The Rwenzori mountains, the fabulous Mountains of the Moon, are a fascinating mountain range lying in the heart of Africa, on the border between Congo and Uganda. Considered to be the Sources of the Nile since the Classical times, the range is formed by several massifs, steep granite valleys, wide bogs and a prolific gigantic flora that shapes the landscape as it came from a fairy tale. The mountains of the Rwenzori form a range about 120 km long and 50 km wide and unlike other major African peaks. Formed by the geotectonic forces that shaped the Rift Valley, though not being of volcanic origin, the Rwenzori range is formed by several massifs, such as Mt. Speke, Mt. Baker or Mt. Stanley, which with Margherita Peak at 5109m is the third highest mountains of Africa.

The name itself, Rwenzori, in the local Bakonjo language means “rain maker”, so much so it can rain every day of the year and water has an eccentric presence in all its forms: rain, fog, ice, clouds, snow, rivers, mud. Several European explorers in Uganda and Congo failed to see the mountain tops for a long time, mud will be your trekking companion for the most part. Continue reading →