11-Day Rwenzori Margherita Peak to Uganda Coffee Safari

• You'll be collected from the airport.
• Accommodation before the tour starts can be arranged for an extra cost.

Welcome to Uganda

Your adventure begins today when you arrive into Uganda. Your guide from Nandi Adventures will warmly welcome you at the airport before you transfer to your accommodation tonight. Entebbe sits on the shores of Africa's largest (and the world's second-largest) fresh water body, Lake Victoria. Depending on your arrival time, you could explore some of the areas around the lake or the town before settling down for the night.

Main Destination:

Entebbe (City)

Accommodation:

Airport Link Guest House

• Budget guest house located in Entebbe (City)

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Meals & Drinks:

• Meals at own expense
• Drinks not included

Transfer west to the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains

This is largely a travel day from Entebbe to the western town of Kasese. Transfer by road from Entebbe International Airport to Kasese airfield at the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains in western Uganda. Our guide will pick you up early so you can have a more comfortable 6-7 hour drive to the Rwenzori Mountains, also famously known as the Mountains of the Moon. Once in Kasese, check into your hotel to rest or explore town as you prepare for the next day's start of the mountain trek.

Main Destination:

Kasese (Town)

Accommodation:

Sandton Hotel Kasese

• Mid-range hotel located in Kasese (Town)

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Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included)
• Drinks not included

Start hike into the Rwenzori Afro Montane Forest

This is the start of the Trek:
After an early breakfast at your hotel in Kasese, your guide will drive you to the trek starting point at Trekkers Hostel. The trek starts off at 1450 meters as you. After the briefing from the guides, start the trek into the famed Mountains of the Moon. You destination is at Sine Camp 2596m above sea level. Warm dinner and overnight here.

Main Destination:

Rwenzori Mountains (Mountain Range)

Accommodation:

Sine Hut

• Budget mountain hut located in Rwenzori Mountains (Mountain Range)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Bamboo Zone and Mystic Heather Trees

Hike to Mutinda Camp at 3,588 meters (11,752ft), giving you a height gain of 992m (3,255ft). The trek ends in Mutinda Camp, which sits near a small waterfall. You will be staying here for the night. You can now wash, refresh and simply enjoy being in the Mountains of the Moon. Or if you do have what it takes, climb up to the Mutinda Lookout -3975m (13,041ft) - which is one and a half hours up, and one hour down. You will be rewarded with great views of Kasese town and on a clear day, even Lake George in the savanna plains farther away in the Queen Elizabeth National Park. This afternoon trek is also good for acclimatization.

Main Destination:

Rwenzori Mountains (Mountain Range)

Accommodation:

Mutinda Camp

• Budget mountain hut located in Rwenzori Mountains (Mountain Range)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

In the land of everlasting flowers and giant lobelias

Bugata Camp: The day’s trek will take you hopping from tussock to tussock through the garden of everlasting flowers and giant lobelia in the Mutinda Valley. Hike to Bugata camp at 4062 meters, with a height gain of 412 meters through the valley of amazingly unique beautiful plant species, streams and waterfalls while we head to Bugata camp at 4100 meters. The trek gets tougher and exhausting with the steep ridges, mud and boggy sections, but the rewards are enormously beautiful.

Main Destination:

Rwenzori Mountains (Mountain Range)

Accommodation:

Bugata Camp

• Budget mountain hut located in Rwenzori Mountains (Mountain Range)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Malachite sunbirds, glacial lakes, snowcapped peaks

Start out at 8.30am after a hot breakfast. Hike to Hunwick’s camp at 3,874meters (12,710ft) via Bamwanjara pass at 4450m. Hunwick's Camp which, is situated on the top of a deep valley, has good views of Mt Stanley, Mt Baker, Weismanns Peak and McConnell’s Prong. The trek is 8.3km (5.2miles), which is 5.18miles. It takes 6 to 10hrs of hiking. It goes through nature’s garden of everlasting flowers, giant groundsel and giant lobelia. The garden is a favorite of the scarlet-tufted malachite sunbird, which is common and endemic to the Rwenzori Mountains.

Main Destination:

Rwenzori Mountains (Mountain Range)

Accommodation:

Hunwick's Camp

• Budget mountain hut located in Rwenzori Mountains (Mountain Range)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Steeped in royal history to Margherita Camp

You could call this a historic trek as you walk across small rivers, through beautiful landscapes up to the Scott Elliott Pass and then on to Margherita Camp at 4,485m (14,715). In 1906, Italian Prince Luigi Amadeo di Savoia, the Duke of the Abruzzi, set up camp here on his way to the top of the Mountains of the Moon. Climbing through Scot Elliot pass to Margherita camp is 5.1km and takes 3 to 5hrs of trekking.

Main Destination:

Rwenzori Mountains (Mountain Range)

Accommodation:

Margherita Camp

• Budget mountain hut located in Rwenzori Mountains (Mountain Range)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

On to Margherita Peak, the rooftop of Uganda

Start the day early with a 2:00 AM wake-up and breakfast. Begin your climb of Mt. Stanley by 2:30 AM and on to Margherita Peak. Due to the unpredictable weather, reaching the summit by 10:00 AM is important. If conditions are unfavorable, you may need to turn back for safety.

Margherita Glacier is challenging, with steep ice sections, and the effects of global warming have created unstable conditions. For those with less mountaineering experience, we recommend climbing a vantage point on the southern edge of Alexandra Peak for incredible views over Congo and the lower mountain ridges. You could also choose our new trail to Cheptegei Peak (4907m), which is less technical but just as thrilling and fulfilling.

After summiting Margherita Peak (5,109m), descend to Hunwick’s Camp (3,874m) for the night. At 5,109m (16762 feet) above sea level, the Margherita is Africa's third highest peak after Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Kenya.

Main Destination:

Rwenzori Mountains (Mountain Range)

Accommodation:

Hunwick's Camp

• Budget mountain hut located in Rwenzori Mountains (Mountain Range)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Hiking with the Hyrax

We start the day by climbing up a ridge towards McConnell’s Prong where you get the best views of all three peaks and Scott Elliott’s Pass before reaching Oliver’s Pass at 4,505 metres. The distance from Hunwick’s Camp to the top of Olivers Pass is 3km. Descend to Kiharo camp at 3,430 meters where shall spend the last night in the Rwenzori Mountains. The camp is set in a deep valley with high cliffs and dense vegetation. The trek to Kiharo Camp takes between 4-7hrs.

Main Destination:

Rwenzori Mountains (Mountain Range)

Accommodation:

Kiharo Camp

• Budget mountain hut located in Rwenzori Mountains (Mountain Range)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Depart from the Rwenzori Mountains and on to a Local Coffee Farm

It is time to say goodbye to Africa’s greatest secret and botanical garden. Enjoy the sunrise before breakfast and the trek back to base. The trail down the Nyamwamba Valley is absolutely stunning with beautiful views, moss covered rocks along the river, cascading waterfalls, deep valleys and forests. A great experience and ending to a fantastic trek. It takes about 5 to 8 hours to do the trek. Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers will debrief you before you exit the national park, and move on to your accommodation in to freshen up and rest for tonight.

You will then transfer from the Rwenzori Mountain Ranges to a local farm where you will spend a night to the sounds of rural Uganda, and aroma of from the coffee plantation.

Main Destination:

Fort Portal (Town)

Accommodation:

The Coffee Lodge

• Mid-range lodge located 1-2hr drive from Kibale NP (Chimps)

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Travel back to Entebbe and onward home

Enjoy a cup of freshly brewed Ugandan coffee that was harvested from these same lands. Thereafter, take a coffee tour at the farm, learning about the bean-to-cup journey. There is no better way to toast to your Uganda safari than enjoying a coffee experience with the locals of the coffee estate. Over 800 individuals and families are positively impacted by this coffee plantation that shares its knowledge and expertise. One more mountain summit down, one community lifted up, you are now part of that positive change.
After a memorable safari experience, depart the coffee farm and transfer to Entebbe to the next destination.

Optional activities like a safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park; Chimpanzee Tracking, or Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi can be arranged on request. It is always an honor to serve you and our team is flexible to meet any extra needs like short tours in the city.

Main Destination:

Entebbe International Airport (Entebbe)

Accommodation:

No accommodation (End of tour)

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included)
• Drinks not included

• Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.
• You'll be dropped off at the airport.