Things to see and do West

The queen of Kibale. The total chimpanzee population is estimated at over 1,500 individuals. Departures take place twice a day, at 8 am and 2 pm (in high season, an additional departure, at 11 am, is sometimes scheduled). Groups, accompanied by their guide, are limited to six people. It is therefore important, especially in the high tourist season (from early December to late February and from early June to late August-early September), to book your permit in advance with a tour operator or with UWA in Kampala, even if the deadlines are not as tight as for gorillas (the Uganda Wildlife Authority limits the number of permits issued for each day of tracking in Kibale to 90). The cost of the permit is US$ 200 per person (including entry into the park). The chances of seeing facetious primates are estimated at 90%, which means that even if the probabilities are high, the result is not guaranteed. The morning excursion is rather advisable, and it would seem that chimpanzees get lust after heavy rains where they tend to remain perched high in the trees whereas it is sometimes possible to meet them on the ground. Their emblematic cry can be heard long before you see them, with approach walks lasting up to 2 or 3 hours depending on their position. These are not normally too difficult. The observation time is limited to 1 hour, but the guides are more flexible than for the gorillas. However, you will have to follow a few instructions when meeting chimpanzees from one of the two habituated groups (Kanyantale and Buraiga): keep at least 8 meters away from the primates, do not use a photographic flash, etc. These rules will be listed during the briefing. Please note, in the same vein, that children under 12 years old are not allowed to take part in the tracking. If, by misfortune, our mischievous cousins were not at the rendezvous, you will be able to console yourself by crossing colobes, grey-cheeked mangabeys, red-tip monkeys or Hoest cercopithecus. The birds are difficult to see through the thick foliage, but their songs are an enchantment. Finally, the guides will be able to inform the botanists about a large number of plants. For the biggest primate fans, there is the Chimpanzee Habituation Experience, which consists of spending four hours in the company of monkeys. It will cost you US$250, including park entrance.

Shallow (an average of one metre of water column), the approximately 40 km canal that connects Lake Edward to Lake George offers the opportunity for a two-hour boat ride, which is certainly the most popular activity in the park. Four or five daily departures (at 9:00 am, 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm), from the landing stage located under the Mweya Safari Lodge, are scheduled by the UWA. Tickets (US$30 per person) can be purchased at the park office. It is possible to climb on the roof of the boat to make the most of the panorama, but be careful, the sun is hitting hard at the bottom of the Rift Valley. The luckiest ones will be able to see a leopard quenching his thirst, but you will probably have to be satisfied with watching hippos splashing hippos, elephants spraying elephants, eagles soaring eagles, kingfishers diving, crocodiles hiding, hogs drinking, antelopes slumming, lazing lizards, buffaloes basking, jacana showing off and weavers bustling about. A most enjoyable spectacle! Recently, the community organization Kazinga Channel Beach (+256 703 700 500) organized its own cruises (25 US$ per person for about 2 hours) with equally competent guides. Departures (from 8am to 5pm), towards Lake Edward or Lake George, take place from Katunguru, on the north shore of the canal, at the bridge over which the national road passes and under which fish spawn and swallows nest.

Whether on the Mweya and Kasenyi Plains side of Lake George, or to the south in the Ishasha sector, the Queen Elizabeth Park offers excellent opportunities to see iconic savannah mammals, with the exception of the extinct rhinoceros and the historically absent giraffe. The circuit along the Kazinga Channel offers a network of fairly tight tracks characterized by dense vegetation where you will be led to look for leopards and certainly to come across elephants. It is possible to explore this area in about 2 hours from Mweya, but the classic circuit consists of passing the main road and continuing towards Lake George towards the bare and euphoric candelabra-covered plains of Kasenyi where lions are numerous; lion tracking is organized in this part of the park for US$ 100 (park entrance included) in order to observe the king of the animals for four to five hours (independent travellers must have their own vehicle in which UWA trackers will ride). There are also large herds of Ugandan cobes, topis, buffaloes and many birds. The tracks in the Ishasha sector are much less frequented, but they provide an extraordinary encounter with a population of tree lions of about 40 individuals. This feline particularity, which is only found in the Lake Manyara Park in Tanzania, has not yet been the subject of real scientific studies, but the hypothesis put forward is that these lions, by climbing in the sycamores, would try to escape from insects carrying disease. Safari departures usually take place at dawn, but the lions stay in the trees when it is hottest. In addition to this leonine attraction, the Ishasha area, with its acacias and grassy savannah, will suit the most adventurous: it is, indeed, possible to camp near Lake Edward (Edward Flat), in the middle of nowhere, in an area of great wildlife richness: the presence of a UWA ranger (count 40 US$) is mandatory! Most travelers make their safaris as part of a chauffeur-driven tour. If you have your own vehicle, you can hire a park ranger to help you flush out the animals for US$20 per vehicle. Ask at the park office in Mweya or at the entrance to Ishasha.

To discover the Central Circuit and Kilembe Trail in their entirety, including the ascent of Margherita Peak, you will need seven to eight days of walking: perfect to get back in shape while enjoying the geological, floristic and faunistic wonders (77 species of mammals, 177 birds and 78 butterflies) of the Rwenzori National Park and its 996 km2. For those who are put off by the price and the difficult conditions of progression (mud, unevenness, even altitude sickness), there are alternatives - less long (from a few hours to a few days), less expensive and less physically demanding - organized from Nyakalengija and Kilembe by the Rwenzori Mountaineering Services (RMS), the Rwenzori Trekking Services (RTS) and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). Alternatively, the more dedicated can add an extra day or two to climb the main peaks of the range; check with RTS and RMS for more information. You should also be aware that Rwenzori is one of the wettest ranges in the world. It rains about 350 days a year. Therefore, only two periods are really suitable for trekking: from mid-December to the end of January and, to a lesser extent, from mid-June to mid-July. Practically, if you are lucky, it can be fair weather in the morning, a good shower in the afternoon, and it clears in the evening.

Climbing Margherita Peak via the Central Circuit (with RMS)

To reach Nyakalengija, from where the RMS trek starts, you will have to take the national road from Kasese to Fort Portal for 12 km and then take a track, not far from the town of Mubuku, on the left side of the road. There are then more than ten kilometers to travel on a road that is passable in all seasons, although water flows from all sides during the rainy season.

Day 1: Nyakalengija (1615m) - Nyabitaba Hut (2650m): 6-7 hours. Departure in the morning from the RMS office. The first hour's walk is through cultivated land before arriving at the official park entrance where we start to follow the Mubuku River through the forest to its tributary, the Mahoma River. After fording the river, you start to climb a steep path through the ferns to Nyabitaba Hut on a ridge. You will certainly be accompanied by the call of chimpanzees, colobus, blue monkeys and the superb Rwenzori touraco.

Day 2: Nyabitaba Hut (2650m) - John Matte Hut (3505m): 7-8 hours. A long day of walking. We climb up the ridge to the junction of two trails and then descend through the ferns to the Bujuku River which we cross by a suspension bridge. We then enter the bamboo forest to climb a slippery and rocky path to the abandoned Nyamuleju hut, a good shelter for lunch. From here you are in an extraordinary heather forest and the first giant lobelias appear. From there, count another 2 hours to John Matte Hut.

Day 3: John Matte Hut (3 505 m) - Bujuku Hut (3 960 m): 5 hours. Behind the hut, we enter an area of high altitude swamp that we cross sometimes knee deep before fording the Bujuku River to bypass the lower Bigo swamp by the right bank. A 90-minute climb through the forest then leads to the upper swamp, which is easily crossed by a wooden footbridge. After a long walk, we reach the glacial valley of Bujuku Lake which, on a clear day, offers an enchanting panorama of Mount Stanley, Mount Speke and Mount Baker. You will then have to cross another swamp to reach, at the end of a grueling day, Bujuku Hut.

Day 4: Bujuku Hut (3,960 m) - Elena Hut (4,540 m): 5-6 hours. From Bujuku, we start again in the mud before climbing steeply through a forest of giant ragwort and climbing a fault with the help of a handrail. We then approach Scott Elliot Pass, which we cross on the fifth day. From here, the more adventurous climbers scramble along a slippery trail to Elena Hut, at 4540m, below Margherita Peak, Africa's third highest peak (509m).

Day 5: Elena Hut (4,540 m) - Margherita Peak (5,109 m) - Kitandara Hut (4,020 m): 9-12 hours (depending on weather conditions). Departure around 2h30-3h in the morning for an attempt to climb. It takes 4 to 5 hours of climbing through glaciers and slippery rocks to reach the peak, provided that your body is well acclimatized to the altitude and the (sometimes) extreme conditions (negative temperatures, wind, fog...). After the souvenir photo, we go back down to Elena Hut for a healthy lunch, and then descend to Kitandara Hut via the Scott Elliot Pass (4 372 m) and its spectacular views.

Day 6: Kitandara Hut (4 020 m) - Guy Yeoman Hut (3 505 m): 6-7 hours. We start this day with an hour and a half of muddy crossing through the Fresh Field Pass plain (4 282 m), remarkable for its expanses of coloured moss. Then a long, slippery, steep and spongy descent allows us to emerge in the high valley of Mubuku. We will have noticed in passing the rock shelter of Bujongolo which served as a base camp for the Duke of Abruzzo's expedition in 1906.

Day 7: Guy Yeoman Hut (3 505 m) - Nyakalengija (1 615 m): 8 hours. This double stage allows you to stay within the 7 days/6 nights tour planned by the RMS if you have climbed a summit. Below Guy Yeoman, the trail descends steeply following the Kichuchu walls through a heather forest. You then have to cross the Mubuku River, once by fording it and again by a suspension bridge, to reach Nyabitaba, the hut of the first day. From there, you can choose to spend the night or directly attack the additional 3 hours of descent to Nyakalengija.

Climbing Margherita Peak via the Kilembe Trail (with RTS)

The trek to Margherita Peak takes 7-8 days. Although it can be done in 7 days, RTS recommends to its clients to do the tour in 8 days (see below) in order to facilitate the acclimatization to the altitude. The rates and itinerary are the same whether you opt for 7 or 8 days.

Day 1: Kilembe (1 450 m) - Sine Hut (2 600 m) : 7 hours. Regular ascent through the forest where birds, plethoric, and primates (colobus, samangos ...), whether seen, spotted or heard, should be at the rendezvous. Once at the Sine Hut, don't miss the Enock waterfall, set in a photogenic green setting.

Day 2: Sine Hut (2600m) - Mutinda Hut (3590m) : 6-7 hours. After the start, at about 8:30 am, expect a nice steep climb, sometimes quite muddy, through the bamboo (among other plants...). Then you will follow a ridge, go down and then up on a path where mosses, lichens, rivers, tree heathers and mist contribute to the fairy atmosphere of the place. From Mutinda Hut, you can climb Mutinda Lookout (3,975m) for spectacular views of Kasese, Lake George and the surrounding peaks.

Day 3: Mutinda Hut (3 590 m) - Bugata Hut (4 060 m) : 6 hours. Exhausting day in the mud and on the steep slopes leading to the Namusangi Valley. Jumping from tussock to tussock, admiring the waterfalls and being ecstatic in front of the giant lobelias will be the order of the day.

Day 4: Bugata Hut (4060m) - Hunwick's Hut (3970m) : 7-8 hours. During this stage, you will link, via the Bamwanjara Pass (4 450 m), the Bugata and Hunwick camps (the latter is named after John Hunwick, the Australian director of RTS). Along the way, you might spot the malachite sundew with its beautiful livery feasting on the lobelia flowers. Giant ragwort will also brighten your journey.

Day 5: Hunwick's Hut (3,970m) - Margherita Hut (4,485m) : 5-6 hours. This section of the trek is on a common trail with the Central Circuit and the Kilembe Trail. You will walk along the beautiful Kitandara Lake, set in an enchanting setting, before starting the ascent of the Scott Elliot Pass (4 372 m) and then reaching the Margherita Hut, known for its chilly nights and for being located at the very place where the Duke of Abruzzo, Luigi di Savoia, bivouacked during his expedition, in 1906.

Day 6: Margherita Hut (4,485 m) - Margherita Peak (5,109 m) - Hunwick's Hut (3,970 m) : 9-13 hours (depending on weather conditions). The day's schedule is similar to that of RMS (see above), except for the huts, which are different. The departure, several hours before dawn, is scheduled in order to avoid, as much as possible, the clouds piling up on the highest point of the park, generally announcing snow storms, from mid-morning. The glaciers of the Rwenzori, due to the melting caused by global warming, require more and more technical skills. Those who are not ready to tackle the 200m section at 60° angle on the Margherita Glacier will be able to fall back on a rocky eminence offering a superb panorama over the Democratic Republic of Congo and the ridges of the massif. This is the longest day of your trek.

Day 7 : Hunwick's Hut (3 970 m) - Kiharo Hut (3 430 m) : 4-6 hours. The eleven kilometers separating the two huts will lead you to the Olivier Pass, at an altitude of nearly 4,500 meters. After the initial three kilometers of climbing, you will pass under the Weissmann peak (4,620 m) - which can be tackled by hikers still unaware of it for an extra US$20 - then reach the Nyamwamba, a capricious river flowing over Kasese, before descending to Kiharo Hut via moraine and peat bogs.

Day 8: Kiharo Hut (3 430 m) - Kilembe (1 450 m) : 5-8 hours. As on the first day of your trek, you will again cross the dense forest that adorns the deep valleys and frames the torrents where the tumultuous waters of the Rwenzori cascade. The trail is magnificent and will take you through streams, around waterfalls and over mossy rocks. For the record, it took the RTS team six years to find a way through this steep, watery and vegetated maze. The forest is teeming with life and visitors can see or guess at the presence ofduikers, damsels and monkeys. The park exit is 12 km from Kiharo Hut and the Rwenzori Trekkers Hostel in Kilembe is 15 km away.

Protected since 1926, the reserve is one of the oldest in the country. Covering an area of 542 km², it extends to the southern shore of Lake Albert with landscapes made up of acacia woods and lush savannah interrupted by palm islands and swamps. On a clear day, one can guess the outline of the Rwenzori and the Blue Mountains of the Congo. Before the civil war, the reserve was very rich with some of the biggest lions in Africa and many leopards. Today, although some of these felines are still present, you will have the opportunity to see Ugandan cobes, buffaloes, primates (colobus, chimpanzees...) and, eventually, elephants. In these conditions, the safaris are not as spectacular as in Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National Parks, but lovers of tranquility and birdlife (440 species recorded) will appreciate. In this respect, the waters of Lake Albert provide one of the best opportunities in the country to spy on the shoebill. If you are not a client of Semliki Safari Lodge, you can organize your activities - such as primate walk (US$ 30 for 3 to 4 hours of walking) or Nile Shoebill watching (US$ 100/boat; over 3 passengers, US$ 20/additional person) - through the UWA. The government agency has a camp (with a canteen) at Ntoroko (count 40 to 82,000 shillings for a banda): reservation required.

Formerly known as the Bwamba Forest, this 220 km² territory acquired national park status in 1993. At an altitude of about 700 m, it is home to a virtually unspoiled sylvatic forest that is an extension of the Ituri Forest that stretches across the Semliki River in the DRC. As a result, it is home to species unique to the Congo Basin that are found nowhere else in Uganda, such as the okapi (three individuals recorded). Given its small size, the park has an extraordinary diversity of fauna: more than 300 species of butterflies and 435 species of birds, including several endemic to the park, which is a must-see destination for birdwatchers. With about fifty representatives, the list of mammals is not the most impressive in the country but, once again, some animals are unique such as the aquatic chevrotain (or doe pig). Chimpanzees (unaccustomed) and Brazza's cercopithecus (extremely rare in Uganda) are also present, as well as forest elephants, buffaloes and sitatungas, while crocodiles and hippos frequent the Ntotoro and Semliki rivers. However, the hot springs of Sempaya remain the main attraction of the park. Named Mumbunga ("meeting place") by the locals, the "male" (12 m in diameter) and "female" (which spits out boiling water, around 103°C) springs were indeed used by the natives for various purposes: washing clothes, cooking food and curative treatment (against skin rashes, epidermal mycosis, venous return or joint problems). The guided tour of the hot springs (1 hr.) requires only the payment of park entrance fees. Nature walk (30 US$ for 2 to 6 hours of walking) and bird watching (30 US$ itou) are also included in the program. If you opt for the first one, which lasts between 3 and 6 hours in the dry season and between 2 and 3 hours in the rainy season (because the progression in the mud is not a piece of cake...), expect to meet primates (such as the guéréza colobus, the samango or the red colobus) and, of course, butterflies and birds. If you choose bird watching, which starts (ideally before 8 am) from the UWA offices in Sempaya or from the Bumaga camp (2 km further south, close to the Fort Portal-Bundibugyo National Park), be aware that the guides, Alex and Moses in particular, are experienced ornithologists.

The forest belongs to those who get up early! Indeed, whatever you feel like doing, expect to enter the jungle between 6:30 and 7:30 am. It is at Nkombe Forest Station, located equidistant from Kichwamba and Ishaka, that you will check in, pay for your activity (if you are travelling independently), meet your guide and be informed of the terms of your visit. Bird watching, forest walks and butterfly watching, which last between three and four hours, start between 7 and 7.30 am. These walks generally take place on the ten trails laid out by the NFA, some of which can be very difficult (steep hills, mud...). Therefore, don't forget your waterproof walking shoes, your covering clothes, your mackintosh, your cap, your snack and your two liters of water... On the paths, traced in the middle of the emblematic plum trees of Guinea, raphias (whose fibres are used in the making of local mats), bamboos, flame trees (whose flowers are supposed to excite the libido of the ladies when they swallow them...).), Mutragyne rubrostipuletae (nicknamed Viagra trees because they are supposed to improve the sexual performance of men...) and a myriad of other plants (some of which are used in the traditional pharmacopoeia), you should be able to admire magnificent lepidoptera, primates (colobus, vervet...), snakes (like the python...) and superb birds! If you like the crapahut and the waterfalls, do not hesitate to walk the 11 km of the Waterfall Trail so that the Kilyantama waterfall is revealed to your eyes. Concerning the chimpanzee tracking, departures are at 7:30 am (it is necessary to arrive 15 minutes early for the briefing) and at 1 pm. This last option will delight lovers of late mornings; however, as the chimpanzees do their meridian during the afternoon, it is recommended to ring your alarm clock to get closer to them (10 meters maximum). The tracking is more or less long according to the location of the quadrumans, nevertheless it takes four hours, including one in their company. Those interested in the habituation of the chimpanzees will leave the NFA premises at 6:30 am. They should be able to take a closer look at a community that has been under habituation since 2019 (this process takes 2-3 years).

Bird watching being, due to the density of vegetation, quite difficult in the forest itself, ornithologists will head a few kilometres further south to the Bigodi marshes, an ecotourism sanctuary managed by KAFRED. All profits from the visit are used to finance community projects in the village of Bigodi. The proposed walks last about 3 hours along a 4.5 km route from which some 40 species of birds can be easily identified out of the almost 200 species nesting in the marshes. This trail is a must in East Africa as far as birdlife is concerned. One of the emblematic birds of the area is the superb great blue touraco. You can also observe the crowned crane, hornbill, jaco parrot, yellow spotted barbican and papyrus gonolek. The marshes are also home to thousands of butterflies, numerous monkeys, otters, shy sitatungas and snakes (cobra, mamba, viper, emerald snake). To discover the aquatic world, excellent guides are waiting for you at the KAFRED office in Bigodi. You can also rent boots which are very useful for walking in the mud. Don't forget to bring a pair of binoculars. Specialists looking for particular species can mention this in advance, as some guides are more expert at finding a particular species than others. It is also to their advantage to go on their walks early in the morning.

Those who are not necessarily interested in chimpanzees will be able to go on inexpensive forest walks to discover the different types of habitats. Night walks are worth mentioning: they are ideal for discovering a phantasmagorical world by torchlight (bats, galagos, pottos, tree damsons, snakes, etc.), sensations guaranteed! Departure at 7:30 pm from the UWA offices (if it doesn't rain); count 80 US$ per person (entrance to the park included) for about two hours of walking.

This forest, which extends at the foot of the escarpment marking the eastern confines of the park, is home to many chimpanzees but, unlike their congeners in the Kyambura Gorge, they are not accustomed to the presence of Homo sapiens and nothing is organized to observe them. However, you will be able to hear their characteristic and emblematic cry. The Maramagambo forest is not well developed for tourism, yet it is easily accessible by the track leading to the Jacana Safari Lodge. Various species of primates (Hoest cercopithecus, colobus guéréza, baboon, samango, ascagne...) and birds (bulbul, souimanga, forest flycatcher, white-naped pigeon, Rwenzori touraco...), as well as some small antelopes, enjoy the forest and the undergrowth. Three guided walks (from 2 hours to half a day) are organized, from the UWA rangers' lodge, to discover the forest biodiversity. Walking around lakes, such as the Nyamusingire, and visiting a cave occupied by bats (Egyptian fruit bats) and four pythons are on the programme (another "cave", not far away, is used as a lair for cobras). Chiroptophobes can rest assured: a secure observation platform has been built in the cave to avoid any contact with the bats, which have been identified for the past 15 years as the natural reservoir of the Marburg virus. The ants in the vicinity being particularly voracious, flip-flops, Bermuda shorts and tank tops are not frankly recommended ...

The lush green Kyambura Gorge, which marks the eastern boundary of the park and contrasts with the surrounding savannah, is a deep canyon about 100 m long, 16 km long and up to 1 km wide, at the bottom of which the Kyambura River, whose ripisylve is home to chimpanzee runners, flows towards the Kazinga Channel. The total duration of the tracking usually varies between two and three hours, including a maximum of one hour with our quadrumane friends. The latter, familiar with human presence since the late 1990s, have seen their population increase, but the geographical isolate represented by this chasm is a source of genetic impoverishment. The departures take place at 8 and 2 p.m., but it seems that the chances of seeing the primates are higher in the morning. It is possible to register at the park office, but as the number of places is limited, the safest thing to do is to book in advance at the UWA headquarters in Kampala. The cost of tracking in the gorge is four times cheaper than in Kibale, but the probability of meeting our simian cousins is (much) lower. The access path is well indicated from the main road. In addition to chimpanzees, the vast ravine is home to some two hundred hippos, crocodiles and a large number of birds. Lions, leopards and elephants also come to drink from the waters of the Kyambura. The topography of the area and the demands of tracking require adequate equipment (good walking shoes, covering clothes...) and sufficient water.

A dusty urban enclave north of Lake Edward, the village of Katwe, bordering the lake of the same name, continues the old tradition of exploiting the salt reserves that contributed for several centuries to the prosperity of the kingdom of Bunyoro. Between Katwe and the equator there are several salt lakes created by volcanic activity some 8 to 10,000 years ago. Among these, Lake Nyamunuka, whose green waters are seasonally home to hundreds of pink flamingos and on whose shores buffaloes come to bask and heal (the sulphur emanating from the lake and the minerals of its muddy banks are said to be used to treat their wounds and pathologies), and Lake Kitagata, whose thermal waters are boiling, are two particularly remarkable examples. With a sturdy 4x4, driving the 27-kilometre crater track from Kabatoro Gate to Queen's Pavilion offers superb panoramas of this specific region of the Albertine Rift, which is somewhat reminiscent of Lake Turkana in Kenya. A break at the Baboon Cliff allows you to enjoy a photogenic picture. In Katwe, some villagers have created associations whose objective is to make people discover the historical, cultural and natural heritage of the region: visit of a salt works, bird watching, excursion on the islands of the lake, some of which are inhabited by Congolese who fled the war and live from fishing...

What could be better than 42.5°C water to relax after a madwoman equipped on the slopes of the Rwenzori? Eureka, Kasese, by its position in the Rift Valley, has what you need! Open to the public in 2013, this thermal spring is located between the road leading to Kilembe and the impetuous Nyamwamba River, which does not hesitate to leave its bed and cause chaos. In situ, you will find rustic changing rooms, swings and a small garden, where local artists sometimes perform, surrounding the spring, which has been designed for the needs of both experienced and novice spa-goers (dear bazungu friends, expect to see your skin turn crimson). You will be able to cause therapeutic virtues of the hot springs by drinking a cool drink either in a hammock or by slumping down on the sandy ground which borders the aforementioned watercourse. In addition to a volleyball court and a fish pond, there is also a Lilliputian museum dedicated to konzo culture. To paddle, listen to traditional music (combining flute, xylophone and drums) and try local dishes (such as bread kneaded with cassava flour), take the direction of this spring located two kilometres north-west of the city centre. Very friendly welcome. NB: the last floods of the Nyamwamba (May 2020) ravaged the site and forced the managers to carry out major rehabilitation work. Let's hope that the situation will return to normal by the time this guide is published!

The northern part of the Rwenzori massif also offers the possibility of hiking. Within or on the edge of the park, the hiking trails, which are shorter (1 to 3 days) and less difficult (good physical condition is however required) than those organized in the heart of the range, are not lacking in attractions. The most notorious itinerary is the one linking Kazingo (13 km west of Fort Portal) to Bundibugyo, at the foot of the western slope of the mountain. This crossing of 1 or 2 days (depending on whether or not you climb Karangura Peak) allows you to discover the local fauna, flora and culture. On a clear day, the perspectives on the Congo, Fort Portal and the Albertine Rift are spectacular. It is of course possible to climb the Karangura Peak (3,012 m) in a single day (7 to 8 hours of walking) by making a round trip from the locality of Kazingo. Three-day itineraries and tours are also available in this area, allowing you to sleep in local houses and discover the bakonzo way of life (Rwenzori National Park Boundary Trail) or to climb Karangura Peak via Chogho Ridge (Karangura Peak and Northern Spur Ridge Trail). Finally, at the northern end of Rwenzori, the Karugutu-Ntandi Trail allows hikers to reach the eponymous villages on the Fort Portal-Bundibugyo National Road in 6-7 hours. The trail is available through UWA, Kabarole Tours or the Abanya-Rwenzori Mountaineering Association (www.abanya-rwenzori-mountaineering.org).

If your time is short, if your wallet is not well stocked, if long-distance odysseys are not your cup of tea or if you simply want to walk off the beaten track, don't worry! Indeed, in addition to the Central Circuit and the Kilembe Trail, Nyakalengija, Kilembe and the adjacent valleys are all starting points for slightly forgotten hikes. The UWA thus offers outings to unveil waterfalls (such as Sebwe Falls) and to flush out chimpanzees (at Kinyampanika). The Rwenzori Ranges Hikers Association (www.rwenzorihikers.com), a very professional community organization based in the same complex as RMS in Kasese, is the best way to discover the trails of Bukurungu and Mahoma. The first one, which takes 5 days and allows extensions of one to two days, starts in Omukorukumi (5 km north of Ibanda), and ends in Nyakalengija. Very little frequented, it allows an intimate connection with nature, grandiose. During your trek, you will be able to admire the emblematic scenery of the massif. The second, which culminates in the Mahoma Lake, consists of a 3-day loop from Nyakalengija. In addition to chameleons and primates, you could, with a lot of luck, surprise an elephant. Finally, the inveterate botanists can take the Munyamubuli River Trail in Kilembe with RTS (7-8 hours walk) to discover the Afromontane forest.

Easily accessible from Fort Portal, the caves of Amabere will certainly disappoint lovers of monumental speleothems and speleologists fond of cat flaps ... Indeed, there you will only find very modest cavities. The main one is the limestone concretions (stalactites, stalagmites, columns...) which attract geology students who want to improve their knowledge. In addition to their physical aspects, the caves are full of legends. Used as rock shelters by the natives who came to eat there from 1847 to 1900, they owe their fame to Nyinamwiru. Nyinamwiru was, according to oral tradition, the daughter of a local king, Bukuku. Indisposed by the marriage proposals under which his tendron was crumbling, Bukuku cut off Nyinamwiru's breasts(amabere means "breast" in the vernacular) and slashed her face to dissuade the most assiduous men. As the ugly face did not have the desired effect, the king decided to hide Nyinamwiru from the men's eyes by hiding her in one of the caves in the area. However, the poor father did not succeed in his goal, since a clever pretender managed to penetrate the balm despite the vigilant cerberus posted at its entrance... So what was to happen happened: Nyinamwiru got pregnant and gave birth to a baby without Bukuku's knowledge. Unable to breastfeed her infant, following the removal of her appas, Nyinamwiru would have resorted to mamelliform stalactites secreting a calcareous milk to sustain her baby. The latter, to end (or almost) the story, was named Ndahura and founded the Cwezi dynasty. The caves of Amabere, which you will discover during a guided tour, are located in a depression of green land in which the waters of the Amabere waterfall (7 m high) fall. The price of the visit is a bit excessive. It is therefore better to combine this activity with the hike to Saka Lake (3h30 to discover the waterfall, the caves and three crater lakes). This walk is concocted by the owners of the place who have, in addition, a delicious campground and two pleasant bandas duly equipped (kitchen, washing machine, wifi, rooms with their own sanitary facilities ...). The site is located 8 km from Fort Portal. To get there, follow the RN leading to Bundibugyo for 6 km before branching off on a track going on the right of the road (well marked access).

Just as it is about to finish its course in Lake George, the Mpanga is set in a gorge whose 50-metre-high waterfall is the high point. The riparian vegetation is also worthy of interest since giant cycas(Encephalartos whitelockii) dot the slopes of the canyon. Although morphologically similar to ferns and palms, the giant Ugandan cycas are relics of an order of coniferous plants that appeared more than 300 million years ago and underwent a phase of significant geographical expansion from -250 million years ago. The giant Ugandan cycas, whose female cones resemble pineapples, are thus a 'living fossil', endemic and, like its congeners, critically endangered. Paradoxically, it took the construction of a hydroelectric power station, which at the end of the decade 2000 led to the felling of many cycas, for protection and preservation measures (as well as the construction of a nursery) to be put in place. If the activism of environmentalists has paid off in the case of the cycas, it is for the moment less conclusive concerning the hydraulic installations and the multiple pollutions that affect the flow and quality of the waters of the Mpanga. The construction of a dam, necessary for the operation of the Mpanga Hydroelectric Power Station, has had - and continues to have - an impact on the volume of water falling at Mpanga Falls. Despite this distortion, the site remains picturesque. A handful of diversion bays upstream of the main waterfall is thus conducive to invigorating swimming (however, before going down into the Mpanga bed, find out about the river's hydrological and health conditions). In addition, a trail (The Cycad Trail) has recently been created to help visitors discover the cycads and their environment. Reserved, for the time being, for the most adventurous, it could be the prelude to the tourist development of the area, envisaged by the Ugandan authorities. In the meantime, although access is better today than it was in 1891, when Frederick Lugard - the representative of the Imperial British East Africa Company - crossed the gorge with men, salt and ivory, you will have to take the Fort Portal-Mbarara national road to the outskirts of the village of Rwenjaza (3 km south of Kamwenge) before branching off onto a track (and then others....) for about 20 km to reach, via the locality of Rwengo or Mpanga, the parade.

Julia Loyd, a leading chimpanzee specialist, moved to this region many years ago to devote her life to observing primates. She also founded the first village dedicated to the observation of birds and butterflies. We are here just a few meters from the border of the park. The best local guides are trained here for an exceptional immersive experience. The village offers two rustic cottages nestled 10 m high facing the forest. For the adventurous of course, but thrills are guaranteed for a night on the canopy close to nature.