Rwenzori Mountain Foothills Gravel — Uganda
The Rwenzori Mountains — Ptolemy’s ‘Mountains of the Moon’ — are permanently glaciated despite sitting on the equator, rising to 5,109m above the Rift Valley floor. The surrounding foothills are a patchwork of tea estates, coffee shambas, Kibale Forest (Africa’s best chimpanzee trekking) and the channel country between Lakes Edward and George. The gravel riding here is exceptional and almost entirely undiscovered by the international cycling community.
The Routes
The 30km Canal Road Gravel follows the Kazinga Channel through the Queen Elizabeth National Park buffer zone — flat to gently rolling, with hippo and elephant on the canal margins. The 25km Kibale Tea Gravel winds through the Kibale Forest National Park tea buffer, passing chimpanzee habitat with frequent sightings from the road. The 45km Rwenzori Foothills route climbs into the bamboo and afromontane forest zone at altitude, with the glacier-capped peaks appearing above the cloudline on clear mornings.
Getting There
From Kampala take the Kampala–Mbarara highway then the Mbarara–Kasese road. Total 430km, approximately 6 hours. Or fly to Kasese airstrip from Entebbe. GPS: 0.1833, 30.0833.
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