The Butawu Route
The Butawu Route Is The Only Route Regularly Used On The Zaire Side Of The Ruwenzoris. All Other Routes Are So Overgrown With Vegetation That They Are Virtually Impossible To Climb.
On The First Day, It Takes Five To Six Hours Of Hiking From The Park Headquarters At Mutsora (5600 Ft./1700 M) Through Small Fields Of Bananas, Coffee, And Other Crops To Reach Kalonge Hut (7015 Ft./2135 M). The Hut Sleeps 16 Persons, And There Is Room
For Tents Nearby.
On The Second Day, One Passes Through Areas With Giant Stinging Nettles And Bamboo Forest Over 100 Feet (30 M) High. Soon You Come To A Resting Spot Where Offerings Are Left For The Mountain Gods. Your Guide Will Expect You To Leave Something,
(I.E., A Few Coins).
At About 8500 Feet (2600 Meters), The Sides Of The Slick, Muddy Path Become Lined With Spongy Mosses And Heather 25 Feet (8 M) Tall. After About Five Hours Of Hiking (Actually The Most Difficult Part Of The Climb), One Reaches Mahangu Hut (10,860 Ft./3310 M). The Hut Has Room For 16 Persons, And There Is Room
For Camping.
The Third Day One Finally Hikes Past The Upper Tree Line At About 12,500 Feet (3800 Meters) And Enters A Zone Of Giant Groundsels Over 16 Feet (5 M) High And Giant Lobelia Over 25 Feet (8 M) High. Before Completing The Five-Hour Hike To Kiondo Hut (13,780 Ft./4200 M), You Hike Along An Open Ridge With Fabulous Views Of Lac Noir (Black Lake). Kiondo Hut Has Room For 12, And There Is Room For Tents Nearby.
On Day Four Of The Hike, The Butawu Route Continues On To Wasuwameso Peak (14,600 Ft./4450 M) For Some Fabulous Views Of Mt. Stanley. Climbers Then Return To Kiondo Hut And Continue On Down To Kalonge Hut For The Night.
Alternatively, Take A Fabulous Hike Past Lac Vert (Green Lake) And Lac Gris (Grey Lake) To Moraine Hut (14,270 Ft./4350 M) At The Foot Of The Glaciers. The Hike To Moraine Hut From Kiondo Hut Takes About Five Hours Round-Trip And Requires A Short Bit Of Easy Rock Climbing With Fixed Ropes. Then Return To Either Kiondo Hut Or Mahangu Hut For The Night.
If You Hike To Moraine Hut, Be Sure To Return To Kiondo Hut Early. My Guide Insisted There Was Plenty Of Time To Reach Moraine Hut And Return To Kiondo Hut The Afternoon Of The Third Day. We Were So Late Returning We Were Forced To Return In The Dark. Had I Not Brought A Flashlight, We Might Still Be Up There. On The Fifth Day, Return To Mutsora — Hopefully For A Hot Bath And A Soft Bed!
Many Hikers Prefer Camping At Grey Lake Instead Of Using Dilapidated Moraine Hut, Which Leaks. There Is Space For Only One Tent Near Moraine Hut. Experienced Mountaineers May Press On To Conquer The Glaciers And Peaks Of The Ruwenzori From Either Location. Allow A Minimum Of Six Or Seven Days Total For The Climb If You Wish To Attempt Any Summits.
For Information On Climbing The Summits And Glaciers, I Recommend The East Africa International Mountain Guide By Andrew Wielochowski (1986) And Guide To The Ruwenzori By Osmaston And Pasteur (1972), Both Published By West Col
Productions In England.
The Best Time To Climb Is From December-February; June-August Is Also Good. To Reach The Ruwenzoris, Travel North From Goma Through Butembo, And Just Before Beni Turn East 28 Miles (45 Km) To Mutwanga. Park Headquarters Are At Mutsora, About 1.5 Miles (2.5 Km) From Mutwanga.
A Guide Is Required And His Fee Is Included In The Park Entrance Fee; Porters Are Available For A Small Fee. Both Guides And Porters Expect Cigarettes In Addition To A Tip. The Guides
Know The Path And Where To Find Water En Route—But Little Else All Guides Speak French; An English-Speaking Guide May Not Be Available. Guides Who Speak English Tend To Know Only A Few Words.
Guides Are Not Equipped For, Or Experienced In, Glacier Or Rock Climbing. Your Group Must Be Self-Sufficient. There Are No Mountain Rescue Teams; Bring A Comprehensive Medical Kit.
Huts Have Fireplaces, Bunk Beds And Wood Stoves. Guides And Porters Love To Smoke And Often Share The Huts With You-Consider Bringing Your Own Tent. Also, Bring A Warm Sleeping Bag, Mattress, Food, Fuel, And Enough Water To Last Two Days. Most Of The Windows Are Broken; You May Wish To Bring Some Plastic With Which To Cover Them.
See “Mt. Kilimanjaro” In The Chapter On Tanzania For A More Extensive Equipment Checklist And Other Preparations. Mt. Kilimanjaro Is Higher, But The Trail Up The Ruwenzoris Is Much Steeper, Slicker And More Difficult To Negotiate.
Related Information
Machame Route
Machame Route This Is Possibly The Most Beautiful Route Up The Mountain. The Park Gate Is Located A Few Miles Above Machame Village. Hike Four To Six Hours Through Rain Forest To Machame Huts (9843 Ft./3000 M.). The Following Day Hike Five To Seven Hours To The Defunct Shira Hut (12,467 Ft./3800 M.) On The Shira Plateau (See Shira Plateau Route For Description Of The Area). Continue Hiking About Four Hours To Lava Tower Hut. From Lava Tower Hut Follow The Directions From The Umbwe Route To The Summit.
Shira Plateau Route
Shira Plateau Route This Is A Very Scenic And Yet Seldom-Used Route, Providing Great Views Of Kilimanjaro And The Rift Valley And Probably The Best Wildlife Viewing On The Mountain. A Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicle Is Needed, And The Roads May Be Impassable In The Rainy Seasons. The Route Is Hard To Find. Be Sure To Have A Guide Who Knows The Way. Drive North From The Moshi-Arusha Road At Boma La Ng'ombe To Londorossi Gate, Located On The Western Side Of Kilimanjaro. Continue On To A Campsite. The Track Ends Shortly Thereafter, At 12,200 Feet (3720 M). The Defunct Shira Hut (12,467 Ft./3800
Chogoria Route
Chogoria Route This Is The Most Scenic Route On The Mountain. From The Chogoria Forest Station On The Eastern Side Of Mt. Kenya, Hike Or Drive Ten Miles (16 Km) To Bairunyi Clearing (8858 Ft./2700 M.) And Camp, Or Continue For Another Four Miles/Six Kilometers (Four-Wheel-Drive Required) To Meru Mt. Kenya Lodge (9898 Ft./ 3017 M.) And Stay In Their Self-Catering Bandas. Hike Through Hagenia Forest To Urumandi Hut (10,050 Ft./ 3063 M.), Owned By The Mountain Club Of Kenya. Room For Camping Is Available Nearby. Minto's Hut (14,075 Ft./4290 M.) Is About A Six-Hour Hike From Meru Mt. Kenya Lodge. Space
Mweka Route
Mweka Route This Is The Steepest And Most Direct Route To Uhuru Peak. It Starts At Mweka Village Near The College Of Wildlife Manage¬ment (4593 Ft./1400 M.) And Runs Along An Old Logging Road Through Banana And Coffee Plantations For About Three Miles, Then Along A Seldom-Used Path For Another Three And One-Half Miles To Mweka Hut At 9515 Feet (2900 M). This Hike Takes Six To Eight Hours. There Is Water Nearby. After A Five-To-Six-Hour Climb The Following Day Through Heathlands And Alpine Desert, You Reach Barafu Hut (14,435 Ft./ 4400 M.). The Third Day Is A Steep Climb Between Ratzel
Routes
Routes Climbing Kibo Peak Via The Routes Described Below Re¬quires No Mountaineering Skills. A Guide For Each Climbing Party Is Required. Porters Are Highly Recommended. The Marangu, Machame, And Shira Plateau Routes Are The Most Popular. It Is More Interesting (And More Expensive) To Take Other Routes Up And Return Via The Marangu Route, Offering Additional Variety To The Climb. Little Firewood Is Available. Do Bring Fuel (Kerosene) For Cooking And Heating; This Will Help Minimize Deforestation. The National Park Guides Are Not Qualified To Lead Glacier Or Ice Climbing Routes. The Services Of A Professional Guide Must Be Arranged In Advance. The
North of Goma
North of Goma On the drive from Goma northward one passes over the dramatic Kabasha Escarpment to Butembo. The route from the Kabasha Escarpment to Beni is one of the most beautiful in Africa and is properly named the "Beauty Route." The road passes through many picturesque villages, coffee, tea and banana planta¬tions — the Africa that many of us have pictured in our minds.
Umbwe Route
Umbwe Route The Umbwe Route Is Very Steep And Strenuous. The Route Begins At Umbwe (About 4600 Ft./1400 M.), A Village Ten Miles From Moshi. Walk Two Miles To Kifuni Village And Into The Forest. Follow The Path For Another Three And One-Half Miles And Then Branch Left Into A Mist-Covered Forest Until You Reach The Forest Cave (Bivouac #1) At 9515 Feet (2900 M), Six To Seven Hours From Umbwe. Overhanging Ledges Extending About Five Feet From The Cliff Provide Reasonable Protection For About Six People; How¬ever, It Is Recommended You Use Your Own Tents. The Wood Is Usually Very
The Mountain Road
The Mountain Road This route cuts through the center of Lesotho from west to east through spectacular mountain scenery to "The Roof of Africa." From Maseru the road ascends over Bushmen Pass (Lekhalongla Baroa) to Molimo Nthuse ("God Help Me Pass"). Between December and March colorful scarlet and yellow red-hot pokers (flowers) may be seen in this area. Continue to Thaba Tseka where the good road ends and four-wheel drive is necessary to negotiate the tracks that pass small villages and isolated herd-boys. After Sehonghong the route descends into the Orange (Senqu) River Canyon dotted with unusual rock formations, then climbs over
Butembo
Butembo This Busy Village With A Population Of Over 100,000 Is Situated In The Highlands Along The "Beauty Route" Just North Of The Equator, About Halfway Between Goma And Bunia. Many Banana, Coffee And Tea Plantations Are In The Area. Travelers Driving From Rwindi Often Spend The Night Here Before Continu¬ing On T° Mt. Hoyo Or The Ruwenzori Mountains.
Huts
Huts Mandara, Horombo And Kibo Huts Are Described Under The Marangu Route Above. The Other Huts Are Prefab Metal Huts, Either 10 Or 15 Feet (3 Or 4.5 M) In Diameter In Varying States Of Disrepair; Some Are Basically Uninhabitable. Many Of The Wooden Floors Have Been Ripped Up And Used For Firewood. It Is Best To Bring Your Own Tents And Let The Guides And Porters Use The Huts. Drinking Water Should Be Filtered, Treated And/Or Boiled As Some Sources On The Mountain Are Polluted. Mawenzi Hut (15,092 Ft./4600 M.): From "The Saddle" On The Marangu Route Just After Passing East