The Fascinating Trip to the Mountains of the Moon

Trekking the Rwenzori Mountains begins in earnest as the Rwenzori Mountaineering Services (RMS) takes a group of people to the rope session and hands them equipment including hiking shoes, rubber boots, crampons to ease the walk on the snow, ice axes for safety, harnessers and snow gaiters (garments worn over the shoe and lower pant leg when hiking or walking through snow). They then explain the dos and don'ts of the expedition. This is at Nyakalengija which is the gateway to the park.

Some of the don'ts include bathing, which exposes nakedness to the deities who rule the sacred mountain. After vowing to abide by all the rules, you set off for the seven-day exploration of Africa's highest block mountain.

The first resting point is at Mahoma River, where a snack is had, followed by a steep climb until Nyabitaba Hut, 2650m above sea level (ASL). Here, porters prepare tea and fresh meals as you rest on wooden beds in the comfort of your sleeping bags.

On the second day, you head to John Matte Camp, sighting imposing portal peaks and crossing Mobuku River and its confluence with Bujuku River, till you reach a spot called Akomujungu (the white man's spot), where it's said a white hiker decided after fainting that he had had enough of climbing and retreated to Nyabitaba at the foot of the mountain.

At Nyamuleju, an abandoned camp, you have a quick snack and head for John Matte Camp, which is named after the first chairman of RMS. At the camp, one is able to capture picturesque sites of Stanley Plateau, Mount Baker Peak and Margherita Peak. Then you go to bed, thoroughly exhausted.

The following morning poses yet another challenge because this is the day you cross the Bigo Bogs which consist of knee-deep mud which takes hours to cross. The bogs are covered with grass tussocks which provide some dry footing. Across the bog, there is the Bigo Hut and its rock shelter, where you rest for a minute. Upon leaving the bog, the trail follows a narrow valley to Upper Bigo Bog. The climb is not difficult, though the dense thorny vegetation may scratch a little.

On the third day's trek, Upper Bigo Bog turns out to be especially beautiful, with vistas of the mountains ahead. After the bogs, the trail climbs to Lake Bujuku through lush forest. There are some beautiful waterfalls and cascades along the trail here.

The next day, you set off for Elena Hut, named after the first European explorer to reach the spot. It is a short distance on the map, but a steep 563m climb. Using a metal ladder, you reach the trail junction to Elena Hut. The trail to Elena Hut is one of the steepest to encounter. At Elena, there is a small wood hut, where you stay, and a smaller metal one nearby.

This is the final base camp for hikers headed for the highest summit, so you sleep early in order to wake up before dawn and embark on the last leg of the trip to the top. Using torch lights, you climb over slippery rocks through narrow trails till the snow line at Stanley Plateau, a wide snowfield, toward the summits clearly visible ahead in the bright morning sunlight. This marks the beginning of real excitement.

Joined by ropes in groups of five to six, you walk in rows to avoid crevasses and getting lost in the mist. The challenge here is the receding glaciers, which have left the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) metallic ladders that access the next deep valley destination almost hanging and swinging by the rope.

Finally, you reach the summit, you turn right and start descending very steeply, making a detour around Alexandra, the secondary peak on Mt. Stanley.

You eventually reach the saddle between Margherita and Alexandra, on the border between Uganda and Congo. As you begin the final ascent toward Margherita from the shadowy Congo side, the ice becomes much steeper. Here, you have a view of Mtwanga town in Congo. You then climb to Gae Yoman Camp, located near Akabamba Falls, where it's said the Bamba ethnic group from Bundibugyo froze to death some decades ago.

To complete the circuit, you spend the night at Gae Yoman Camp and in the morning, head for Nyabitaba Hut through the most challenging spot known as Kalya Rupee, where men used to surrender their daughters and money to the guides for assistance to ascend or descend the high rise waterfalls before UWA erected ladders.

Eventually you get to the wind-blown, rocky top of Margherita Peak. The wind can pick up sharply as you approach the 5109m (16,760 foot) summit on the highest non-volcanic peak in Africa. It is cold and windy on top, so you do not stay long. The descent is quick and soon you are back at Nyakalengija Gate, the memorable mountaineering safari experience forever imprinted on your brain.