| Page Views: 2,288 Last Visit to Ruwenzori National Park: - | Ruwenzori Mountains by janiebaxter - last update: Oct 4, 2007 |
My hero Richard Burton, the great African explorer and anthropologist, named the Ruwenzoris "The Mountains of the Moon" and this inspired me to want to see them. Being a lazy coward who hates the cold I felt myself very brave going to the first stage (out of 5!). The Ruwenzoris are on the Western border of Uganda and the highest point is 5100 metres, with the highest peaks being permanently covered in snow. BRrrrrrrrr |
|  | Prepared for a Long Hard Walk At the time I was a lot younger and fitter, and I was well prepared with walking boots and all the right gear. Yet I found this trek really hard! Our goal was only the Nyabitaba hut at 3000 metres but we seemed to be going at a really fast pace. It took us about 4.5 hours to get there and the guides were striding up the mountain like goats while I was wheezing and gasping my way at the back and frequently stopping for booster drinks of Lucozade. When we got there our porters had not arrived with our gear and we waited a long time for a cuppa tea! |
Better at the Bottom than the Top The scenery changed dramatically on our 4.5 hour ascent. At the bottom were pretty huts surrounded by lush green vegetation. Then as we climbed higher I could feel it getting cooler and the trees got less but the grass was very bright lime green. Higher still the grass got more sparse and it became rocky, and there were hundreds of butterflies. Then it became more rocky and less interesting when we finally reached the hut at the first stage where we spent the night in tents.
Surprisingly, I found returning down next morning just as hard going and when I got to the bottom I was glad to be down. My guide was waiting with a beer at 11am! What a wonderful guide he was. I'll never forget Steve, and if he ever reads this, Steve these are for you XXX.
Well, you either like Mountains or you don't and this was the point I realised I don't. Sun, desert, rainforest, beach, islands for me. | | | Bottom of the Mountains of the Moon |
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> Add to your Custom Travel Guide [What's This?]
| Pros: | "Beautiful scenery" | | Cons: | "Hard going to even get up stage 1" | | In A Nutshell: | "I hate mountains - ask somebody else!" |
janiebaxter's Ruwenzori National Park Travel Tips
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Tips: 1 - Photos: 1 | | | | Transportation | Local Customs | | | | Packing Lists | Shopping | | | | Sports Travel | General Tips |
 Comments for janiebaxter about Ruwenzori National Park | | | | |
angiebabe Wed Jul 15, 2009 20:10 UTC
wow! stunning scenery and what an effort and an adventure. I will have to start getting into gear now if Im ever going to make a visit here - and it seems a shame to miss it....(though still a bit scarey going out into such remote areas in Africa!?) |
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