A lot of hikers keep asking about the best time to hike Rwenzori Mountains, so, they seek to know the most critical moment for those who are interested in trekking the third tallest mountain in Africa.
Mountain Rwenzori National Park can be visited any time of the year, however the suitable months to hike Rwenzori Mountains is during the dry seasons. These are from June to August and between December to February, also known as the dry months.
During the dry months, the roads to the park are easily passable and trekking is suitable than in wet seasons. However, you can expect some little rains even in dry seasons, though these occur less frequently and mostly at night. Since African weather is sometimes unpredictable, even in the rainy seasons you can experience light rainfall, so it’s good to stick to the dry months as the best time to hike Rwenzori mountains, in case you want to avoid bad conditions.
The Rwenzoris are also beautiful throughout the year, so there is no particular green season. Because of this, if you are interested in botany, it is not only the wet seasons that will be the best time to travel, but even during dry seasons. The change from dry to wet season doesn’t bring any dramatic changes to fauna and flora of the ranges, in addition, even the depths of the bog doesn’t usually change as you pass through.
Weather and Best Time to Hike Rwenzori Mountain
The weather on Rwenzori mountains is usually wet, so the peaks are masked in mist most of the times. As a result, this makes the wild rime formations on the higher summits as well as glaciers, which can also make hiking and route finding difficult.
In case you are planning a peak climb, it’s good to do so in the morning. And the best weather is between the hours of 2:00am and about 8:00am when the mist and the clouds are veiling the peaks. While there, there are usually continuous thunderstorms at night, at dawn and in the afternoons but not usually the hours between 7:00am to 10:00am. More so, if you want to ski on the Stanley Plateau, you might take a trip right at the changes between the dry and wet seasons, since later on during dry seasons, the glaciers might be just bare ice in most of the places.
Besides Rwenzori Mountains, you can also check on the best time to hike Mount Elgon, plan for a visit to Kidepo Valley National Park for Mount Moroto or Morungule. You can also learn about the best time for a memorable gorilla trekking tour in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.