Getting to Rwenzori Mountains National Park by road

Getting to Rwenzori Mountains National Park by road: Rwenzori Mountains National Park is one of the national parks tourists look to explore while on a safari in Uganda. This is because the national park has got so many attractions among which include Mountain Rwenzori which is the tallest mountain in Uganda. Other attractions in Rwenzori Mountains National Park include 70 mammals, 5 primates, 217 bird species, lakes, and rivers.

Rwenzori Mountains National Park is located on the western side of Uganda in the Albertine Rift region. The national park of 998 sq. km is located in Kasese, Kabarole, and Bundibugyo district on the borders of Uganda with DR Congo. Tourists can access this national park via Kasese in the south of the park or Bundibugyo which is in the north of the park.

Road transport is the commonly used means of transport to Rwenzori Mountains National Park. Tourists love to use road transport because it’s affordable and the journey is not so long like going to some of the national parks in Uganda. Rwenzori Mountains National Park is located about 380km from Entebbe the main starting point of safaris in Uganda.

By road transport, tourists take 6 to 7 hours to get to Rwenzori Mountains National Park in Kasese or Bundibugyo. The total time taken to get to Rwenzori Mountains National Park from Kampala/Entebbe depends on the speed of the driver and also the number of stopovers. Below are the different routes that connect tourists to Mountain Rwenzori by road.

Two routes can connect tourists to Rwenzori Mountains National Park. The first route is from Entebbe via Kampala, Mityana, Mubende, Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo, Fort Portal, and Bundibugyo. Tourists can also drive from Entebbe via Kampala, Mpigi, Masaka, Lyantonde, Mbarara, Ibanda, Kamwenge, and Kasese to the park.

Road transport to Rwenzori Mountains National Park has so many attractions along the way and tourists do get stopovers to see some of them. Tourists who use the Masaka route to connect to Kasese get an opportunity to see the equator at Kayabwe which is the line that divides the earth into two equal parts. Tourists using this same route also get an opportunity to see some of the animals that live in Queen Elizabeth national park.

The routes that go through Fort Portal give tourists an opportunity to pass via Kibale forest national park. Kibale forest national park is home to the highest number of chimpanzees in the whole world. Tourists that will pass through Kibale will meet some of the animals that live in the park on the roads and among these include the olive baboons.

Both routes mentioned above can get tourists to Rwenzori Mountains National Park but the time taken might defer. The route via Mbarara is longer compared to that via Fort Portal. The route to use will depend on what tourists are interested at seeing and maybe the time they would love to reach the park. Tourists who are looking to reach the park faster are asked to use the route via Fort Portal.

Road transport is not the only way tourists can access Rwenzori Mountains National Park. Luxury travelers or those who hate traveling for long distances can access Rwenzori Mountains National Park using air transport. There are flights from different airline companies that have flights to different national parks including Rwenzori Mountains national park.

Bar Aviation Uganda, Aerolink Uganda, and Kampala Executive Aviation have flights to different national parks including Rwenzori Mountain National Park. Flights for Mountain Rwenzori National Park and at Kasese airstrip which is located not so many km from the park. When flights land at Kasese airstrip, tourists do use road transport to access Rwenzori Mountains National Park which is for a few hours.

Flights to Rwenzori Mountains National Park start from Kajjansi Airstrip and Entebbe International Airport for tourists who are in Entebbe and Kampala. From Kasese airstrip, tourists use road transport to get to Rwenzori mountains national park which is about 1 to 2 hours drive away.

Best time to visit Rwenzori Mountains National Park

Tourists can visit Rwenzori Mountains National Park at any time of the year however some months are better than others. The dry season months from June to September and December to February are the best to visit Rwenzori Mountains National Park. This is because they are characterized by good weather which has little rainfall and plenty of sunshine. During the dry season, the roads leading to the park are dry and passable, walking trails are dry and easier to navigate and the vegetation is short with good views of wildlife.

Tourists can still drive to Rwenzori Mountains National Park during the rainy season which happens from March to May and October to November. The season favors budget travelers who would love discounted tour packages as lodges reduce prices. Tourists should know that during the rainy season, there is too much rainfall within the country and this makes the roads leading to the park muddy and slippery, vegetation is tall with unclear views of attractions and the walking trails are slippery.