When Kilembe Trail was awarded in June 2009 there was no trail, no huts or infrastructure. First John had to explore where a trail could pass and after many attempts and failures finally found a way through the thick vegetation. Then came the clearing of the trails and construction of huts and facilities. All the timber and building materials had to be hand carried as there is no helicopters or other means available in Uganda. This took hundreds of men. With a passion and dire it is now one of the best trails in Africa enjoyed by nature lovers and mountaineers alike will fantastic views, stunning valleys, and a wide variety of plants and trees and unlike Kilimanjaro and Mt Kenya which are stand alone mountains and which are relatively short and direct in climbing, the Rwenzori is a mountain range, in fact the highest mountain range in Africa, and as such there are many ups and downs in climbing to the peaks. Even when coming down from the main peaks you have to do a lot of climbing.
The Rwenzori Mountains receives more than three (3) metres of rain per year resulting in the lush and varied plant life and many wet areas and bogs. The heavy rainfall also results in many species of plants and birds and small animals which is a huge plus as the environment is spectular. There are now several boardwalk over the worst bogs which offer a welcome relief to most walkers.
Trek with us and have an experience of a lifetime.
We employ local guides to provide you with a rich cultural experience as well as local knowledge of the mountains and who when not in the mountains, partake a daily training schedule of PT, rope handling, first aid, catering, and customer care to ensure that you get the best possible experience when climbing the Kilembe trail.
Our treks are guaranteed to depart with a minimum of one person, so you don’t have to worry about any last minute cancellations once you’ve booked. We will trek any day of the year however the months of June, July and August then late December,January February are the dryest and best months to trek although some say the wet seasons are the best as the mountains are often covered in snow making spectular scenery.
Our trekking packages are fully inclusive of accomodation and good food cooked by our guides, however you need to bring a warm sleeping bag, warm clothing, good hikingboots (some like to trek in rubber boots), and a good rain coat.
We provide you with a porter to carry your rucksac and equipment then we have other porters to carry the food and other equipment.
We are training our local guides to provide you with the best possible meals considering the remoteness of these mountains and liminations of weight. We provide a combination of fresh, canned food for the three main meals as well as biscuts or rye bread, cheeze and tomotoes. These are supplemented with additional servings of fresh vegetables and tropical fruits where possible. There is unlimited tea, coffee or hot chocolate and aditional boiled water for your water bottle.
Depending on your daily food intake requirements, some trekkers also opt to bring additional food as well, such as muesli bars, chocolate, sweets, biscuits, and other favourites, to supplement their energy needs. This is a great idea but don’t make your backpack too heavy! At times one of the porters may carry addition items such as sweets, chocolate bars, cans of beer or coke for sale along the trail
Generally temperatures around the 3,000 to 4,000 metres mark are around 10 to 15 degrees Celsius during the day and 2 to 6 Celsius at night
Temperatures at either camp 4 or Camp 5 degrees Celsius during the day can vary from + 1 to + 12 Celsius during the day with temperatures dropping to minus 5 to + 3 Celsius at night. On the peak it can drop to minus 2 degrees Celsius during the day but at times it can be + 8 or 10 degrees Celsius. It can also get very windy on the peaks which brings in a chill factor in bad weather.
Apart from employing local people, Rwenzori Trekking Services is committed to honouring the Australian legacy of supporting local communities through our programme of, for each day a tourist treks on our trail $5 goes to various community or cultural development programmes organized and run by the local community or kingdom.
In 2008 we initiated the following programs to continue our commitment of ‘giving back to the trail‘:
Following our believe that education is the key to solving the problems of unemployment and poverty, and to give young people the skills necessary to become future tourist guides, we;
All the school projects were organized and the actual project funded and implemented by secondary school students from the UK under World Challenge Expeditions.
All persons climbing above 4,000 metres must ensure that they have a comprehensive adventure/mountaineering insurance policy to cover all medical and rescue costs should rescue or medivac be needed as complex rescue, helicopter rescue, medical evacuation or hospitalization is not covered in our pricing. Clients must fill out the necessary form stating the company the are insured with, the policy number and the telphone number/contact of the insurance company.
We are striving to achieve a high standard both in looking after your needs and in protecting the beautiful environment of the Rwenzori Mountains and as our staff gain more experience we are sure your expectations will be meet, both in safety and service.
Australian owned and operated.
Find out which trekking package is best for you by checking out our trekking options and book online or contact us for more details.
Trekking Rwenzori Mountains is a truly fantastic and unique experience
Kilembe Office
(Rwenzori Mts)
Operations Manager (Brian)
Tel: +256 (0) 774199022