Rwenzori Glacier- Rwenzori Mountains & Expeditions

Rwenzori Mountains were gazetted as a national park in 1991, recognized as a World Heritage Site in 1994. The word ‘Rwenzori’ roughly translates as ‘Rainmaker’, which clearly illustrates the importance of the mountains to Central Africa.

The Rwenzori atmosphere is wet; the mountains receive over 3 metres of rainfall a year. This makes the lower slopes lush with vegetation and the higher reaches covered in snow and ice.

The glaciers have retreated massively over the last hundred years due to climate change in Uganda and the entire world hence the new conservation measures that include planting the trees around the Rwenzoris by the local in partnership with WWF,  Rwenzori climbers are recommended to visit during the wet season months  as you will still have to navigate ice walls and Significant snowfall to reach the Magherita peak to see the Glacier at the top of Mount Stanley.

Glacier in Rwenzoris

In 1906, 43 glaciers were scattered across 6 peaks within the Rwenzori Mountains. These glaciers covered an area of around 7.5km², around half of the total surface area of Africa’s glaciers at the time. By 2005, 3 of these glaciers had disappeared, and the Rwenzori’s glaciers only covered an area of 1.5km².

• Alexandra Glacial
• West Stanley Glacier
• Albert Glacier
• East Stanley Glacier
• Elizabeth Glacier
• West Sivoia Glacier
• Elena Glacier