Are safaris in Rwenzori Mountains National Park worth the money
Are safaris in Rwenzori Mountains National Park worth the money: Yes, safaris in Rwenzori Mountains National Park are worth the money. If you are a traveler out there and has been wondering if a safari in Rwenzori Mountains National Park will be worth the money you paid well the answer is yes. Rwenzori Mountains National Park is a beautiful park on the western side of Uganda.
Situated in Kasese, Kabarole, and Bundibugyo district where it covers an area of 998 sq. km, Rwenzori Mountains National Park is one of the parks in the western part of the country worth visiting. This national park is home to different tourist attractions among which are Mount Rwenzori, 70 mammals, 217 bird species, 5 primates, rivers, and lakes to mention but a few.
The different activities organized in the park are worth the money and affordable to all kinds of travelers. This is because they leave tourists satisfied as they get to see most of the things they have dreamt of seeing when the get access to the park. Below are the different activities worth the money in Rwenzori Mountains National Park.
Are safaris in Rwenzori park worth the money
Activities in Rwenzori Mountains National Park
Mountain Climbing
The most done activity in Rwenzori Mountains National Park is hiking which takes place of Mount Rwenzori. Rwenzori is found on the western part of the national park where it extends to the borders with DR Congo. Hikers from different parts of the world carry out hiking on this mountain which happens to the tallest in Uganda. Rwenzori Mountains National Park is also the third tallest mountain in Africa with its highest peak on Mount Stanley at 5109m above sea level.
Hiking mountain Rwenzori is done for a number of days but the first day starts with rangers and park wardens briefing the hikers about the rules and regulations of the activity. Later they are driven to the starting point where they are given walking sticks to help them balance while hiking and it’s also the same place where they can hire porters.
Armed range guides join a team of hikers and they do lead them through the hiking trails as they go to the top of the mountain. During the hiking, hikers are able to go through different vegetation zones where they get opportunities to see different wildlife species and other attractions on the mountains which include rivers and lakes.
Hiking is done for any number of days a tourist would want but for those that want to reach the summit, they will need 9 to 12 days. The number of days taken to reach the summit depends on the speed of the hikers as well as the nature of trails. Hiking on the Rwenzori mountains is done to different stages depending on the number of days the traveler has. Whichever stage the hikers will get to will give them an opportunity to take photos, record videos, and much more.
Bird watching in Rwenzori
Foreign non-residents pay $30, foreign residents pay $25 and UGX20,000 is paid by citizens of East African member states. This money is very affordable to all kinds of travelers who would want to see the different bird species living in this park. Over 219 bird species have been recorded in Rwenzori Mountains national park and with a good birder, tourists will be able to see most of them.
Bird watching is a guided activity where armed ranger guides take birds to different birding spots within the park using different birding trails. Birders are able to see bird species such as the Grey crowned crane, rameron pigeon, laughing dove, crowned eagle, grey cuckoo shrike, Rwenzori hill babbler, marabou stork, honeyguide greenbul, Abyssinian ground hornbill, chestnut wattle eye, red sunbird, African penduline tit, African wood owl, African emerald cuckoo, little grebe, handsome francolin, red-bellied paradise flycatcher, black-tailed oriole, white starred robin, long-eared owl, peregrine falcon.
Stripe breasted tit, African swift, little swift, olive woodpecker, African palm swift, dusky kit, African stonechat, levaillant’s cuckoo, grey-headed sunbird, African grey woodpecker, scarce swift, blue-headed coucal, grey tit flycatcher, black-crowned tchagra, eastern plantain eater, snowy crowned robin chat, speckled mousebird, chinspot batis, green hylia, Eurasian kestrel, and red-headed malimbe to mention but a few.
Nature walks in Rwenzori
Mountain Rwenzori National park offers nature walks for tourists to get an opportunity to reach different park areas and meeting different attractions. There are no game drives in Mountain Rwenzori National park and therefore nature walks are the activities that will help you access different park areas. Nature walks are guided within this park and it’s the armed ranger guides who lead the trekkers in the jungle to look for different attractions in the park.
During the nature walks, tourists are able to see different vegetation covers, rivers flowing from Mount Rwenzori, glaciers, rocks, mammals, primates, and birds to mention but a few. Depending on the area visited, some tourists are able to meet local people who live around the park and these will help you in exploring their community. Tourists who want to be part of the nature walks while in Mountain Rwenzori National park should ask their operators to organize one during free times in the park.
What is the most appropriate time to visit Rwenzori Mountains National Park
Tourists can visit Rwenzori Mountains National Park at any time of the year however the best period is the dry season. June to September and December to February are the best months for safaris in Rwenzori Mountains Park. This is because they are characterized by little or no rainfall and they have plenty of sunshine. In the dry season, tourists will find the trekking trails muddy and slippery, vegetation will be short with good views of wildlife, and roads leading to the park will be passable.
Tourists can still visit Rwenzori Mountains National Park in the rainy season for the park is always open. The rainy season happens from March to May and October to November when the park is receiving a lot of rainfall and little sunshine. Tourists who visit the park in the rainy season should know that the walking/hiking trails will be muddy and slippery, vegetation will be short with unclear views of animals and the roads leading to the park will be slippery.
