Rwenzori Central Circuit hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Rwenzori Central Circuit is the classic trek into the Rwenzori Mountains, the "Mountains of the Moon" on Uganda's border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is a hut-to-hut loop from Nyakalengija, the base of Rwenzori Mountaineering Services (RMS) 17 km from Kasese, up the Bujuku valley to the foot of Mount Stanley, over Scott Elliot Pass (4,372 m) and Freshfield Pass (4,282 m), and back down the Mubuku valley. The line in this guide is 43 km, but the ground is so wet and rough that a day of 6 km can take 7 hours. RMS sells it as a 6-day trek, most groups take 7 or 8 days, and strong, acclimatised climbers add Margherita Peak (5,109 m), the highest point in Uganda and the third highest in Africa.

You cannot walk it alone. RMS, a community company with a concession from the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), is the only provider of guides, porters and hut places on the circuit, and your package includes them.

The route

From the RMS office the path climbs through farmland to the park gate, then follows the Mubuku River through montane forest, crosses the Mahoma River and climbs a steep ridge to Nyabitaba Hut (2,651 m). Day 2 drops to the Kurt Schafer Bridge at the meeting of the Mubuku and Bujuku rivers, then climbs through bamboo and over slippery moss-covered rock to John Matte Hut, among giant heather and lobelias. Day 3 crosses the Lower and Upper Bigo Bogs to Bujuku Hut (3,962 m) by Lake Bujuku, under Mount Baker, Mount Speke and Mount Stanley.

Day 4 climbs through Groundsel Gully to Scott Elliot Pass, the high point of the circuit, and descends past the Kitandara lakes to Kitandara Hut (about 4,020 m). Climbers bound for Margherita turn right below the pass to Elena Hut (4,541 m). Day 5 climbs the headwall to Freshfield Pass, with views into the Congo, then descends the long, mossy upper Mubuku valley past the Bujongolo rock shelter, the 1906 base camp of the Duke of the Abruzzi, to Guy Yeoman Hut. The last day descends the cliffs of Kichuchu, crosses the Mubuku twice, rejoins the outward path near Nyabitaba and goes down to Nyakalengija.

This guide follows the RMS itinerary and splits the loop into 6 stages, about 7.1 km each. The first 6.7 km, Nyakalengija to Nyabitaba, is walked out and back.

Highlights

• Bigo Bog and Lake Bujuku: giant lobelias and groundsels in a valley ringed by three glaciated mountains
• Scott Elliot Pass (4,372 m): the roof of the circuit, between Mount Stanley and Mount Baker
• The Kitandara lakes: two lakes below Mount Baker and Mount Luigi di Savoia
• Freshfield Pass: on a clear morning you look west into the Congo and north to Mount Stanley
• Margherita Peak (5,109 m): an optional glacier climb from Elena Hut on the RMS 7-day itinerary
• The forest: black-and-white colobus, blue monkeys and the Rwenzori turaco

When to go

The Rwenzori are among the wettest mountains in Africa and it can rain on any day. The drier months are late December to February and June to August, and the busiest; March to May and September to November are wetter, with deeper mud. Nights at Bujuku and Kitandara drop below freezing and the passes can have snow or hail.

How many days do you need?

RMS sells the circuit as 6 days, with the last day 7 to 8 hours from Guy Yeoman to Nyakalengija. Most trekkers add a night at Nyabitaba on the way down (7 days), and the RMS Margherita version takes 7 days with a night at Elena Hut instead of Kitandara. Plan a day in Kasese before and after.

Permits, booking and costs

Book directly with RMS (offices in Kampala, Kasese and Nyakalengija) or through a tour operator that uses RMS. In October 2026 RMS lists the 6-day circuit from US$1,200 per person and the 7-day circuit with Margherita from US$1,365. Packages include UWA park entry (US$35 per day for foreign non-residents), guides, porters, hut nights, meals and a cook. The last published UWA tariff, for July 2024 to June 2026, charges US$50 per day for the Rwenzori hike; UWA had not published a new tariff by October 2026, so check what your quote includes. Each trekker may give porters 12.5 kg. Tips for guides and porters are expected.

Getting there and away

Fly into Entebbe. Kasese is a long day by road from Kampala, by bus or private transfer; travel in daylight, as the FCDO recommends. Nyakalengija is 17 km from Kasese, branching off the Kasese–Fort Portal road at Nkenda; RMS runs transfers. Arrive at the RMS office early on day 1 to pay, hire equipment and meet your team.

Money and phone signal

Uganda uses the shilling (UGX); RMS prices and park fees are in US dollars. Bring clean, recent dollar notes and cash for tips. Do not count on mobile signal on the mountain: your guide is the link to help.

What to pack

• Rubber gumboots for the bogs (RMS hires them) and gaiters
• Full waterproofs, and dry bags inside your pack
• A sleeping bag for well below freezing, a warm hat, gloves and a down jacket
• Head torch, sunglasses and sun cream for the passes
• Water purification, snacks, blister kit and your own medicines
• For Margherita: crampons, ice axe, harness and helmet, hired at the RMS office

Difficulty and safety

The Central Circuit is hard. The days are short on the map but slow: deep bog, tussocks, mud, ladders, roots and wet boulders, often in rain or mist, for 4 to 8 hours a day. Four nights are at 3,400 to 4,000 m and the passes are over 4,200 m, so altitude sickness is a real risk: walk slowly, drink well and tell your guide about headaches or breathlessness. There is no organised mountain rescue: an injured trekker is helped or carried down by guides and porters, which can take a day or more, so carry insurance that covers evacuation and treatment. In an emergency call 999 or 112.

The FCDO (updated 8 October 2026) does not advise against travel to Kasese district or the national park, but it warns of terrorism by the ADF near the DRC border, especially around Bwera, and of attacks on police and army posts in Kasese and Bundibugyo in November 2025. It advises against all travel to the neighbouring DRC provinces, so stay on the Ugandan side of the range. A yellow fever certificate is no longer required for entry to Uganda.

History

Ptolemy wrote of the Mountains of the Moon around AD 150 as the source of the Nile, and Henry Stanley put the "Ruwenzori" on European maps in 1888. In 1906 the Duke of the Abruzzi's expedition climbed and named the main peaks from Bujongolo. The mountains are home to the Bakonzo people, whose porters and guides run RMS, founded in 1987. Rwenzori Mountains National Park was gazetted in 1991, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 and a Ramsar wetland in 2008.