Email us: ruboni.communitytourism@gmail.com | WhatsApp|Call Us: +256752503445
Email us: ruboni.communitytourism@gmail.com | WhatsApp|Call Us: +256752503445
Like about everywhere in the world we had to close our Camp. The positive sign, here in the Rwenzori region where Ruboni Community Camp is located, is that even uptill now not any Covid-19 case has been recorded. It is safe and will stay safe to travel as we are at the end of the road in the western and not densely populated outskirts of Uganda. Besides, to enhance the safety our staff and households have kept isolated, they continue disinfecting and they keep all global/national health precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.
Ruboni Community Camp is prepared to open as soon as the government declares it safe for lodges and travel to re-open. For the guest the opening time will mean that they visit a totally up-dated camp. Mid last year we started planning up-grades and ameliorations of structures. Partly these were executed in the lower season and the Covid-19 lockdown gave us the possibility to complete all the efforts.
Guestrooms, restaurant, lighting in the camp, landscaping as well as the kitchen standards have been uplifted. At the same time the staff and facilities have been boosted to provide you, say, the best service in the Rwenzori area, while ensuring high level hygiene, comfort safety and standards for you, the community members and the environment.
After the re-opening of the Rwenzori tourist area, Ruboni Community Camp will offer a 50% reduction off the normal accommodation rates of the camp for a period of three months. So it will be easy and affordable to discover our area, in fact un known by many, and to make acquaintance with our total updated Camp, our services, our walks, the Bakonzo people and its culture.
Discounted prices
For this special period, we have done the following :
The three price categories are :
| Accommodation bed-only | |||
| Item | UC | FR | FNR |
| Banda (Self-contained) | |||
| Cabins (self contained) | |||
| Room (none self-contained) | |||
| Camping (with own tent) | 5$ | 5$ | 5$ |
| Activities | ||||
| Item | UC | FR | FNR | PER |
| Forest walk | 5$ | 7.5 | 10 | Person |
| Day hill trek | 5$ | 7.5 | 10 | Person |
| Overnighthill trek | 50$ | 75$ | 90$ | Person |
| Village walk | 10$ | 12.5$ | 15$ | Person |
| Traditional dance | 30-50$ | 30-50$ | 30-50$ | Performance |
| Mahoma trek Rwenzori | 310$ | 390$ | 460$ | Person |
Disclaimer:
This discount offer will run for 3 months from the date of lifting the lockdown and will not in anywayreplacing the normal rack rates or tour operator rates. All RuboniCamp rates are in USD and can be paid in both Uganda shillings (at the market exchange rate)and or US dollars, in cash or by credit card.
Ruboni community camp is situated in the Rwenzori foothills. It is a lodge in the outskirts of Uganda, at the end of the world. It is here that the road ends with the rest being mountains and jungles. This village is next to the Rwenzori Mountains National Park. If you stay here, you will witness the Mountains and forest next to the Ruboni community camp property or next to the park. Being at the hillside of Mihunga village, the camp offers a scenic display of the lined foothills in the north and the portal peaks in the west. Sometimes at given points, the Portal Peaks will give way to the high snow peaks of Rwenzori Mountains.
wooden cabins
Is it because of time, fitness or budget that you can’t trek these gorgeous Mountains? We have good news for you! It has now been made easy with Ruboni Community Camp. Mountain lovers don’t necessarily need the seven days to climb to the high peaks in order to experience the Rwenzori. One day and night will be enough to explore these Mountains from the base to the highest peak. On clear days, the treks to the local hills give opportunities of taking the views of the mountains as well as the plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park and Lake George. During the community treks, you realize that the local hills are as beautiful. Looking at the local settlement patterns is mind blowing. You will be inspired by the traditional architectural skills as you enjoy the beauty of the local homes patched in the hilly villages. Some times these homesteads are set along the roads and riversides in the Mubuku valley, giving memorable views during the hill walks.
The camp offers local village tours that give you an opportunity to explore the surrounding area and cultural encounters of the Bakonzo people’s life. These include the hill trek or overnight hill camping. With local guides, guests trek from 1600 to 2400m above sea /level, on one of the highest hills in the village. In the valleys, you will find pocket forests, cliffs and rivers that form magical water falls and rapids. These make memorable moments of the holiday. On top of this hill, you will find the campground that gives you an opportunity to look over the Portal Peaks and take memorable sceneries of Margherita and other high peaks of Rwenzori. Margherita is the highest peak standing at 5109 meters above sea level. It is also the highest point in Uganda and the third highest in Africa.
View from hill top walk
As travelers are increasingly concerned about stage-managed experiences only designed for visitors, at Ruboni Community, visitors have a chance to participate in the real life as it has been lived for hundreds of years. The activities are so easy to arrange on arrival and their prices are affordable. To participate in them, you just need to mention as you arrive at the camp. One of the staff will be available to give you an orientation that will help you to select a tour of your choice. The tours go to the local community residential areas, farmlands, markets and forests, both in and outside the park.
The panoramic view of the Mubuku valley is a key highlight. You will enjoy the scenery of banana gardens, meandering roads and homesteads lined along the landscape. This community is also a perfect gateway for the Mountain trekkers who want to climb the high peaks. Mubuku valley is one of the longest and deep rooted valleys on the Rwenzori. It is located in the central point of Rwenzori mountains. It is through this valley that trekkers access the Rwenzori snow peaks at the shortest and easiest trek through the 6-7 days Ibanda/ Nyakalengijo central circuit trail.
Rwenzori park gate
For those who have ever dreamt of reaching Congo but don’t find it easy, the trek to Margherita is also a chance to get a glimpse of Congo. Margherita peak is dissected by the boarder of Uganda and Congo. The trek to Rwenzori Mountains is probably the safest way you can get to Congo without a visa or security concerns. At certain times of this trek, your porters and guides will introduce you to the views of Congo. If you’re interested in this trek over the mountains, you will need seven days of trekking. This time will allow you to reach Margherita peak and return back to Ruboni community after a successful ascend.
If you’re a wildlife lover, you will love the location of Ruboni Community Camp as you’re likely to find plenty of unique wildlife in this mountainous valley. Ruboni community is home to 7 chameleon species, two of which are not found anywhere else on the earth. You will also find a large variety of birds and an assortment of plant life. Over thirty birds can be spotted from the veranda of the camp. Plants and wildlife here is mainly unique to Rwenzori and may not be easily found anywhere else in the region. The way plants are relevant to the local people is another insight. The local guide will interpret every plant showing you how they either provide food, medicine or other household values to the local families.
Whether you have or haven’t taken a holiday in the rural villages of Uganda, you will find Ruboni community an ideal place to relax from the routine while exploring the nature and culture in the outskirts of Uganda. Most probably staying at the camp will give you an appreciation of this way of living other than the rush and go life at home
After a days work, touring experience, return from the Rwenzori Mountains or stay at the lodge, community member always need an active and entertaining moment. This is the birth of the community traditional dance festival that happens every evening in Ruboni community. This comes in a pack of traditional music and other cultural functions performed by the locals themselves. The performance is well placed in the African village within the Rwenzori Mountains and foothills, giving the visitors a feeling of being in the home of one of the ancient African tribes. it o=also helps to pass on the cultural knowledge to the young generations as a way to uphold the Bakonzo and Rwenzori traditions.
Join this community festive, grab a cold beer, local banana wine or any of the other local drinks and seat with the rest of the locals to enjoy the energy that comes with the rhythm and folklore in the Bakonzo traditional music. The event is organized on specific days every week. On request, this dance can also be organized on any day of ones choice. This arrangement needs to be made in advance.
Traditional dance
What to expect at the performance?
During this dance session, you will be witnessing the dance of the Bakonzo people as it has been performed hundred of years in history. With varied kinds of ancient music instruments, the energetic and taut Bakonzo men and women will use their music to showcase how different life processes ware celebrated. This tribe was originally a forest tribe. All their life depends on the forests including most of the music instruments. You will enjoy both the sounds and the art impeded in the music implements such as the flutes, xylophone, drums, and others that come from forest wood and plant based products.
Duration of the performance:
During the 30 -60 minutes performance, a few songs will be sang, each with a different style of dancing depicting a unique moment in the local traditional life. After each song, a moderator will translate the meaning of the song and when it was sang in the traditional society. Even without interpretation from the moderator, the body language, dialect and sounds will already show.
At intervals, guests are invited to participate. This is an opportunity to share your culture and style with this tribe. You will be inspired to dance, play the drums or explore the Rwenzori though sounds and rhythm of the mountains. During this celebratory function, every moment is a picture moment. You may ask to dress with the traditional dancing costumes and live just like the locals for a moment.
When do the performances take place?
These traditional dance performances are prior scheduled every month. When you reach your lodge near the Ruboni community, at the foot of Rwenzori Mountains, asks for the next time the traditional dance will be happening.
A payment fee will be required per person attending. Payments are done Ruboni community camp or any other hotel to avoid involving money in the cultural function that is intended for social happiness and interaction. The payment made at the hotel is fully passed to the performing group to support their work through payments to individual or in a number of development initiatives of community interest. You’re required to just come with some cash to buy your own extra drinks and gifts during the function
How you can arrange to attend this festival:
The function happens during the evenings, between 6:00 and 7:00pm at Nyakalengijo. Guests are expected to arrive by 5:45pm. The price for attending is 10$ per guest joining this evening function. The payment includes one drink served during the dance performance. More drinks are available for sale on requests. Attendance is easy to arrange. Talk with your lodge staff to direct you to the the venue of the traditional dance. You can contact us to find out the days for the event before arrival or as you plan your visit.
Where to stay and other activities you can do.
For those who want to explore the area more, you have options of other experiences in the area. A long list of lodges is available in the area. If you spend a night at Ruboni community camp or and other lodge around, you will be able to participate in a list of other activities organised by the community. These activities include;
How to get to the dance venue
From Kasese town, you will be heading to Nyakalengijo in Ibanda kyanya town council. Drive 9km on fort portal road and turn left at Kisanyarazi Nkenda electrical terminal. From the terminal, you will drive 16km passing by Bugoye and Ibanda trading centers. The traditional dance venue is located at Nyakalengijo. At an added cost, a bodaboda or cab can be arranged to pick you from any lodge in Kasese, Ibanda or Nyakanlengijo basecamp. Please contact us in advance if you want us to arrange your transfer, attendance or if you want to arrange a private dance session.
As the community members were hibernating to hide from convid19, the river floods came in! The villages on River Mubuku banks have been wiped by a wave of river floods that lasted about four days. This happened when the River burst its banks sweeping property worth billions including; homes, schools, gardens, bridges, household property and woodlots. The incident has broken the communication infrastructure when over five bridges crossing this river have been swept.
Rapids from mountains
Since the Convid19 pandemic, Ruboni community, like the entire Rwenzori region of western Uganda, has not yet recorded any case of corona virus. This doesn’t come as a surprise since the entire Uganda (with over forty million people) has only recorded about 122 cases and no death, by now. Of the total cases, majority comes from incoming track drivers transiting from/ to the neighboring countries.
Broken bridge site
Basing on this, it is evident that Uganda will be one of the safest post-convid19 trip destinations. The government of Uganda is working tirelessly to raise awareness and empower the communities to keep the number of infections low. The health sector has also been boosted to ensure that recovery of the infected few is achieved as quickly as possible, leading to over 50% recoveries by now.
Originally, the local community members of Ruboni were dependent on tourism and agriculture. When tourism and travel was locked due to convid19, the next only option has been agriculture supplying the food and little income using the local travel infrastructure like roads and bridges used by foot. The flooding of river Mubuku floods is a fresh threat to livelihoods since the families are starving, forced to live in crowds when sharing household utensils or not capable to sale their agro-produce to get the necessary cash.
Rivers as seen on the mountains
At the moment, the households need support in form of food, household utensils, temporary shelter restoration, awareness rising about Convid19 and other hygiene deficiency illnesses. As the community uses the only available opportunities of survival for the fittest, we are hopeful that the best is coming. Meanwhile, any assistance to the critically affected families is highly appreciated.
Ruboni community camp will continue to work closely with the affected members of the community to help them settle in during the floods and convid19 pandemic to ensure minimum loss and suffering during the lockdown and the effect of river Mubuku floods.
Lifting the lockdown is likely to come as a precious gift to the Ruboni community people. This will be hope for tourism to resume as another livelihood window. Through tourism, the community generates income from selling their products and services. When tourism returns to normal, it will be a new dawn for this community. Ruboni community is open and ready to hot you as soon as the lockdown is lifted. Choosing to stay at Ruboni community camp during your next trip to Rwenzori is not only an opportunity to use the favorite lodge in the area but also an opportunity to help the community recover from the multiple livelihood challenges resulting from convid19 and Mubuku River floods.
The good news is that, your lodge, Ruboni Community Camp is on the opposite hill side far from river mubuku. It has not been affected by the river Mubuku floods and it is still set to welcome guests as soon as the convid19 lockdown is lifted.
Please stay safe during this lockdown and travel tomorrow. We will be waiting to welcome you to Rwenzori, to make your memorable stay at Ruboni Community Camp as we show you around our community and the Rwenzori foothills.
The following images show the improvements we have done at Ruboni community camp. The upgrade work ended in March 2020, during the convid19 lockdown.
We are sure you will find a perfect and affordable home suited for your dream holiday!
The impact of the global lock-down:
Convid-19 will definitely change the way to travel. At Ruboni community camp, we have had enough of the bad side of this lock-down. We have temporarily closed based on the global and local government health regulations. We will be open as soon as this convid-19 situation ends.
During this time of lock-down, we are working hard on all good changes. We are sure the travelers who will choose to visit Rwenzori Mountains, when travel resumes, will be highly impressed by the changes that at the camp.
The good news is that, Uganda is still proving to be a safe travel destination. Based of the high level experience of managing epidemic and disease outbreak in cases of Ebola, marlburg, polio and others, Uganda has done it again with Convid19. You can look at up to date information and guidelines about the Convid19 in Uganda on the Minstry of health website. Until now, the Rwenzori region where Ruboni community camp is located has not yet registered any case and above all, Uganda has not had any fatality case. With the much effort the government and citizens have put in, we trust Uganda will remain one of the safest destinations in the region.
Looking forward to the next time of travel:
As you stay at home this season, we definitely miss welcoming you to Ruboni community camp. We understand that our guests will travel again soon, because we believe that this is not the end. We also appreciate that our guests will come with much zeal and love for unique and quality services. When that travel time comes, we will be set to offer the highest value for money to our guest, than ever before.
We have upgraded Ruboni community camp:
During this convid-19 lock-down, we have taken an opportunity to complete the upgrades of Ruboni community camp that started by the end of 2019, when we worked with an expert from PUM Neatherlands. We are sure that, when our guests come at the end of this pandemic, they will find an all-new accommodation and tour experience that will be offered by Ruboni community camp, in the Rwenzori foothills.
The time spent at home has probably gotten our guests even more ready for this new memorable experience in the rustic foothills. Being the oldest camp in the Rwenzori that was constructed in 2005, the design facilities and finishing were getting obsolete. We have redone the furnishings and fittings to make the camp cozy and up to date, based on today’s traveler demands. The summary of the improved areas include, lighting, landscaping, guest rooms, bedding, restaurant, kitchen, bathrooms and toilets, parking area, signposting and community tours enrichment.
Extra Online appearance:
We have also improved the website usability. You will find more information when you visit it at www.rubonicamp.com. From the same website you will be able to send inquiries, read our latest news and or place your booking. you can also find us on other popular Online travel directories and platforms of choice.
Easier and flexible payment systems:
Our payment is now easier as you have options of paying cash on arrival, wire transfer before arrival or credit card. Our two online payment service provider are PesaPal and TAB. These two allow you to pay either on or before arrival.
We made it easier to explore Rwenzori:
With a new option of guests exploring the Rwenzori in the shortest time, it is now possible to go for day forest walks, village cultural tours or overnight treks without entering the national park and come with memorable experience of Rwenzori mountains.
Affordable price and value for money:
The price of our services is pocket friendly. Guests can choose to buy each item separately or to select from the packages that are developed basing on the differences in time of travel, budget and other travel factors.
We eagerly wait to unveil this upgraded facility to you during your next visit.
The community in the Rwenzori foothills has introduced a unique, off the beaten path, experience of looking for wildlife in the most customized way. It is the new chameleon trail. This trail is located in a pristine area of the rich tropical rain-forest. Originally available to farmers, the community has converted this buffer into community nature reserve. The existence of the various types of chameleons in this property has turned the formally farm land into a must visit part of the Rwenzori Mountains.
The experience of spotting and studying chameleons in their natural habitat is unique to any other wildlife viewing experience. These small gentle reptiles have a story worth learning. From the way they live to the way they feed. Everyone will find a life lesson by observing the life of chameleons. Realizing how such a slow creature survives the jungles is inspiring.
In this part of Uganda, culture has played a great role towards chameleon survival. During the tour, you will learn what the Bakonzo culture believes about these small animals.
You will find the trail quite interesting learning the specific plants liked by chameleons and why these plants are so dear to them. Every time you spot a chameleon, you will have an opportunity to watch its behavior through the processes of movement marched with changes of skin colors and how they protect themselves.
Have you ever seen how chameleons hunt? Take a picture moment as the chameleon hunts for flies and other small insects. Chameleons are slow but they will never miss their targeted pray. One need less than 20 milliseconds to grab the pray. They propel the tongue that is two times their body length, punching their pray by surprise. Chameleons have a life lesson for you. These gentle creatures will inspire everyone who takes a chance to spend some time with them. You will realize that there is great power in patience and focus when you see the chameleon grabbing all sorts of fast running and flying insects.
The route and habitat:
The trail starts at Ruboni community camp where preparation and orientation is done. You will walk through the local community coffee gardens, by the homesteads until you will be immersed into the rain-forest. Special plants where chameleons stay are well known to the local guide who will be showing you around. To see the chameleons, you will have to focus and be slow in movement. This is when you will see how these local guides have mastered their game when it comes to finding chameleons in the wild.
In the Rwenzori area only, you have a chance of finding up to seven types of chameleons. These include; Tolley’s forest Chameleon, Johnston’s three-horned chameleon, Carpenter’s chameleon, strange horned chameleon, Elliot’s Groove-throated Chameleon, Montane side-striped chameleon and boulenger’s pygmy chameleon. Different chameleon’s types live in different habitats basing on their feeding and living habits. All chameleons have a tool of changing colors for various biological and environmental reasons. You will learn all these discoveries while on the chameleon trail. The trail can be taken any time of the day but it is always better in the mornings and evenings when the weather is cool and easier to trek longer.
This chameleon trail is a full habitat. The forest is neighboring Rwenzori mountains national park and you will certainly be within the national park habitat during the entire tour. During the walk, you will have many other opportunities of enjoying the rain-forests, water falls, birds, and sometimes primates that may have visited from the park.
Specifically, travelers going to queen Elizabeth or visiting Rwenzori mountains National Park will find this an ideal stopover activity. It is easy to travel from queen Elizabeth and do this experience. Better still, guests staying at the Rwenzori base camp will find it even easier. In both cases, this activity can be arranged in advance by contacting the organizers before arrival.
Please note that, the chameleons are in their natural habitat and limited contact or dislocation may be encouraged by our guides, for their safety. despite having to look for them, all our guests have had 97% chance of finding these lovely creatures as we have recorded no visitor who has failed to find them so far.
The chameleon walk is organized by Ruboni community camp. Besides this trail, Ruboni community camp offers other community trails that will give you full opportunity of exploring the Rwenzori Mountains. These include the village cultural tour, the hill climb tour, the overnight hill trek or the treks into Rwenzori Mountains that enable you to explore both the short and high peaks of the mountain of the moon.
With readily available accommodation, you can choose to stay overnight in the newly renovated guest rooms at Ruboni community camp, whose standards have been uplifted to cater for the level of comfort that you may require.
This is how to get to Ruboni community where the chameleon trail is conducted. They We can also organize the transfers from Kasese town and back. In case you want to add this chameleon on a longer Uganda trip. Please contact any tour operator and they know how to get you to Ruboni community camp, Rwenzori.
If you will be visiting Queen Elizabeth, Kibale forest and or Rwenzori Mountain National Parks, Ruboni community cultural experience is worth adding on your activity list. In 2-3 hours, this community trail will show you the full life of the Bakonzo tribe.
The Bakonzo people belong to an indigenous tribe that lives in the Rwenzori foothills. It is one of the smallest tribes in Uganda with majority of them living in Congo, on the other side of the Rwenzori Mountains. It is one of the most gifted and talented making them able to tame the steep hills and turn them into homes.
Due to modernity, their culture seems to be fading away. However, this community trail takes you to the unique locations within the rustic villages where you will discover the local life as it has been lived hundreds of years ago.
Parts of the tour
The tour is on foot through a rural setting. During the walk, you will be observing the culture, livelihoods and lifestyles. Along the three hours journey you will visit five selected homesteads in Ruboni village that will give you an opportunity to participate in the true culture of this tribe. Each of the homes welcomes you to share their local life story when you see how they live. You will also have plenty of opportunities to participate in these activities like any of the other family members. The homesteads visited on this trail include;
The traditional story tellers’ home:
At the home on the edges of Mubuku valley, you will meet Mr. Mateke and share some of the key traditional stories of Bakonzo life. The home is parched on the hillside giving an opportunity to take some good views of the valley. Listening to this story is an opportunity to learn beyond what you see in the village. You will learn how the traditional knowledge, skills and power were passed on the younger generations in the Bakonzo family. The stories include marriage moments, child naming moments, crop farming and harvesting processes, food preparation processes or a whole lot of them. Oral history is still treasured among the Bakonzo culture. The elders seat with the young generation to share these stories as a tool of education and empowerment.
The black smith making local tools:
After crossing river Mubuku, you will reach a beautiful setting by the riverside with the black smith spot where he shapes the useful household tools out of old sheets of metals. You will see how this is done using a handful of local tools. While here, you will enjoy a beautiful rocky natural background with water rapids and the cold breeze. Under a shade made of banana leaves you will see a sleek fire being blown by this small but efficient traditional fire blowing tool made out of special wood, animal skin and two hand sticks. This apparatus is operated by pushing two parallel sticks tied to the skin over the wooden fire tool with a hole leading the air to the fire through one end.
The local families’ would hardly afford a knife in their kitchen if this man gave up his job. This small tool workshop is so important to the local families for the provision of knives, pangars, slashers, hammers, traditional music bells crafts making tools, spears and others. The local guide will translate to English the presentation of the black smith made in the local dialect. You will then be invited to participate in all the work of making tools, after which you will be able to buy some tools from a display.
The traditional healers’ home:
In this village, modern medicine has not completely wiped out the use of culture to heal sicknesses. You will be impressed by learning the healing tricks and remedies of this local tribe. Dressed in skins, the traditional healer will show you how he treats local sicknesses to earn his living. The two pieces of sticks, a traditional stool and his pair of hands are all he uses to communicate the fate of his patients. The traditional healer will show you how he addresses home conflicts, witchcraft, misfortunes and other simple emotion related sicknesses using his healing power and concoctions. At the end of every treatment process patients are given concoctions that they use to regain their normal desired state of health. During the visit, you will view and see how the traditional healer works his trades through his life. If you’re brave and willing, the traditional healer may give you a tip of your fate on demand
The basket weavers’ home:
During the visit to this home, you will be taken through the process of making certain handicrafts using local materials from the grasses, crop residues or recycled items. Spend a few minutes observing how the crafts are made. Take an opportunity to make your own or contribute to the already started piece of craft. Besides, the activity is done in the local home setting, giving you a feeling of living like a local in this African village.
Craft production is an ancient skill in this rural mountain culture. After the farm work, family members stay at home together. During this time, every member, especially the women are producing a series of different handicrafts while teaching the young children how to do this trade. At present, women still produce handicrafts for domestic use to save on the money spent to buy modern utensils but also to generate some income when they sale surplus crafts in the market and to the tourists.
The local farmer and coffee roasting experience:
On arrival at this home, you will be taken on the tour through the farm, to learn the processes of how everything is grown. You will then explore the coffee farming and production. The coffee tour will cover the process of planting, tending, and harvesting, processing and roasting. You will be participating in all the stages of coffee farming until you make your own coffee powder. Sitting in the local kitchen with the household gives you an opportunity of understanding the real life in rural Africa. At will, you will be able to take some of the coffee that you have made with your own hands, since the family is willing to pack this coffee for you at an affordable price.
It is a local family with a home located on the farm; the crops grown include vanilla, bananas, coffee, serials and other vegetables. The wealth of fertile soil on this farm will almost grow everything put in the ground. The household collects most of their food needs from the garden and the surplus is sold for income.
The the village trail is culminated by going to the crafts shop to buy some of the local crafts souvenirs This is a moment to support the local community buy buying some of the crafts produced by the local families. You may also choose to attend the traditional festival in the late afternoon.
The overnight hill trek tour organized by Ruboni Community Camp is a shortcut option of the long and costly Rwenzori trekking. In a few hours of walking and one night of outdoor camping, you will be able to take memories of the highest peak of the Rwenzori Mountains. The budget is good too. Just 100$ of your trip budget covers everything on this trek. It is probably the cheapest trek you will find in Uganda that gives you an opportunity to experience Uganda’s highest point easily, cheaply, and affordably.
The trek involves spending a night on the community peak that is 2400 meters high. You trek through the villages, farms, and on the hills leading you to the scenic ridges. Giving you one of the most rewarding views, these ridges overlook the mountains and residential communities in the Mubuku valley. You will be amazed by this trail that is off the beaten path. The trekking is entirely clear, full of scenic picture moments. In the early morning and late evening, while on the top, you will have a chance to clearly view Margherita peak.
Margherita is the highest point on the Rwenzori Mountains standing at 5109 meters above sea level. It is also the roof of Uganda and Congo as it seats on the border of these two countries. You will also be able to view Lake George in Queen Elizabeth national park. During the stay at the top, utilize the chance to scan the surrounding lowlands, mountains, forests at different angles. This is a great opportunity to take some of the best pictures of the scenery on the Rwenzori Mountains.
Besides the mountains and scenery, this trek gives you a lot more as you learn the local life. You will be walking in residential villages and hillside farms. This is the opportunity to learn how the local people live on the Rwenzori foothills. Your guide will be interpreting everything since the local residents fully understand the local way of life. The common sight will be the local crops, the local housing architecture, households processing local crops, and or learning how the local community members manually grow and carry their produce from the farms over the hills without the need for cars and other modern machinery.
Process and tour content:
On arrival at Ruboni community camp, you will be welcomed and then make your lunch order, meet the guide and start packing your luggage. After a well-deserved lunch, you start trekking. The trek will take a maximum of three hours to the top but can take longer or shorter depending on the pace. you will have a light dinner snack at the top of the hill. After the snack, look for the best viewing moments and then bed night. Early morning you will wake up at around 5:00 am to look for the viewing moments targeting the sunrise and the Margherita views. This will go on up to 7:00 when you will prepare for your return to the camp. On arrival at the camp, you will take a good shower and a well-deserved breakfast.
This is why this trek is the cheapest and most rewarding you will find in Uganda. its price includes all three meals, the guide, the porters, the energy, the camping gear, and the entire experience of trekking.
This trek is located outside the park on the border and therefore no park fees are charged. It is also a good acclimatization route for the high Rwenzori peaks. Even though we know you’re strong and able to make it to the top of Rwenzori, you may reach moments when you doubt your ability to climb. This hill trek will be a suitable trial trek on the first day of arrival as you prepare for the multi-day trek to the Rwenzori peaks.
Packing list:
The list of what to take on this trek is simple and brief. You can refer to the longer Rwenzori packing list or you can take the following;
The rest of the gear including tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, catering facilities, and energy are included in the price. Each guest goes with a minimum of two local supporters (guides/ porters)
To take this hill trek tour during your next visit to Rwenzori, please contact us and we will place your reservation.
Arrival: You will transfer from Kasese town arriving at the base camp 1600m at Ruboni community camp (BB)
Day 1: Park gate – Lake Mahoma (3,515 meters): After breakfast, start trekking with your local guide on Mahoma trail through Omuka Kizza Camp. You will trek through lush forested ridges and valleys or Rwenzori, up to Lake Mahoma. For overnight in wilderness camping. (4-5hrs) Lake Mahoma camp (FB)
Day 2: Lake Mahoma – Guyeoman (3.261m): After an early breakfast, take a few pictures of the lake then trek through the bamboo forest. Interesting to many birdwatchers, you will join the central circuit and trek clockwise, past ascending the Kichuchu cliffs then head to Guyeoman through a relatively open flat zone with great chances of taking the mountain scenery (5-6 hrs) Guyeoman camp (FB)
Day 3: Guyeoman – Nyabitaba – base camp (1646m). This day is dedicated to descend to the camp of Nyabitaba. Expect some tricky points since the terrain is often slippery and boggy. After Kichuchu rock the trail will become easier passing through bamboo forests. Lunch break at Nyabitaba and then descend in the central circuit for more three hours to the base camp (5-7 hrs)
End of trip
Please contact us for the most friendly prices and reliable services to take you on this, short but memorable adventure.
