5 BEST HIKING SPOTS IN UGANDA
The early morning wakeup calls are worth if they are for trails and spectacular colors of the sunrise on the best Ugandan hiking spots. Uganda is bordered mostly by lake shores on the west but also has got a rim of mountains that offer best hiking opportunities where one can enjoy seeing the beauty of the Pearl of Africa from heights. Below we highlight the best spots to trail while in Uganda.
Morungole Mountains
These are part of the mountains that ring the Kidepo Valley savanna plains and leisurely walks with the help of ranger guides at Apoka in Kidepo valley can be taken up to 2750m where the endangered tribe of the Ik call a scared place.
The Ik are the smallest tribe in Uganda and moved to the mountain to stay away from the then hostile neighbors- the Karimajong.
A cultural tour to the raw north of Kidepo Valley National park can include a hike to the mountains to experience the way of life of these people.
Mount Moroto
North Eastern Uganda hosts some fine mountains with some of the best hiking and walking trails but Mount Moroto has a lot of value attached to it being on a boundary with the Kenya’s Turkana area and home to the Tepeth and So tribes.
Getting off the beaten track can be better way to discover the less discovered mountain in Moroto district. The tepeth were hunter/gatherers who are thought to be the oldest and original inhabitants of the plains in Karamoja. The growth, conservation plans and reduction of wildlife in the area forced them to practice other ways of life like agro-pastoralism and to settle in the mountains of Moroto. You can trail the mountain to experience such a secret gem in the northern part of Uganda.
Mount Elgon
Mt Elgon is one of the less strenuous to climb mountains in Uganda and it can be accessed all year round. For the non-experienced hikers who would love to view the world from heights it requires no experience or hiking equipment.
The 3 trails of Sasa, Piswa and Sipi all take you to the Wagagai peak of this “world’s largest caldera”, Depending of which trail you take, you experience a mix of the Bamasaba community farms, coffee tours, series of water falls, people and culture, view of the Karamoja plains and sights of different and unique bird species.
Volcano Hiking in Mgahinga
Mgahinga Gorilla National park in the south western part of Uganda/Kigezi Highlands is Uganda’s smallest park at 33.7km2 . The park is home to one gorilla family and golden monkeys but unique from other parks as it is made of 3 extinct volcanoes of Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabinyo that part of the Virunga massif.
These stand at 4127m, 3474m and 3645m respectively from Ntebeko briefing point and can be summited in a day with the help of rangers and guides at the park and each of them has its uniqueness when summited like a crater lake on top of Mgahinga and being in the three countries of Uganda, Rwanda and D R Congo at the peak of Sabinyo. It’s a real experience of the African wild walking up the trails at this park.
Rwenzori Mountains
Also known as “Mountains of the Moon” the UNESCO heritage site rises to the height of 5109m Asl. The snowcapped mountain lies in western Uganda on the Congolese border and most of it’s 996km2 can be accessible by hikers. The mountain has 6 main peaks of Stanely at 5109m, Speke at 4890m, Baker at 4843m, Emini at 4798m, Gessi at 4715m and Luigi di Savoia at 4627m.
The mountain is the third tallest in East Africa and despite being astride the equator, the mountain is always covered by snow at Margherita peak. A 7 to 12 days climb will get hikers to summit Margherita with the help of skilled guides and porters.
Hiking is an exciting way to experience the African wilderness and at African Rock Safaris we make it possible by planning hiking safaris and outdoor adventures to different spots in Uganda for our guest to enjoy the secret gems of the pearl of Africa.
