribes. This is an old extinct volcano located in the Eastern part of Uganda.
This is the oldest volcano of the Virunga Mountains with a height of 3,669m.
This mountain has got several trails that are quite hard and difficult to hike.
Alternatively, Mount Sabinyo has got several trails that follow the three peaks of the mountain, These trails include; the Gorge trail. This trail takes the clients through the vegetation which is the best route for bird lovers.
You will come across the Ugandan Rwandan border as you continue to trek the second peak of Mount Sabyinyo.
More so, There is a third peak which is quite demanding and as you continue to hike to it, you will get yourself standing in the 3 nations which were bisected by the trail into the borders of Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo.
Mount Muhabura
This is an extinct volcano mountain also known as mount Muhavura. Mount Muhabura is also an inactive volcano in the Virunga mountains found between the boundaries of Rwanda and Uganda with a height of 4127m and clearly visible on lake Mutanda. Mount Muhabura has got an elevation which makes it the third highest of the eight major mountains.
In the official language of Kinyarwanda, Mount Muhabura means ‘the guide’.
Mount Muhabura has got a number of activities including trekking, and hiking and among those, Hiking is the major activity done there. Alternatively, there are other mountains such as Mount Baker and Mount Stanley. All these mountains are hiked in one day.
As we said earlier one of the activities done on mount Muhabura is trekking. However, this activity is quite still demanding, but however, it gives beautiful stunning views of Lake Edward, Bwindi, and the peaks of the Rwenzori Mountains.
Mount Gahinga
Mount Gahinga is a dormant volcano in between the Rwanda and Uganda borders. The mountain is located between Mount Muhabura and Mount Sabyinyo. It is the smallest among all its neighbors with a height of 3473m.
For the beginners of hiking the trails, mount Gahinga is the best for that. It is also derived from the Kinyarwanda word for a ‘small pile of stones.’
Mountain Gahinga has got is a habitat to a number of wildlife including the mountain gorillas because of its bamboo forests
This mountain has got a swampy caldera on its peak which has a width of over 180m.
Mount Stanley.
Mount Stanley is a rock mountain taking the third highest position in Africa after Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya. More so it the tallest among all the six peaks in the Rwenzori mountains having a height of 5109m.
Some activities done on Mount Stanley is mount hiking which requires a lot of physical fitness, and good health. Alternatively, there is also trekking at the peak which is also tire sum and requires physical fitness too.
As we said earlier, hiking to Mount Stanley is not an easy and joking thing. It requires over 8 days to reach the peak. Therefore, you need to be extra prepared for the journey to avoid problems
Mount Elgon
This is a mountain that has got an extinct volcano and is located on Kenya Uganda’s boundaries. Mount Elgon has got the highest peak which is known as Wagagai with a height of 4321m. More so, it has got a moderate size with very nice hiking trails which favor the hiking of tourists.
There is no scientific magic, special trick or tool required while trekking and climbing Mountain Elgon. Therefore, this gives an opportunity and an alternative of trekking in the Rwenzori mountains.
This national park is home to over 2 tribes. These tribes include the Sabiny and the Bagisu whereby the Bagisu tribe very much value Mount Elgon as the physical manifestation of their founding father, Masaba.
A lot of activities have been carried out on mount Elgon and these include; mountain climbing, and bird watching,for example, it has got a total number of over 300 bird species which include, the blue flycatcher, African goshawk and so many others. More so mount Elgon has got a number of wildlife which have continued to attract tourists. This wildlife includes elephants, buffalos, and so many others.
Mount Baker.
This is an isolated stratovolcano and the sixth highest mountain in Africa. Mount Baker has got summits that are mostly covered by glaciers. Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi were the first people to reach these summits Mount Baker has got another name known as white steep mountain which was given by the whites. The peak of Edward reaches a height of 4,844m.
All these mountains including Mount Baker, Mount Stanley, and Mount Speke form a triangle that encloses the upper Bujuku Valley.
Gone are the day’s Mount Baker, and Mount Speke was recognized as a mountain that had glaciers. However, in 2020, when Klaus Thymann’s expedition confirmed that the two mountains no longer had glaciers.
In case one would like to reach the Summit of Mount Baker, you should pass via Hunwick’s camp. This will take you over 5 hours to reach the top and the descending takes over 3 hours.
