How hard is climbing Rwenzori mountains
How hard is climbing Rwenzori mountains: Answering a traveler who would love to hike mountain Rwenzori about how hard climbing is can be a tough one. Tourists who intend to hike Rwenzori mountains should know that they can make the hike either hard or easy. A number of factors determine how hard Rwenzori Mountain Climbing can be. Whether hard or not, most hikers will be able to reach a certain level or even the summit of Mountain Rwenzori.
Mountain Rwenzori is the tallest mountain in Uganda and the third tallest in Africa. The summit of Rwenzori Mountains is at 5109 meters above sea level. Hikers climbing Mountain Rwenzori can hike up to Mount Stanley the tallest point on Mount Rwenzori or any other peak depending on the number of days they have. Hiking Rwenzori mountains can be hard or easy depending on a number of things which we shall look at.
How difficult is it to climb Rwenzori?
How hard is climbing Rwenzori mountains can be determined by the level of fitness of the hiker, hiking trail used, and the nature of the hiking trails. Regarding fitness, hikers should come well-trained and physically fit if they want to find it easy hiking Mount Rwenzori . Hikers are asked to start doing enough exercise about 3 to 4 months or more before the start of the safari.
The hiking trails used when climbing Rwenzori mountains will also determine if the hike is easy or hard. There are three hiking trails in Rwenzori mountains which include Kilembe trail, Central Circuit trail, and Bukurungu trail. These trails are all different in nature and take a different number of days. Some hiking trails are easy to hike while others are fair and this is why you need a tour operator to choose what is best for you.
The nature of hiking trails on the slopes of Rwenzori can make hiking easy or hard. When it’s the dry season from June to September and December to February and the hiking trails are dry and easier to pass through, hiking becomes easy. During the rainy season which occurs from March to May and October to November, too much rainfall makes the hiking trails slippery which makes it hard for hikers to pass through.
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Wet and slippery hiking trails.
Mountain Rwenzori receives rainfall all throughout the year and has glaciers, especially in the rainy season. The hiking trails on the slopes of Mountain Rwenzori tend to be slippery most months of the year. During the rainy season, it’s worse because there is heavy rainfall received meaning that the trails stay wet and slippery all throughout the months.
When the hiking trails are wet and slippery, it makes hiking difficult for the hikers to climb easily. The hikers will need walking sticks to help them balance during hiking. They will also need to move slowly so that they don’t get accidents. In the rainy season, hikers will always find it hard when hiking because of the slippery hiking trails but those that will hike during the dry season it might not be hard because the hiking trails are dry.
How to make Rwenzori hiking easy for you?
Train for the terrain
To make Rwenzori hiking somehow easy, you need to do enough training before hiking. Your level of fitness will determine how hard climbing Rwenzori Mountain is. Hikers who do enough training find hiking Rwenzori mountains easy compared to those who are not fit enough. Hikers who are looking at reaching the Rwenzori summit need to know that it will take 7 to 9 days and 5 to 8 hours hiking.
Hikers on Mountain Rwenzori should come well prepared to pass through different types of terrain. Some areas are easy to walk through while others are hard because of the rocks. During the rainy season, the hiking trails are very difficult to pass through because they are wet and slippery. Each day on Mount Rwenzori can be very challenging and you need to come well prepare for it.
We usually tell our tourists to spend 4 to 5 days a week doing serious exercises for about 3 to 4 months or more before the start of the safari. Exercises can be done in a gym or back home on the hills 4 to 5 days a week. The more training you get the more fit you be for Rwenzori hiking. When you come for Rwenzori hiking physically fit it means that you will find going through the hiking trails easy for you.
What to pack for Rwenzori hiking?
Bringing the right equipment for hiking activity on Rwenzori Mountains national park a bit easier. When coming to hike Rwenzori Mountains national park you need to have the right equipment and in case you don’t know some of them it is better you ask your tour operator and they help you out.
The hiking gear list for Rwenzori Mountains national park includes a sleeping bag, backpack, long-sleeved clothes, long-sleeved shirts, body belt, stocks, waterproof hiking shoes, ankle gaiters, sunglasses, hats, gloves, toilet tissue, torch, travel towel, wet wipes, headlamp, insect repellent, sunscreen, drinking water bottle, energy giving snacks, a camera, and a pair of binoculars.
What would be the best time to hike Mountain Rwenzori?
The dry season is arguably the best time to visit Rwenzori Mountains national park. The season happens from June to September and December to February when the area receives little or no rainfall and plenty of sunshine. Hiking is best done in the dry season because that is when the hiking trails are dry and passable. When the ground is dry it means that the hikers will easily walk through and getting to the summit will take a few days.
During the dry season, there is plenty of sunshine and this keeps the skies very clear which leads to good views of the attractions on the slopes of the mountain and the surrounding areas. During the dry season, the vegetation on the slopes of Mountain Rwenzori dries up and becomes short which leads to clear views of attraction on the mountain and the surrounding areas.
Hikers can still come to Uganda and hike Mountain Rwenzori in the rainy season which occurs from March to May and October to November. During the rainy season, there is plenty of rainfall and too much coldness within the park. The hiking trails are muddy and slippery which makes it difficult for hikers to walk through the hiking trails. The skies are dark during the dry season and this leads to unclear views of some attractions.
Too much rainfall supports the growth of vegetation and once it has grown tall it means that hikers will not be able to see some of the attractions on the slopes and those surrounding the mountain. Hikers who go climbing Rwenzori Mountains during the rainy season get discounted accommodation facilities and cheaper hiking packages.
