Best hiking safaris in Uganda, Mountain Hiking Safari Uganda, Uganda Safari Tours and Safaris, Uganda Tour Mountain Hiking
A land of hills and valleys, Uganda is a good hiking safari destination as seasonal or first time hikers hit the trails to trek to the peaks of Uganda’s mountains.
Hiking safaris in Uganda or Mountain climbing tours Uganda are mostly undertaken on Mountain Rwenzori in south western Uganda, Mount Elgon in Eastern Uganda, volcano climbing in Mgahinga and hiking through Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
Uganda hiking tours offer a chance to see Africa up close on foot and have a real feel of off the beaten trails experience rather than viewing the scenery at a far.
Hiking Mountain Rwenzori – Best hiking safaris in Uganda
Mountain Rwenzori hosts the highest peak in Uganda at an altitude of 5,109m above sea level. The ranges vary on an altitude of 1615m – 5,109m. These are the highest mountain ranges in East Africa though not the highest point.
Margherita peak on Mount Stanley is at 5,109m above sea level and can be hiked on a 8 days hiking trip.
The hike to the summit takes the trails starting from Nyakalengija – Nyabitaba Hut – John Matte Jut – Bujuku –Elena Hut –Margherita peak. The descent takes the Margherita – Kitandara hut – Fresh Fields Pass –Guy Yeoman –Nyabitaba – Nyakalengija trail.
Mountain Rwenzori can also be hiked on Uganda hiking tours on different numbers of days depending on the hiker’s preferences, though these treks do not take travelers till the peak. Hikes can be as short as 1 day.
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Mount Elgon hiking tours – Best hiking safaris in Uganda
Mount Elgon has its highest altitude at 4,321m above sea level with three popular hiking trails of Sasa, Piswa and the Sipi trails.
Sasa trail Mount Elgon is a 4 days hiking safari Uganda route that starts from Budadiri, the trailhead. This is the original and busiest route to Wagagai peak taking about 4 days on a round trek. After the 1650m ascent on the first day of your hike there is pure bamboo forest to hike through. It’s the shortest but toughest.
Mount Elgon Sipi trail takes about six days on a 56km round trip setting off from Kapkwai Forest Exploration Centre. It is the longest trail to the peak but starts milder with the hike becoming turf on the third day from Kajeri camp. It’s a scenic hike.
Piswa trail of Mount Elgon is a longer (49km) trail covering taking seven days though the gentlest trail. The trail starts from the village of Kapkwata north of the mountains through soft wood plantation. The route is scenic with the karamoja and Kenya plains in the backdrop.
Mount Elgon trail heads can be combined and an ascent and descent can be on different trails. Apart from hiking only within Uganda, hikers can also choose to take a transboundary hike from Uganda to Kenya since the mountain is transboundary.
Bwindi Forest hiking safaris – Best hiking safaris in Uganda
Bwindi Forest is most known for Uganda gorilla safaris however, with its altitude, it’s also a good hiking destination for short day trips.
Trekking through Bwindi Forest can be done through the Munyanga waterfall trail, Rushura hill walk trail, Muzubijiro Loop trail, the Ivi river trail, Buhoma-Nkuringo trail and Habinyanja trail. The Habinyanja trail takes about 4-6 hours with lots of birds to be sighted.
Volcano Climbing in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park – Best hiking safaris in Uganda
Mgahinga has three volcano summits which are Mt. Sabinyo, Mt. Gahinga and Mt. Muhavura.
Mt. Sabinyo peak summit is on an altitude of 3.669m above sea level, a 14km round trip on a steep ridge taking about 8 hours along a steep ridge.
Mt. Gahinga rises to 3,474m above sea level with a swamp filled crater and giant lobelia with climbers hiking through thick bamboo forests and a possible chance of sighting golden monkeys on the climb.
Mt. Muhavura takes you to the highest peak at 4,127m above sea level taking about eight hours. At the peak, you have very scenic views of the Rwenzori Mountains, Bwindi Forest and all regions around.
Mgahinga volcano hiking trips take a days’ hike and therefore can be undertaken by all kinds of travelers.
In Uganda, hiking can also be done in other destinations like Mount Moroto in Karamoja, a hike to the top of Murchison Falls National Park.