What it took us to conquer the Rwenzori mountains.

The team trekking over bog, a stretch of thick mud during their ascend. Left, Jackie Asiimwe and one of the guides get ready to hike to the peak Margherita. Courtesy PHOTO 

By Mathias Wandera

For many people, reaching the peak of a mountain is a dream. It is the kind of thought that tickles your entire being. Imagine yourself seated up there on a certain icy and rocky top, staring at the whiteness that lies far and beyond, touching the snow, listening to the sound of melting glaciers and simply knowing that at that point, you are possibly high above everything and everyone. Dream-like indeed. Unfortunately for many people, this remains just that—a dream. However, there are always those that dare to bring the dream to life.

Last month, a group of friends decided to beat the heights of Mountain Rwenzori. Four ladies, Jackie Asiimwe, Joy Mirembe Abola, Mitchelle Barlow, Penelope Sanyu and two gentlemen, Bernard Tabaire and Peter Mugarura, set off to meet Margherita peak, Rwenzori’s highest point. Their boots met the rock on July 14, and seven days later, after a five day climb and a two-day descend, they were back from the mountain top, having reached the peak. It is a milestone they will not be in any hurry to forget because, as Asiimwe intimates, it took all they had in them to reach Margherita.
“Easy is not always the right word to describe a mountain climb. It was tough. We battled on for days. You had to give your all and just keep putting one foot before the other. But in the end, it was worth it. The sight up there, no words can correctly paint it. And all six of us made it to the peak, which is an achievement in itself. I think our success came down to preparation,” Asiimwe tips.

Before the climb
As it is always said, the only time success comes before work is in the dictionary. Nowhere else, and surely not in the case of summiting a mountain. In order to pull off a mountain climbing expedition, preparation is key.
“A week in the gym is most certainly not going to cut it,” quips Tabaire. “You need to be in the best shape in as far as fitness goes. This is not something you attain in a week. It takes a lot more time than that - many weeks, if not months.”
Knowing that their Rwenzori climb was scheduled for July, the team started steady preparation in January, six months prior.

The climbers take a break on one of the peaks of Mt Rwenzori. Below: Excited by the flora and fauna on the mountain slopes, the team capture some moments. Courtesy PHOTO

The physical preparation regime
For the first weeks, they started by climbing stairs. Workers’ House being one of the highest buildings in the city, they made it their training ground.
“We would go there five days a week in the evenings and trudge up and down the stairs. We did this for about four weeks,” Asiimwe narrates. Climbing the staircase helps alert and develop one’s climbing muscles, a quality one needs on the mountain because of the mountain’s vertical and steep nature. 

It also helps with stability as climbing the mountain will demand vast levels of stamina to traverse past the steep slippery rocks, especially when carrying a load on the back.
Soon, they incorporated long walks as part of their workout schedule. They embarked on such walks every after a fortnight. As Mirembe reminisces, “We walked from Nsambya to Kisubi. Then we did the full length of the Northern Bypass, which is from Namboole to Busega. We also did one walk circling the seven hills of Kampala.”
The walks they did always ranged within 20 to 25km. They knew they had to get used to walking long distances because usually during mountain climbing, it takes around six hours to walk from one camp to another, moreover ascending. They needed all the muscle strength and perseverance they could get. They even made two trips to Mabira forest to carry on simple two-hour and six-hour hikes respectively.
“It is important to train in an outdoor environment like the forest rather than the artificial surrounding like the gym. This gives you a feel of the kind of environment you will be facing. In fact, as part of our Rwenzori preparation, we climbed mountains Elgon towards the end of May and Muhavura at the beginning of June,” Tabaire shares.
It is not a requirement to climb another mountain in preparation for another but training in hilly areas is key. This equips your body with the ability to easily acclimate in a mountainous environment. As Mugarura reveals, “the climb becomes harder as you go higher. Suddenly, you feel like a load is pressing down your chest, breathing becomes harder because higher areas do not have enough oxygen. All these are altitude effects. So one needs to hold a few training sessions in areas of higher altitude to be prepared.”
Training personnel
Much as one can still do fine when training on their own, employing services of a professional workout coach is advisable, more so when one is preparing for their first mountain climbing adventure.
This team employed someone to guide them through the drills and in Asiimwe’s view, it was worth it. “Our workout coach had a better image of the kind of training that would better equip us. Also, he helped us take workout more seriously. We did a lot of testing drills with him. We jumped on steps and over logs, we skipped ropes, dragged heavy tires around. We also did dancing and swimming exercise, though this was carried out on individual basis.”

Inspiration
The team’s climb had a charity aspect to it. Some people had pledged to donate good amounts of money for every member that made it to the peak and the team had in turn decided that they were to donate this money to babies’ homes around town to help buy mattresses and blankets for the children. It is the awareness that her presence at the peak was to bring in money to change children’s lives that kept Asiimwe inspired not only during the climb, but even during the vigorous training sessions before.
This is the kind of inspiration that everyone needs before and during the climb because as Asiimwe noticed, it takes more than physical fitness to make it. “You need to be mentally and emotionally prepared. You need to be inspired.”
“My inspiration was my brother. He had climbed Rwenzori before and it is his success that kept me inspired through the whole process. Also, July being my month of birth, I couldn’t think of a better way to mark my birthday,” Mirembe says. This pushed her to workout extensively to ensure her success on the climb.
Mitchel Barlow adds that you need to develop an attitude that embraces challenges. “The climb is a challenge, so is the preparation. What keeps you going is an attitude that welcomes challenges and is actually set to accomplish them. I looked at climbing the Rwenzori as my top challenge for this year. I kept telling myself that I had to put this challenge behind me no matter what. Mentally, this pushed me.”
Timing is paramount. Apart from the fact that Mirembe wanted to mark her birthday at the peak, the team decided to book for their climb in July because usually at Rwenzori, July is a dry month, which makes climbing easier. Doing the climb in wet seasons is more challenging as the mountain is a lot more slippery.
It is for this reason that Barlow advises that before booking, one needs to make research on the best time to climb basing on the mountain’s condition, but also their personal programmes, especially where work commitments are in the picture.

The cost factor

A great experience as it is, mountain climbing is not exactly cheap. According to Mirembe, it took each team member $1,000 (about Shs3.3m) to put the Rwenzori climbing package together.
First, you have to pay a fixed amount to a mountain climbing service provider. Each member paid $750 (about Shs2.5m) to Rwenzori Mountaineering Services. This amount is to cater for your whole experience, including accommodation, feeding and the tour guides and porters.
“Then you have to spend more money to acquire climbing gear and other equipment, which include warm clothing, climbing boots, sleeping bag, gloves, hiking stick and some other necessities. This may cost you about $250 (about Shs850,000),” says Mirembe. But if you want to get top quality climbing gear, then this amount will shoot to around $1,000 because as Tabaire observes, quality climbing shoes that are light, have grip and are water-proof, cost about $500 (about Shs1.7m).
Nonetheless, the cost should not be one factor that deters you because there is always an option of saving. Mirembe says she started saving for the trip months to the scheduled date. “All the other members did the saving in their preferred fashion but I remember at one point, Asiimwe and I were saving Shs20,000 each day. And we were able to raise the required amount. If you are committed to something, you will always figure out a way.”

TIPS FROM Uganda
Wildlife Authority

Get fit. Trekking the mountain is physically draining.
Be mentally prepared. Ensure you are aware of the task that lies ahead.
Have a good sense of humour. You will need to incorporate the fun throughout the entire trek to make it more bearable.
Know your strength. It is important to gauge your body’s strength.
Practise, practise, practise. Put in effort.

About MT Rwenzori

The mountain. The Rwenzori Mountain, also known as the Mountain of the Moon, is Uganda’s highest mountain, towering up to 5,109 m (16,761 ft).
This makes it Africa’s 3rd highest mountain.
Location. It is located at the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its highest peaks are snow-capped throughout the year, sharing this quality with only mountains Kenya and Kilimanjaro.
World ranking. Mountain Rwenzori is ranked in the top 15 world’s best hikes, according to National Geographic because of its exceptional glaciers and the beautiful flora and fauna. It is one of Africa’s most sought after hiking experiences.

The numbers

7
The number of days it took the members to ascend and descend the mountain.

Shs850,000
Average amount ($250) each member paid to acquire climbing gear.

Shs2.5 million
The amount ($750) each member paid to Rwenzori Mountaineering Services.

Shs3.3 million
Average amount ($1,000) each member contributed to the whole expedition.

In Summary

Adventure. Reaching a mountain peak is a dream come true for many adventures, but also one that requires serious preparation.

Lake Chahafi:A crater Lake hidden in Kisoro

Largely unknown to the tourist world, Lake Chahafi is one of the several crater lakes in Kisoro District whose scenic view is simply breathtaking. PHOTO BY Joseph Ssemutooke 

In Summary

It is the kind of experience you should hope to encounter waking up on the shores of Lake Chahafi, one of the several crater lakes down in South Western Uganda’s Kisoro District

You wake up to sweet jazz music cascading into your room from an orchestra of various birds merrily playing out their daily morning tunes. You step out into the rising sunlight and your eyes crash into a delicious sight: Mountain Muhavura erect in his invariable aim for the skies, the crowd of cloud around his peak indicating that he has successfully hit the celestials.

You turn your eyes from Muhavura toward the opposite direction, and the placid waters of a picturesque lake sprawling off between the high hills invites you to check out what is in progress at thatmorning hour. At the lake’s shore you get to behold a crowd of crested cranes singing and dancing as though on a morning exercise routine.

It is the kind of experience you should hope to encounter waking up on the shores of Lake Chahafi, one of the several crater lakes down in South Western Uganda’s Kisoro District.

Like other smaller crater lakes in Kisoro, Lake Chahafi remains largely unknown to the tourist world, pushed into the background by the more famous Bunyonyi and Mutanda lakes. But as a visitor you will actually find solid reasons why small Lake Chahafi perhaps deserves to be ranked along with the larger Bunyonyi and Mutanda on the list of lakes one has to prioritise when planning an excursion to Kigezi region.

Bird-watcher’s paradise

Lake Chahafi (together with its vicinity) is ranked by Kigezi tour operators as one of the places with the largest population as well as diversity of birds in south western Uganda. This is quite a statement, given that this region sits with the Kazinga region atop the rankings of Ugandan regions on the subject of bird endowment.

Nelson Mugisha, a tour operator in the region, avers that indeed Chahafi has both a bigger population and a wider diversity of species than most other tourist destinations in Kigezi.
Mugisha’s claim is supported by information from the African Bird Club, where Lake Chahafi is indicated as one of the lakes where a number of rare East African bird species have been sighted.

Talking of that gives Chahafi its competitive edge in this respect, Mugisha says: “The lake descends into a sprawling swamp of lush papyrus vegetation, of a kind you can hardly find on other lakes in Kigezi. It is this swamp that attracts the birds in bigger numbers and in more diversity than is to be found in other areas, because the birds always find it easier to feed and nest in the vegetation.”

Among the bird species to be easily seen at Lake Chahafi and rarely anywhere else are the Lesser Jacana, the African Jacana, the Brack Crake, the Blue-headed Coucal, the Common Moorhen, swamp flycatchers, swamp warblers, among others. Yours truly had a chance to behold two rare species: the Common Moorhen and the Malekite Kingfisher.

Beautiful scenery

Largely unknown to the tourist world, Lake Chahafi is one of the several crater lakes in Kisoro District whose scenic view is simply breathtaking.

Michael Murangira, a local tour guide in Kisoro, points out that Kigezi was nicknamed “The Switzerland of Uganda” owing to its rugged mountainous terrain and Mediterranean climate. Murangira names the Lake Chahafi area as one of the most scenic in the entire Kigezi area. “Lake Chahafi actually has a twin to its east, called Lake Kayumbu,” Murangira says. “In between these two lakes is a towering thread of a hill, and standing atop this one 

you will catch breathtaking scenery sprawling several kilometres on all sides below.

Standing on the several high hills in the Chahafi area, one is spellbound as he rolls his eyes as far off as Mountain Muhavura on the horizon. In between the horizons lay incredible spreads of forest vegetation, hillside gardens, oddly-shaped ridges and gorges, name it. 

Strategic base to tour Kigezi
Lake Chahafi has a resort right on its shores, and Murangira says apart from staying here when touring the Chahafi area, Lake Chahafi Resort is also ideal for one wishing to go tracking Gorilla or mountain-hiking. He explains that Lake Chahafi is about just 20km from Mountain Muhavura, Mgahinga and Sabinyo –and less than 20km from the Mgahinga gorilla sanctuary.

There’s a colonial history to it
For those with interest in the past, there is also some interesting history to be encountered at Lake Chahafi. A rich colonial history about the struggle for control of the region at the time of the First World War. For the shores of Lake Chahafi is where in 1914, the joint forces of the British and Belgians set up a base to ward off the approaches of the Germans in the struggle for control of Kigezi.

And going backwards beneath 1914, the Lake Chahafi area is also where the Bafumbira tribal leader Katuregye based in his attempts to repulse the approaching British imperialists. This Katurebe and his subjects were inspired by the native Nyabingi religious movement which claimed that the spirits of the land would help the natives defeat the colonialists, and there are interesting tales about the dramatic campaign that subdued Katuregye.

Still talking of history, the Echuya Forest Reserve is also around this area, its fringes holding one of the largest Batwa pygmy communities in Kigezi. One gets to see the Batwa Pygmies living in their traditional setting as it has always been since time immemorial.

Other attractions in the Lake Chahafi include visiting the farms to see the farming styles in this area of fertile volcanic soils, sailing on the lake, fishing, among others.

Tracing the Batwa in Semuliki  

King Geoffery Nzitu (R) and other members of the royal family preparing for the tour. PHOTOs by EMMANUEL AINEBYOONA 

By EMMANUEL AINEBYOONA

In Summary

Though displaced from the forest, their natural habitat, the Batwa still observe and respect their culture

Dressed in their cultural regalia, bark cloth hats, feathered-spears, bowls and arrows in their hands, the Batwa cut the image of the forest people.

But for the changing times, the little people, as they prefer to be called, have since put up their settlements at the foot of Mountain Rwenzori and adapted to living alongside other tribes like the Bakonjo, Bamba, Banyabindi and Basongora.

The forest now remains a reminder of their past and a symbol of their rich heritage, one they proudly show off as tour guides along the Batwa track in Semuliki National Park where their king, Geoffery Nzitu, 45, leads the pack. Other members comprise of the prince, Wilson Kaita, and five others of the royal family. A recent visit with a team of other journalists led to a discovery of many interesting facts about the Batwa.

The new Batwa settlement is only separated from Semuliki National Park by the recently constructed Fort Portal-Bundibugyo highway. They were resettled by government and other development partners in early 2000.
We started with the Batwa track; a two-hour nature walk in the Semuliki forest that hosts the Semuliki River, which separates the park from the famous Ituri Forest on the Democratic Republic of Congo side.

After a 10-minute walk, we arrived at the Batwa kings’ burial grounds (Kaweelo), that also acts as a burial ground for all members of the royal family. A very tiny grass-thatched hut of about 50cm covers the deceased king’s grave.
“We come here for blessings when we have challenges like diseases,” says Kaita, before adding that the Batwa have reduced in number, following the outbreak of diseases like cholera, malaria and sleeping sickness that claimed their lives while still staying in the jungle. The Batwa population currently stands at less than 300 persons in the entire country, with others living in the Kigezi sub-region in south-western Uganda between Kabale and Kisoro districts. This makes them one of the most endangered human races on the African continent.

Still at the king’s grave, the Batwa show us some of their crafts like a small pot in the hut. The clay pot is used to keep offertory from the people who visit the site. Another craft was the three-holed smoking pipe.
“This pipe is used to smoke opium by the men for extra energies before they set off for hunting and doing other activities in the forest,” says King Nzitu, as he demonstrates with the pipe stuck onto his lips how they smoke it.
Our next tour was the medicinal track, a track within the thick forest where the Batwa get herbs to treat most diseases, including one that boosts men’s sexual capabilities, so we are told. While at the site, we are shown a tree that produces poisonous substances used on the spears to kill dangerous wild animals in case of an attack.

The group also reveals that the Batwa circumcise their male which as a symbol of strength and pride.
As we head to the king’s palace, we stop at a beehive that has some cultural significance to the Batwa. According to our guides, the hive serves as remedy to any possibility of bad luck for anyone in the Batwa community who commits murder. “When you kill someone and you rush to this point, you get cleansed. Prince Kaita explains that the killer uses the tool used in committing the crime to pierce the hive, causing the bees to sting his entire body as a ritual of requesting for forgiveness.

When the Batwa are mourning a loved one, they spend four days without bathing. “The family of the deceased is taken to the river for cleansing after four days,” observes Kaita.

The king’s palace

As we get closer to the king’s palace, we come across the dancing place, which is demarcated into two zones, one for the males (Bengo) and the other for the females’ (Muleku).
At the males dancing place, the Batwa men play their music as they dance to the tunes and the females also dance their different cultural dances at an adjacent location.
“Young men who are looking for marriage partners come here to choose their suitors as the young girls dance,” says the king. The dance is known as Muredu. Batwa girls get married at 17-18 years.

The king’s palace is the symbol of the Batwa powers. A huge tall tree with roots protruding out of the ground forms the king and the queen’s seat. King Nzitu has three children with one wife, the queen. At this point, we are told that the Batwa don’t marry many wives.
“The ideal man marries one woman and at the extreme, they marry only two,” says King Nzitu.

While the king and his subjects were still living in the forest, the palace was heavily guarded by warriors with spears, bowls and arrows. The king’s subjects would come to the his palace for advice and for settlement of the family wrangles in their homes.
Most of the Batwa sites have been demarcated by the Semuliki National Park management with small signposts leading to the various locations along the foot path navigating the forest. The king’s palace is located deep in the forest.

About the park

Residents. Semuliki National Park, besides serving as home to the Batwa cultural sites, hosts the Sempaya Hot springs, the male (Bitente), female (Nyansimbi) and the son. The three hot springs excrete hot water from the inner earth crust. Water at the female hot spring boils at 103 degrees whereas, the one at male hot spring boils at 1O6 degrees. The park is also home to various tree types, butterfly and bird species considered to be endangered in most parts of Africa.

Charges. For a guided tour of the park, Ugandans pay Shs10,000 and non Ugandans part with $15 (about Shs38,000).