Margherita Peak is the third highest mountain (fourth highest peak) in Africa, and with the highest summit of the Ruwenzori Range(mountains of the moon), and is normally described as the sky piercing rock due to it’s nature being on a higher summit which is mist covered. With Mountain Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya ranking after this. Hiking Margherita Peak is a demanding activity and is very serious undertaking. The more prepared you are, the more enjoyable your trip will be. Physical fitness is one aspect of preparation that takes time and commitment.

It’s a more challenging hike. What makes it so tough is the rain forest and bog you must trek through. Mud is often past your knees if you make a wrong step, which you’ll. Despite the tough going, it is incredibly rewarding. On clear days you can see over the mountain into the Congo, you come across glacial lakes on the mountain, and you’ll climb up and down waterfalls.

Drive passed Rwenzori national park, which is a nine hours drive west of Kampala up to this pleasurable Mountaineering destination, the destination offers a crowd free hiking Safari ever thought of with much to encounter with, it gives a sense of wilderness absent on Kilimanjaro. Official Records show that between January and October 2017, just 693 people trekked its higher reaches. During this eight-day trek we last had with our hikers from Germany, we met just 10 other hikers – and not one tearful celebrity doing their bit for charity.

Marvel through the muddy jungles with dead sounds emanating from beneath and all around, a place most often loved by hikers, the trek ends in an amazing alpine summit of the highest peak in Uganda. If you are a beginner, please consider extending your days between 7-8 days, it’s quite challenging especially as you hike through the dusty mud that often goes past your knees, and if you make a wrong step, oh yeah, you will. Despite the tough going, it is incredibly rewarding. On clear days you can see over the mountain into the Congo, you come across glacial lakes on the mountain, and you’ll climb up and down waterfalls.

Margherita Peak Summit reaches its highest elevation at Margherita Peak (16,795 feet) on the borders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It sits in Uganda between Lake Albert (Lake Mobutu Sese Seko) to the north and Lake Edward to the south on the Congo (Kinshasa)–Uganda border, is not volcanic in origin. From East Africa the plateau extends southward, often with a well-defined though not continuous escarpment particularly noticeable in the Drakensberg of Southern Africa. It’s summit bears residual features of glaciation, located on the eastern fringe of the Rift Valley on the border of Congo (Kinshasa) and Uganda.

Climbing to marghetia peak is now technical and requires some knowledge of using ropes and use of crampons, ascenders. It also requires a hiker to have some knowledge on how to use an ice axe as we get through the ice sections of about 60% steepness and these do change rapidly due to climate change and melting of the glacier around this peak. All our guides(Mountain Rwenzori tour guides) are trained in ice climbing and rescue and can guide you up with little experience however you must be prepared to learn on the way up and to be able to fit your own crampons and at least tie basic knots and use of ascenders and figure 8s.

Bring an ice tool or hybrid tool/ace (like the Petal Sum’tec). The guide services say you only need a mountaineering axe, but the summit has a glacier with a 60 degree pitch. The ice is rotten and hard to get into with a regular ice axe so bring a ice tool to aid in the climbing. It can be done with just a ice axe, but the tool will be a life saver.