Overview
Venturing beyond well-trodden trails and tourist-saturated safaris, we’ll witness the unfathomably beautiful and raw corners of this unique part of the world…starting with the Mountains of the Moon (a.k.a. the Rwenzori Mountains). Nestled between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this legendary range lives at the source of the Nile. Its highest peak, Mt Stanley (5109m) is the third highest in Africa. Its challenging ascent has fascinated us for more than a decade.
The journey up Mt Stanley will be a serious mission for our crew, with seven days of hard trekking through untamed rainforest and alpine highlands before crossing some of the last remaining glaciers on the equator. We look forward to preparing and pushing my fellow Extreme Dreamers to ensure we all reach the summit and experience a journey we’ll never forget.
No African expedition is complete without a safari and some ‘Big 5’ action. Of course, we’ll do things a little differently. By day, we’ll wander amongst the mighty beasts of the Serengeti, with nothing more than our wits, our feet, a rifle and an expert guide to keep us on the right side of adventure. By night, we’ll sleep under canvas and a star-studded sky, as the magic symphony of African creatures reverberates through our campsite. This two-day walking safari will immerse us in nature in its purest and finest form and arrives at Kogatende Green Camp where we'll spend our final two nights.
After our two epic missions, we relax at the only camp in the wilderness and rhino zone of the northern Serengeti for the ultimate African wildlife experience close to the Mara River, where huge herds of migrating wildebeest and zebra wait to cross the crocodile-infested waters. Once the sun has set, we’ll relax around the campfire with dinner served under the stars to unwind, reminisce and plan the next big adventure.
There’s the option to stay extend your trip by two extra nights with a visit to one of Africa’s most famous safari destinations, the Ngorongoro Crater. You’ll stay high about this magnificent safari utopia at the Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp in a private luxury tent. More details can be found below.
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Mount Stanley, also known as Margherita Peak, is Africa's third-highest peak and the Kilembe route winds through diverse forests and valleys of ferns that showcase Africa's amazing diversity. Straddling the Uganda/DRC border in eastern equatorial Africa, the Rwenzori Mountains are the legendary 'Mountains of the Moon' written of by Ptolemy as early as 150 AD. Standing an impressive 5100m the mist-shrouded peaks carry permanent snow and glaciers, while the lower slopes are covered with dense forest. The range has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site for its spectacular beauty. While the mountains are a great attraction to hikers so too is the beauty of the area, the forests, birds and animals. Visitors can look forward to hiking through the mountains, soaking up stunning views, and traversing Stanley Glacier.
Please note - Climbing to Margherita peak is now technical and knowledge of ropes and use of crampons, ascenders and figure 8s to belay, and knowledge of how to use an ice axe is advisable with ice sections of 60% steepness and changing rapidly due to climate change and melting of the glacier. All our 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.
We provide all the equipment necessary for the climb like crampons, ropes, harnesses, carabiners, you need to bring good hiking boots, warm clothing warm sleeping bag, and rain gear. We do hire sleeping bags for those who need one.
In the lead-up to this expedition, Best Life Adventures will run a pre-expedition training trip to learn the basic mountain skills required to complete this ascent. This will be at extra cost with details TBC.
This expedition has a fitness rating of 4 (Highly Active) - more details can be found here in 15.4.1