Rwenzori Mountain national Park
Mountain Rwenzori National park dubbed mountain of the moon is among the UNESCO’s world heritage sites positioned in the Western region of Uganda. The is situated at the border country of the democratic republic of Congo (West direction) in the districts of Kasese, Kabarole close to Fort portal city, Ntoroko, and Bundibugyo. An interesting history is that people living around the Rwenzori mountains call it the Rwenzori which means “the rainmaker “or the rain mountains in Lukonjo language.
Additionally, the park has the highest ranges in Africa which stood at 5109 m above sea level on Margherita peak with other peaks including mount baker and mount Speke which are permanently covered with snow. The park covers an area of 966Square kilometers and is well-thought-out to be the most Africans sensational alpine zones because of glaciers, waterfall, and water bodies like lakes. Despite its mountainous nature, the park houses untamed wildlife species that include endangered animals the horned chameleons and giant heather, also  rare flora species
Rwenzori National park was designated as National park in 1991 as the move to protect the watchmen areas, distinguished nature, and beautiful scenic views and its brittle mountain ecosystem that provides support to the threatened, endemic and rare species of nature for the benefit of both Ugandans and the international community for future generations .it was because of this biodiversity and its ecological importance that in 1994, the park was declared as a heritage site by UNESCO.
The factor that the park located astride the equator; the climatic conditions are mostly wet most of the time compared to other parts of the East African block. The sufficient downpours received on the windward side of the mountain (Eastern side) usually happens in the march up to May and September up to mid-December. This variation favors very many species of wildlife in the park as present in the paragraphs below.
Rwenzori National Park provides refuge to over 70 species of mammals such as leopards, elephants, and Chimpanzees as well as 9 species of reptiles and six species of Amphibians. Five of the species are endangered, fourteen are threatened while others have restricted range. Among the engendered species include the Rwenzori duiker known by its scientist name as (Cephalophusrubidus), montane squill chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), African elephant as well as Rwenzori range frog.
Importantly, Rwenzori National Park offers habitat to major birding communities in the country Uganda with a total of 217 recorded birds of which 19 species are of endemic Albertine rift valley. Although the above-mentioned list presents only moderate levels of species wealth, both mountainous and forested park anchorages many rare, threatened and endemic species. Two species of horned cattle chameleon occur in the frozen forested park while two snakes snake species have as well been recorded in the Park.
The convenient time to visit Rwenzori National park
Travelers interested in trekking mountain Rwenzori as well as visiting the park in general frequently ask themselves such questions on when they can effectively visit the park. It is fantastic to know which are the best months to trek and to visit the Rwenzori National park such that people can plan accordingly. Mountain Rwenzori National Park can be effectively visited through the year however, during the dry season which usually starts from June up to August and December to February, are the perfect time months to visit.
The dry conditions of the year make the road passable to the travelers as compared to the wet seasons of the years. Importantly, even during months of the year, it can rain but of course not as frequent as in wet season since the weather here in Uganda is unpredictable even in the wet season you can as well experience light rainfall, therefore, its good to stick to the best time months of the year to dodge bad weather conditions and always seek advice from your travel company or company organizing your safaris.
The mountain Rwenzori is very outstanding all year round and it can be seen that there is no bad season throughout the year and therefore we advise our travelers that our travelers however dramatic weather change whether from dry to wet season don’t change the appearance of fauna and flora. Travelers to Rwenzori Mountain trekking need to be very well prepared because of the wet conditions with the peak of the mountain branded by fog most of the times, this sometimes makes hiking and route finding somehow difficult.