Rhinos at Rwenzori Mountains National Game Park
Location
The Rwenzori National Park are located in central Africa on the border between Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on the east side of the western (Albertine) African rift valley. The park is about 120 km long and 65 km wide covering the size of the Rwenzori Mountain Ranges. The Park covers an area of 996 sq km 70% of which exceeds the altitude of 2,500m. The park borders the DRC’s Virunga National Park.
Importance of the Park
Rwenzori Mountains National Park protects the biodiversity of the Rwenzori Mountain Ranges.
Biodiversity
The park has glaciers, snowfields, waterfalls, and lakes and is one of Africa’s most beautiful mountain areas. It is a world of ice and snow which mountaineering enthusiasts cannot miss. The park is a home of many rare and indigenous plants and animals. It has a high diversity of plants and trees and is reknown for its botany.
Mammals
The park is a home to a wide variety of large mammals which reside on the lower slopes. These include elephants, buffaloes, chimpanzees, blue monkeys, Rwenzori colobus monkeys, duikers, forest hogs, hyrax and leopards.
Birds and others
The park has over 89 and 15 species of birds and butterflies respectively.
Africa Tallest Mountain
The Rwenzori Maountain is Africa’s tallest mountain range with the following 6 major peaks:
- Mount Stanley (5,109m),
- Mount Speke (4,890m),
- Mount Baker (4,843m),
- Mount Emin (4,798m),
- Mount Gessi (4,715m)
- Mount Luigi di Savoia (4,627m).[2]
Mount Stanley is the largest of the peaks and has several subsidiary summits, with Margherita Peak being the highest point
Vegetation Zones
There are following vegetation zones for the visitor to enjoy:
- Grassland
- Montane forest
- Bamboo
- Heather
- Fro-alpine moorland.
At higher altitudes some plants reach an unusually large size, such as lobelia and groundsels
Accomodation around the national park {module[361]}