Robert Mukombozi
9 October 2008
opinion
Western Uganda — When it comes to adventure fate would inevitably take you to Mt. Kilimanjaro. But you won't experience the challenges you may want to compare to Mount Everest. But in snow capped Mountain Rwenzori you will get the feel.
This invaluable natural resource has been visited and re-visited, and the extraordinary features on it shape its outstanding beauty which remains a myth to many and a secret to those who have visited it for years.
The mountain has five different vegetation zones from the tropical and bamboo forests to the alpine zone, with an elevation of 2,800m up to 3,500 m. towards the peaks. Its green lush is incredible.
In June 2006, the world celebrated the Centenary of the scientific climbing of the Rwenzori s by the Italian Prince Luigi Amedeo of Savoy the Duke of Abruzzi.
He ascended the main peak of Mount Stanley (5.109m) on June 18, 1906. It marked the emergence of the name Margherita to honour the Italian Queen. This Centenary Celebration gave a new life to this rare feature that has stood millions of years.
Trekking is a major activity for those interested in mountaineering - a growing tourist attraction in Uganda. Here mostly Europeans and Americans can experience winter in summer courtesy of the mountain.
Trekking has contributed a lot to the image building of Uganda as a tourist destination and to the incomes of communities around it.
Residents can sell memorabilia and offer services such as guiding and escort services in the rough heights of the mountains.
And daily it rains all around the mountain as if challenging the notion that all mountains have a leeward (dry) side.
As eager to enjoy the beauty and resources of the mountain, the foot has attracted rare crops and plants.
It is for this reason that authorities gazetted areas into national parks and reserves. It is at the mountain's foot that lies Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Known for its elephants for which locals named a whole district after them. The name Kyenjojo in Rutooro means a place for elephants.
The "dramatic craters" caused by large rocks fallen from above, the magical moss-draped Groundsel Gully, the remarkable vegetation types found only on high altitude tropical African Mountains are fast transforming Mbarara, Kasese and Bundibugyo among other districts in western Uganda into economically viable towns in this country's rural establishment.
The glacial mountain range that straddles the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo has intrigued explorers and academics for thousands of years.
As far back as 150 AD, the Greek geographer Ptolemy referred to a range of snow-capped mountains in East Africa as the "mountains of the moon".
"Water from these mountains fed the Nile river. The region's glaciers, waterfalls and lakes make it one of Africa's most beautiful alpine areas. The park has many natural habitats of endangered species and a rich and unusual flora."
Makerere History professor Mwambutsya Ndebesa, says Rwenzori Mountain is the only mountain along the Equator with snow, which makes it a unique attraction.
But within its vicinity, the mountain harboured a secret for many years until recently when man lost patience- oil is a new discovery in Uganda.
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