List of Equipment for Hiking Rwenzori Mountains : List of equipment for hiking the Rwenzori Mountains are the different items to bring along for the exciting climb on the mountains of the moon. Rwenzori Mountains are part of the attractions found in Rwenzori mountains national park in Bundibugyo district in western Uganda. The mountain is at an altitude of 5109 meters and the highest point is Margherita peak.
The mountain range consist of moorland, bamboo, montane forest, alpine zone, glacier zone and the Rwenzori mountains are the highest mountain in Uganda and also the popular hiking destination in the country.
Different routes are used for climbing Mount Rwenzori and they include the central circuit trail, Kilembe trail and also the Bukurungu trail. The central circuit trail is the popular route used for hiking on the mountain.
Climbing Mount Rwenzori takes about 7 to 10 days depending on the route used for the hike. This activity can also be part of a 1 day hiking excursion and can be done during any month of the year. Guided nature walks can also be done around the mountain during safaris in Uganda.
For a successful hike to the top of the Rwenzori mountains, tourists need different equipment to be used during the activity and these include camping gear, cooking equipment, photography equipment, medical equipment as well as other personal items.
The equipment for climbing Mount Rwenzori can be hired or purchased and tour operators also provide some of the equipment used to climb the mountain. Below is a list of equipment for hiking Rwenzori mountains.
Camping equipment
The items needed to spend the night camping when hiking the Rwenzori mountains include sleeping bags and tents, mattresses and sleeping bag liners.
Tents can be pitched around the different camping areas designated for tourists to spend their nights after a day of hiking and these tents are in different capacities including single tents and double tents.
Spending the night in the huts built on the Rwenzori mountains is another option of accommodation.
Cooking equipment
Preparation of meals during climbing the Rwenzori mountains can be done by the chefs or cooks who accompany the hikers. The food items are bought in plenty before the hike depending on the size of the group engaging in the hike on Mount Rwenzori. They carry along items for cooking including cutlery such as forks, knives, spoons as well as plates and cups. Stoves are also packed for preparing the meals for the hikes.
Energy snacks and mineral water to sustain the hikers are also among the items hikers are advised to carry for their excursions on the mountain.
Photography equipment
To capture the moments during climbing the Rwenzori mountains, some of the equipment to carry includes camera and lenses, tripod stands, selfie sticks, extra batteries, memory cards for storage, and camera bags to keep the equipment safe.
Tourists can also carry daypacks to keep their photography equipment like cameras and also keep other personal items for the day hikes on Mount Rwenzori.
Lighting equipment
For hiking Mount Rwenzori during the night, it is also recommended that hikers pack light equipment such as headlamps and torches. The equipment comes in handy during the summit attempts which start as early as around midnight. Use of solar light also makes it easy since hikers can easily charge the lamps for the hikes.
Trekking equipment
To assist hikers during the climbing of Mount Rwenzori, items which tourists can use include trekking poles, crampons, ice axes. Each of these items helps with the daily movements on the mountain and trekking poles hold some of the weight of the hikers. Crampons help to easily move around the glacial areas on Mount Rwenzori as they are attached to the hiking shoes.
Personal items
Apart from the equipment used during the hike on Mount Rwenzori, tourists can also pack items such as warm clothing, good hiking shoes, insect repellant, soap, wipes, toothbrushes, toothpaste, tissue, lip balm, shampoo, sanitary items like pads or tampons among others.
For protection from sun rays during the hike on Mount Rwenzori, tourists can pack items such as sunscreen, sunhats, sun glasses, lotion among other items.
First aid kit
For cases of medical emergencies during hikes on Mount Rwenzori, packing a first aid kit is another essential item. The first aid kit can contain items like band aids, pain killers, allergy medicine, malaria medicine, antiseptic cream, bandages among other items. The guides and porters are also trained in first aid which makes the hikes on the mountain safer.
Clothing
Some of the clothing to pack for the hike on Mount Rwenzori include long sleeved shirts, long sleeved trousers, warm socks, jackets, gaiters, fleece sweaters, ponchos, rain jackets, scarves among others.
Layering of clothes is advised to keep the hikers warm during their hikes on the mountain both during the day and at night.
It is advised that tourists pack light for their hike on Mount Rwenzori because a lot of luggage may slow them down due to the weight. Porters can assist hikers with their extra luggage at an extra cost ofabout 30 USD.
Travel requirements
The entry requirements for visiting Uganda for hikers include valid visas, valid passports, and vaccination certificates. The visas for Uganda can be applied for online and got prior to the visit to Uganda since there are no visas on arrival. For tourists visiting Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda, they can apply for the East African visa. The visa costs about 50 USD for single entry into Uganda.
The hikers are expected to visit Uganda with passports valid for at least 6 months to be able to travel to the Rwenzori mountains. Vaccinations required for visiting Uganda for the hike on Mount Rwenzori include yellow fever vaccination certificates.
The mountain can be accessed by driving from Kampala to Kasese and continuing to the park headquarters which takes about 6 hours and another way to get to the Rwenzori mountains is by booking a domestic flight from Entebbe international airport to Kasese airstrip.
