The Rwenzori Mountains have long been known as the Mountains of the Moon, as Ptolemy described around 150 CE. Henry Morton Stanley recorded the snow-capped peaks in 1888 and it was in his published accounts that he first used the local name Ruwenzori.
Stretching for some 120km along the Ugandan/DRC border, the range runs right up to the Equator. The DRC side of the range extends through North Kivu and into Virunga National Park (established in 1925).
Where Are the Rwenzori Mountains in the DRC?
The Congolese section of the Rwenzori range is in North Kivu Province in the DRC (eastern DRC) and borders Uganda’s Kasese District.
The international border runs along the main ridge and as a result quite a number of the highest peaks are either on the border or very close to it.
Mount Stanley is the big feature along this section of the border and its summit (Margherita Peak) is 5,109m.
The summit actually straddles the Ugandan/DRC border so you’re in both countries at the same time. The other major summits in the Stanley group are Alexandra Peak at 5,091m and Albert Peak at 5,087m.
Ecosystems and Wildlife on the Congolese Slopes
The Congo side of the Rwenzoris has a compressed sequence of vegetation zones which change over a vertical distance of some 4,000 m.
Montane forest covers the area from 1600 to 2800 m, giving way to Yushania alpina bamboo stands and then to heath and afro-alpine moorland above 3,500 m.
In the lower montane belt there are small numbers of forest elephants remaining in the Congolese part of the range.
Chimps are also present in these mid elevation forests, though population figures for the DRC side are still very preliminary. The Rwenzori colobus (a primate found only in this mountain system) is present throughout the range but is under pressure from habitat fragmentation on the Congolese side.
Above 3,000 m the vegetation changes to giant lobelias and giant groundsels (which can be 6 m or more in the afro-alpine zone).
These plants have rosette growth forms and internal water storage tissues which enable them to survive the nightly temperatures that routinely fall below freezing at these equatorial latitudes.
The Rwenzori Turaco (Tauraco rufopictus), endemic to the Albertine Rift, forages in the ericaceous belt between 2,800 and 3,500 m.
The three-horned chameleon is found in the mid elevation forests and bamboo belts across the Rwenzori range.
Males have three well developed occipital horns which is the feature that sets them apart from the other chameleon populations in the Albertine Rift.
At the highest elevations the remaining glacial ice fields on Mount Stanley have shrunk from about 6.5 sq km in 1906 to an estimated 0.5 sq km or less by the mid 2020s.
Trekking the Rwenzoris
Expeditions to the western slopes of the Rwenzori organise their departures via the North Kivu transport corridor (Beni to Butembo).
Field parties go east along the RN4 to the main trailhead at Mutwanga (1200m).
This is the administrative village which acts as the operational base where the climbing teams do their required registration with the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature.
Ascent routes from the Mutwanga track go up the Lamia River valley and the Butawu River catchment through bamboo and ericaceous forest.
Teams work their way along pathways which involve clearing trails through the primary vegetation zones to get to the high alpine bogs above 3,800 m.
Climbing parties set up wilderness tent sites at the various historical resting clearings (Kalonge at 2,140 m and Mahangu at 3,310 m).
To get to the upper western aspect of the Mount Stanley massif you have to cross the Stanley Plateau ice sheet and work your way across the western tongue of the Margherita Glacier.
Alpine teams use dynamic climbing rope, technical crampons and ice screws to get through the terminal seracs and the loose rock terraces above 4,800 m.
The last line across the bedrock ridges takes you straight to Margherita Peak at 5,109m on the international boundary line.
Operational conduct on the western slopes is via the village administrative councils in Mutwanga contracting in community guides and porters.
Field porters are paid on a daily basis between $25 and $40 and are allowed to carry a maximum of 20kg per person.
Safety and Security in North Kivu
Security in North Kivu is such that it is clearly the scene of active counter-insurgency operations by the FDLR against groups such as the Allied Democratic Forces.
The Beni area around the western Rwenzori base stations is under the special administrative regime established by Presidential Ordinance 21/015 of May 2021.
Government security forces have fortified positions along the Mbau to Kamango transit corridor to secure the supply lines running towards the high mountain valleys.
The US Department of State has a Level 4 advisory for North Kivu province (due to the armed conflict and civil unrest).
Consular instructions from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office confirm that consular assistance is severely restricted beyond 50km of major town centres (e.g. Beni, Butembo).
The Congolese Wildlife Authority provides protected area security via armed ranger units of the Virunga National Park corps who accompany all authorised field missions.
These rangers complete their tactical training at the Ishango and Rumangabo operational centres in order to provide perimeter security for field teams operating in the montane forests.
Civilian expedition groups travelling along the RN4 between Beni and the Mutwanga trailhead join the designated daylight transport convoys which are co-ordinated by the regional military commanders.
Useful Advice for Prospective Trekkers
- Obtain your DRC entry visa via the Direction Générale de Migration well in advance of your intended departure and allow a minimum of three weeks for processing at the Goma immigration office.
- Get mountain access permits from the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) at around $100 per person per day and register separately at the Mutwanga admin office where there is a further $20 community contribution.
- Book your expedition during the two drier periods, either January to February or July to August, when the montane rainfall is below 150mm per month.
- Be Prepared for night-time temperatures dropping below zero degrees C above 4,200 m which will require four season expedition tents rated for sustained winds in excess of 75kph on exposed alpine ridges.
- Carry technical climbing gear (certified by the UIAA) for the western glacier traverses above 4800m including dynamic ropes, steel crampons and ice axes.
- Deploy an Iridium satellite communicator for emergency location reporting as there’s no mobile network coverage beyond the Mutwanga trailhead and no cellular signal at the upper alpine camps.
- Bring physical US dollar banknotes printed after 2013, as local vendors and porter associations in Beni and Mutwanga reject older or damaged bills without exception.
- Budget for daily porter wages between 25 and 40 US dollars per person, and purchase bulk rations delivering at least 3,500 calories per crew member per day from the Beni municipal markets before departure.