The size of Rwenzori Mountains National Park is 996km2, and it runs for almost 120km along the DR Congo border, west of Kasese and Fort Portal. The Rwenzori Mountains National Park was gazetted in 1991 and was recognized as a World Heritage site in 1994 and Ramsar site in 2008. It’s highest point is 5,109m above sea level and it sits on Mount Stanley’s Margherita Peak. Mt. Stanley is bisected by the border with the DR Congo.
Origin of the Size of Rwenzori Mountains
Rwenzori is not volcanic like East Africa’s other major mountains but it is a block of rock defaulted through the floor of the Western Rift Valley. The mountains were christened the ‘Mountains of the Moon’ by the Alexandrine geographer Ptolemy in AD 150.
The explorer Henry Murton Stanley placed the size of Rwenzori Mountain on the map on 24th May 1888, labeling it as ‘Ruwenzori’, derived from a local name which means ‘Rain-Maker’ or ‘Cloud-King’.
Rwenzori Mountains – fabled ‘Mountains of the Moon’, lie in western Uganda along the Uganda – Congo border. The equatorial snow peaks include the third highest point in Africa, while the lower slopes are blanketed in moorland, bamboo and rich, moist montane forest. Huge tree-heathers and colourful mosses are draped across the mountainside with giant lobelias and ‘everlasting flowers’, creating an enchanting, fairytale scene.
The oldest recorded person to reach Margherita Peak was Ms. Beryl Park aged 78 in 2010.
Wildlife and Activities on Rwenzori Mountains
Rwenzori Mountains National Park protects the highest parts of the 120km-long and 65km-wide Rwenzori mountain ranges. The park also hosts 70 mammals and 217 bird species including 19 Albertine Rift endemics, as well as some of the world’s rarest vegetation.
Rwenzori Mountains are a world class hiking and mountaineering destination. A nine-to-twelve-day trek will get skilled climbers to the summit of Margherita – the highest peak – though shorter, non-technical treks are possible to scale the surrounding peaks. Hiking Rwenzori in Uganda, is now one of the most exciting experiences by many visitors coming in Uganda. For those who prefer something a little less strenuous, neighboring Bakonjo villages offer nature walks, homestead visits home cultural performances and accommodation, including home-cooked local cuisine.
On the other side, straddling on the Kenyan border east of Mbale is Mount Elgon National Park, the eighth highest mountain in Africa. The mountain rises from the broadest base of any freestanding mountain in the world. Elgon is the relic of an extinct volcano.