Which part of Africa is Rwenzori Mountains national park
Which part of Africa is Rwenzori Mountains national park? Rwenzori Mountains national park is one of the many national parks in Africa. This national park is located in the eastern part of Africa. Rwenzori Mountains national park is located in Uganda which is one of the countries found in East Africa. Uganda is located north of Tanzania and west of Kenya. In Uganda Rwenzori Mountains national park can be found in the western part of the country.
Rwenzori Mountains national park is located in western Uganda in the Albertine Rift Valley region. The national park is located on the borders with the DR Congo with some parts joining Virunga national park. Mountain Rwenzori national park is a 998 sq. km piece of land that extends to Kasese, Kabarole, and Bundibugyo district.
The location of Rwenzori Mountains national park favors tourists who would love to visit Semuliki national park as it is located in the north of the park and Kibale forest national park as its located west of the park. Rwenzori Mountains national park is about 400 km by road from Entebbe and this is about 5 to 6 hours drive.
Getting to Rwenzori Mountains
Rwenzori Mountains national park is located in western Uganda and can be accessed by both road transport and air transport. Road transport is the most used means of transport used by tourists traveling to Rwenzori Mountains national park and this is because it’s affordable. It’s about 400km from Kampala to Rwenzori Mountains national park and this is about 5 to 6 hours drive.
Tourists from Entebbe/Kampala can access Rwenzori Mountains national park using different routes. Kampala/Entebbe via Mityana, Mubende, Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo, fort portal, and Bundibugyo. Kampala/Entebbe via mpigi, masaka, lyantinde, Mbarara, ibanda, kamwenge and kasese to the park.
Tourists who use road transport to Rwenzori Mountains national park should know that the time taken to get to the park normally depends on the speed of the driver, the nature of the roads, and the number of stopovers along the way. The journey to Rwenzori Mountains national park has got beautiful roadside sceneries which tourists can always enjoy.
Air transport is the other way tourists can get to Rwenzori Mountains national park but it’s used by luxury travelers since it’s expensive. Tourists who want to fly to Rwenzori Mountains national park use Kasese airstrip because it’s the nearest to the park. Aerolink Uganda and Bar Aviation Uganda are some of the airline companies that have flights from Kajjansi Airstrip and Entebbe International Airport to Kasese Airstrip.
From Kasese airstrip, tourists use road transport to drive to Rwenzori Mountains national park and the hours are always lesser than those of tourists who start driving from Kampala. Whatever means of transport tourists will use will get them to Rwenzori Mountains national park in a single day.
What attractions are found in Rwenzori Mountains national park
Rwenzori mountains
Also known as the mountains of the moon, Rwenzori Mountain is one of the attractions tourists can find in Rwenzori Mountains national park at the borders of Uganda and DR Congo. Mountain Rwenzori has the highest point of the park at 5109 meters above see level and that is Mount Stanely. Rwenzori mountains is the highest in Uganda and third in East Africa.
Any mountain climbers visit Rwenzori Mountains national park to hike Mount Rwenzori. It takes 9 to 12 days to hike Mountain Rwenzori to the highest peak which is Margherita. Hikers can however hike for any days they want and stop at different points of the mountain. Hiking gives tourists an opportunity to meet different things that are found on the slopes of the mountain for example vegetation, lakes, rivers, and wildlife among others.
Animals
70 mammals and 5 primates have been so far recorded in Rwenzori Mountains national park. Tourists who visit this park usually want to see these animals and they do so if they take part in park activities like nature walks. During nature walks, tourists do pass through different vegetation covers which are home to different animals of the park.
Animals found in Rwenzori Mountains national park include Elephant, leopard, bushbuck, giant forest hog, rocky hyrax, Rwenzori otter, black-fronted duiker, African civet, red duiker, giant forest hog, chimpanzee, blue monkey, L’hoest’s monkey, Rwenzori climbing mouse, red colobus, Angola colobus monkey, olive baboon, and black and white colobus monkey to mention but a few.
Bird species
There are over 217 bird species so far recorded in Rwenzori Mountains national park and is said that 19 of these are endemic to the Albertine region. Bird lovers can visit Rwenzori Mountains national park to see the bird species so far recorded there. Birds within this park are seen during guided birding activities with armed ranger guides and birding guides.
Rwenzori mountains national park bird species include Rwenzori batis, olive woodpecker, regal sunbird, Rwenzori turaco, evergreen forest warbler, black billed turaco, grey winged robin, kivu ground thrush, northern fiscal, long-eared owl, white-necked raven, grey-headed nigrita, white-rumped swift, African scared ibis, white wagtail, white-necked raven, lizard buzzard, chinspot batis, white-winged black kit, white wagtail.
African thrush, augur buzzard, black-headed sunbird, toro olive greenbul, black kite, grey heron, lemon dove, black-winged kite, black-tailed oriole, little grebe, common sandpiper, laughing dove, crowned eagle, grey cuckoo shrike, marabou stork, African green pigeon, blue-headed coucal, Eurasian kestrel, African penduline tit, African emerald cuckoo, speckled mousebird, scarce swift to mention but a few.