Day 1: Arrive in Entebbe, Uganda. Transfer to your hotel for the night. (Elevation: 3,870 feet / 1180 metres).
Day 2: We travel to Kasese through Fort Portal, where we will stop for lunch. Dinner and overnight at the Margherita Hotel. (Elevation: 3,000 feet / 1000 metres).
Day 3: After breakfast we will be transferred to Nyakalengija-Ibanda to start our trek. The trail begins by passing through farmland to the park boundary. The trail follows the Mubuku River, crossing its Mahoma tributary before starting a long, steep climb up onto the massive ridge to reach the Nyabitaba Hut. During this part of the trip you may hear chimpanzee and see black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys and the brilliantly coloured Rwenzori turaco. Dinner and overnight at the Nyabitaba Hut set on the forested ridge with a view of portal peaks and the Bujuku Valley. (Elevation: 8,694 feet / 2650 metres).
Day 4: Early breakfast, then we start the hike to the John Matte Hut. The trail descends through forest to cross the Bujuku River at the Kurt Shaffer Bridge, and through a lobelia, giant heather and groundsel forest. You will stop at Nyamileju Hut “Place of Beards,” a name that refers to the moss and lichen hanging from the trees. Mount Stanley and Mount Speke can be seen before passing into the forest. You will carry on to the John Matte Hut, which is close to the river in a grove of giant heather. Dinner and overnight at John Matte Hut. (Elevation: 11,089 feet / 3380 metres).
Day 5: From John Matt hut the trail drops down to cross the Bujuku River and enters Lower Bigo Bog, the home of giant lobelia. Jumping from tussock to tussock, the bog is finally crossed, but rarely without your feet sampling some of the freezing ooze below. The Bupper Bigo Bog gives way to Bujuku Lake, with views of Mount Baker to the south and Mount Stanley to the west. Bujuku Hut, well located in the shadow of Mount Baker and Mount Speke, is set in a narrow valley below Stuhlmann Pass. Dinner and overnight at Bujuku Hut. (Elevation: 13,047 feet / 3977 metres).
Day 6: Leaving Bujuku, the trail takes you through more bog, while climbing the steep slopes west of the lake and through the magical Groundsel Gulley as it ascends to Scott-Elliot Pass at 14,343 feet / 4372 metres. At the head of the gully, a metal ladder takes you over a steep section after which the trail is divided into two. The trail on your right leads up to Elena Hut and Mount Stanley on a steep trail over large boulders, while the trail on your left leads to Scott-Elliot Pass and down to Kitandara Lakes. The trail on the left leads those who are not climbing Margherita Peak down to Kitandara Hut. Dinner and overnight at the cool and icy Elena Hut. (Elevation: 14,898 feet / 4541 metres).
Day 7: For those aiming at reaching Margherita Peak and Albert in the same day, continue to the base of Stanley Glacier. To reach the summit of Margherita, the climb takes about 5-7 hours depending on the weather conditions and the pace of the group. This tough walk takes you over three glaciers, slippery rock, ice and some exposed areas. The route gets us up on the glaciers to cross the Stanley Plateau. After standing on the summit of Margherita, the highest peak in the Rwenzori’s, we come back to the Elena Hut for lunch and then proceed down to the Kitandara Hut at 13,211 feet / 4027 metres. (Elevation: 16,761 feet / 5109 metres).
Day 8: It’s an early start today for the back of the plateau for those planning to climb the peak. Trekkers can have a more leisurely morning before they start walking. After standing on the summit, we return to the Elena Hut for lunch and then proceed down to the Kitandara Hut at 13,211 feet / 4027 metres. (Elevation: 16,707 feet / 5092 metres).
Day 9: You will trek to Freshfield Pass today. From Kitandara, take the trail that ascends steeply up the headwall, spreading out from the base of Mount Baker and continuing along the south side of the mountain to Freshfield pass. At this point, you will have views into the Congo to the west and Mount Stanley to the north. From the pass, trekkers will take the long trail passing the rock shelter at Bujongolo, the base camp for the historic expedition by the Duke of Abruzzi in 1906. Climbers will get an earlier start and climb the mountain from the pass. Celebration dinner with the porters and overnight at Guy Yeoman Hut. (It is recommended that tips be given this night). (Elevation: 15,892 feet / 4844 metres).
Day 10: Descend from Guy Yeoman to Nyabitaba Hut and then to Nyakalengija. Below Guy Yeoman, the route descends the cliffs of Kichuchu. Beyond Kichuchu, the muddy path crosses the Mubuku River twice before climbing upwards to Nyabitaba to complete the circuit and continue to the park gate. Drive back to Margherita hotel for overnight. (Option to depart here). (Elevation: 11,319 feet / 3450 metres).
Day 11: After breakfast, we depart to Kampala and then transfer to Entebbe for an evening flight home. (Elevation: 15,892 feet / 4844 metres).