Mountains in Uganda

Are there mountains in Uganda? Various mountains in Uganda provide animal watching, mountain climbing, and trekking options to visitors on Uganda adventure safaris. This thus raises eyebrows on which mountain has higher mountain ranges, hiking options/routes, and other activities to do. Uganda has several mountain ranges in different parts of the country which you may seek to explore.

The Kigezi area, on the western branch of the Great East Africa Rift Valley/Albertine Rift, is Uganda’s most hilly region. The farms with terraces in the mountains of the Kigezi district give Uganda its characteristic aspect. Kigezi is popular as the “Switzerland of Africa.” This is because of the beautiful hills and the lakes in the region. One of the most beautiful places to visit is Lake Bunyonyi, popular for relaxation and excursion activities.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is in the highest regions of the Kigezi highlands. The park is on the border of the western Rift Valley. Also, it is home to about half (459) of the world’s population (1063) of mountain gorillas.

Rwenzori Mountains

The Rwenzori Mountains, popular as the “Mountains of the Moon,” are a kind of block mountain. It is north of Kigezi on the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The mountain is within the Rwenzori Mountains National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hence, it is a popular location for African mountain climbing safaris.

Claudius Ptolemy, the Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, and founder of geography, recognized the Rwenzori Mountains as the source of the Nile in 150 AD. He also dubbed them “Mountains of the Moon” because their snow-covered peaks on the sweltering equator seemed otherworldly.

The Rwenzori mountain range is 120 kilometers long and 65 km broad. The mountain range is divided into six massifs by deep canyons.

Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley in the Rwenzori range is the third highest point in Africa. This is only behind Uhuru Peak on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania at 5,895 meters and Batian Peak on Mount Kenya in Kenya at 5,199 meters.

Peaks on the Rwenzori mountains

• Mount Speke at 5,109 metres
• Mount Baker at 4,843 metres
• Mount Emin at 4,798 metres
• Mount Gessi at 4,715 metres and
• Mount Luigi di Savoia at 4,627 meters

Virunga volcanoes

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is on Uganda’s border with Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Hence, it’s just a few kilometers south of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. They also have mountain gorillas and are an excellent place to go for gorilla trekking in Uganda. They are also good mountain climbing and hiking destinations. The only summit for hiking in Uganda in these ranges is Mount Sabinyo. This hike helps you to see not only flora and fauna, but also you can see the three countries of DR Congo, Uganda, and Rwanda.

The Virunga volcanoes in Uganda are an extension of a chain of eight volcanoes in Rwanda, Congo, and Uganda. The name “Virunga” comes from the Kinyarwanda term Virunga, which means “volcanoes.” Except for Mount Nyiragongo and Mount Nyamulagira in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, most of them are inactive.

The Virunga Volcanoes in Uganda

• Mountain Gahinga (3,474 meters)
• Mount Sabinyo (3,674 meters)
• Mount Muhabura (4,127 meters)

Mount Elgon

Mount Elgon, also popular as Masaba, is an extinct shield volcano in eastern Uganda near the Kenyan border. Elgon is also East Africa’s oldest and largest isolated volcanic peak. Geologists believe that it erupted around 24 million years ago and last erupted 10 million years ago.

At 4,321m (14,177 ft) above sea level, it is the second-highest peak in Uganda and the eighth-highest mountain in Africa. The Mount in Uganda is made up of four significant peaks:

Wagagai, the highest peak at 4,321 meters
Sudek peak at 4,302 meters on the Uganda/Kenya
Mubiyi peak at 4,211 metres and
Masaba peak at 4,161 metres

Mount Elgon also has the following significant features:

The crater Mount contains one of the world’s largest preserved calderas encompassing more than 40km2 on its summit.
Mt Elgon also possesses the world’s biggest base of any extinct volcano.
Mount Elgon is also the name of Uganda’s Mount Elgon National Park, which is a popular site for mountain trekking and climbing safaris.

OTHER SIGNIFICANT MOUNTAINS IN UGANDA INCLUDE:

Mountain Moroto (3084 meters)
Mount Kadam (3068 meters)
Mount Morungole (2,750 meters)