What to see in Rwenzori mountains national park? Climbing Rwenzori Mountains is an exciting adventure experience and the best way to spend a few days on your hiking safari. While hiking mountains, tourists have a lot to learn like geography and history as well as exploring the park. Below is a list of things of what to see in Rwenzori mountains national park Uganda;

Wildlife and Mammals of Rwenzori mountains National Park.

This great park is home to over 70 mammal species these include Albertine Rift endemics, rare species. Others are the chimpanzee, Rwenzori otter, leopard, and elephant.  Even though wildlife is not easy to see in the dense forest, you can see primates such as colobus and blue monkeys, small antelope such as bushbucks, and unusual reptiles like a three-horned chameleon.

Rwenzori Mountains National Park is mostly common for flora rather than fauna. On the route to the peaks, you will go through the montane forest, bamboo, tree heathers, and afro-alpine plus giant forms of Senecio and lobelia, one of the rarest plant communities to East African Mountains above 3800m as well as the entire world.

Flora Vegetation.

The montane forest has beautiful vegetation that will give you breathless for a while. Its nature covered with vegetation around the Mountains of the Moon, The Rwenzori vegetation ranges are positioned in the tropical rainforest which is characterized by dense stands, evergreen trees, the ground covered by a thick litter of bamboo leaves, and the forest canopy tends to be broken and vegetal biodiversity a spreading tree with yellow flowers. Shrubs and herbaceous plants are abundant which include the Rubus dogetti and Ruwenzori blackberry. The natural vegetation has been categorized as a place to the five different zones and this is due to the altitude and aspect. The higher altitude zones are surrounded by Afro-alpine moorland and health.

Birding.

Rwenzori mountains are natural habitant for over 217 bird species and 17 among them are permanent residents in the park which are confirmed by UNESCO as a key birding area. These are some of the bird species include. The Rwenzori Batis,  Handsome Francolin, Blue-headed Sunbird,  Rwenzori Turaco, Long-eared Owl, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Golden-winged Sunbird,  Strange Weaver, Archers’ Robin-chat, White-starred Robin, Montane Sooty Boubou, Slender-billed Starling, Lagden’s Bush-Shrike, Barbets, Greenbuls, Flycatchers. IIladopsis, Apalises, Crimson wings, and others.

The Bakonjo People & Culture.

The Bakonjo people are found in Kasese. There are also other people around the Rwenzori are the Bambuti and Bamba through Bakonjo are the most people in Rwenzori. Physically they are short and stout. The Bakonjo and Bamba are small people, dark-skinned and short. These create the original population of the forests and mountainous areas. Their natural surrounding gave them a rich variation in small percussion instruments, small portable instruments, wooden horns, and simple dances.

Both Bakanjo and Bamba believe in superhuman powers, their gods are called Nyabarika and Kalisa. Kalisa has half of a body and it looks like a man with one eye, only one arm, one leg, one ear, the half of a nose. Nyabarika was the strongest spiritual power and was god for life and death and during hunting. Then late, these gods were erected. The people around were hunters and during hunting they use dogs. In Uganda, the Bakonzo are an ethnic group of over 30’000 people, and in Congo, they number more and are known as Banande.

Uganda is blessed with a lot of national parks so after hiking the majestic Rwenzori mountains, you can go for Gorilla trekking tours and explore the home to the mountain gorillas known as Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Or you can go to other parks like Lake Mburo National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Murchison Falls National Park. Also like visiting forest parks such as Kibale Forest National Park which is known for Chimpanzee trekking tours, among others.