11-Day Rwenzori Cheptegei Peak and Coffee Farm Experience

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

Welcome to Uganda

Arrive at Entebbe International Airport and be warmly received by a Kwezi Outdoors representative. Transfer to a hotel in Entebbe for relaxation and an overnight stay. Depending on your time of arrival, you may be able to explore Entebbe and its botanical gardens, or simply use the time to get some personal supplies from the malls in preparation for your mountain adventure. Our representative will meet at the airport, and later brief you on the coming safari.

Main Destination:

Entebbe International Airport (Entebbe)

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 to the Rwenzori Mountains

Transfer by road to the Rwenzori Mountains in western Uganda. The mountains the locals call the rainmaker. Since ancient times, these mountain ranges and their permanent glaciers on the equator have enchanted travellers and explorers. Little wonder ancient and modern explorers have called them the Mountains of the Moon.

The Rwenzori Mountains are characterized by dramatic peaks, deep valleys, and glaciers, making them one of Africa's most stunning and unique mountain ranges. The highest peak is Mount Stanley, which reaches an elevation of 5,109 meters (16,763 feet) and is the third-highest peak in Africa after Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya.

Compared to Kilimanjaro, the Rwenzoris are unexplored and there are no crowds so a minimal environmental footprint. More so, you are spoilt for choice when it comes to the number of peaks.

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

From Basecamp into the Mountains of the Moon

Transfer to the Kilembe base camp at 1,450 meters (4757ft). Your mountain guides will brief you on the trek. From the base camp, you trek 2.2km to the Rwenzori Mountains National Park entrance. Here you will get a briefing from the Uganda Wildlife Authority wildlife rangers on rules and responsibilities while in the park. Start at Trekkers at 1,450 meters and sleep at Sine Hut at 2,596 meters being a height gain of 1,146 meters. This is a steady climb with multitudes of birds and a chance of seeing blue monkeys, troupes of black and white colobus monkeys, and rare sightings of the L’Hoest monkey which are part of the Bukonzo cultural emblems. You may also hear wild chimpanzee in the distance.

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 3,582 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)

Everlasting flowers and giant lobelias

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, high steps 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, snow-swept 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(14,600ft). This altitude will give you excellent views of the main peaks. Hunwick's Camp has good views of Mt Stanley, Mt Baker, Weismanns Peak and McConnell’s Prong. The trek 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)

Step into royal history of the 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. His expedition, the first ever to the summit, had biologists, surveyors, a geologist and a photographer. Climbing through Scot Elliot pass to Margherita camp is approximately 3 to 5hrs of trekking. Yes, the summit day is tomorrow, so early to bed, early to rise!

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)

Conquer Cheptegei Peak 4907m above sea level

This is the day every summit climber looks to. After an early breakfast set off between 4:30 to 5:30am from the base of the Stanley Glacier we climb until the end of the glacier. Our target is Cheptegei Peak 4907 meters (16,099ft). We have only started to climb this peak so you are among the few hundreds in the whole world to conquer it.

The ascent to Cheptegei Peak is non-technical and involves minimal rock scrambling, making it feasible without the use of ropes. However, for safety reasons, we carry ropes on this climb. The peak offers stunning views of the valleys on both the Ugandan and Congolese sides, as well as excellent views of Alexandra Peak with Margherita Peak behind it, and the Stanley Glaciers below.

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)

Descend to Kiharo Camp through beautiful scenery

From Hunwick’s Camp 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. Descend to Kiharo camp at 3,430 meters through Oliver’s pass. Overnight at Kiharo camp set in a deep valley with high cliffs and dense vegetation.

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)

Departure from Rwenzori to Local Coffee Plantation

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. The forest along this section is magnificent and full of life with many birds, primates, dikers and hyrax. A great experience and ending to a fantastic trek.

Transfer to a charming coffee farm nestled in the rolling hills just after Fort Portal city. You will be spending the night there.

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:

• Breakfast & lunch (Dinner not included)
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Savor Uganda's fine organic coffee before your transfer

Savor a delicious breakfast and a cup of freshly brewed Ugandan coffee. Embark on a comprehensive Coffee Tour at the farm, learning about the bean-to-cup journey. Enjoy a tasting of the farm's unique coffee. After a memorable safari experience, depart the coffee farm and transfer to Entebbe Airport for your departure to the next destination.

Optional activities like a safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park; Chimpanzee Tracking or Gorilla Trekking can be arranged on request.

Main Destination:

No major destination visited

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.