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They are known throughout the world as Mountains of the Moon, and that evocative name is nothing more than a premise to what the highest mountain massif in Africa, as well as a magical and evocative area waiting to be discovered. We are in Uganda, in Rwenzori, the mountain range which is located immediately north of the Equator and which reaches, with the Cima Margherita of Mount Stanley, a height of 5109 metres.
The Ruwenzori mountains are characterized by six mountain groups: Gessi, Emin, Speke, Stanley, Baker and Luigi di Savoia, each separated by valleys dug by streams. The highest peak is, in fact, Cima Margherita, as well as the third highest in Africa after Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya.
The name was chosen to pay homage to Margherita of Savoy: the first climb to the peaks it was carried out in 1906 by the Duke of Abruzzi, Luigi Amedeo of Savoy-Aosta.
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The mountain range, in ancient times, was identified by the Greek Ptolemy with the name Mountains of the Moon, a reference to the fact that he regarded the heights as the sources of the Nile. In reality, the geographer was not entirely wrong: the Ruwenzori is a perennial resource of water which, even today, is fundamental in the hydrographic system of the White Nile.
Within the entire group, protected by the surrounding areas, here, like a secret treasure, we find the Rwenzori Mountains National Park, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the spectacular nature of the landscape. Here, gigantic plants rise and grow, populating the secret valleys and covering the mountain almost to the snow line.
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In this vast area of the park, which extends for almost 1000 square km, there are numerous waterfalls, lakes and glaciers, as well as the third highest peak in Africa, configuring the entire area as one of most spectacular mountain landscapes in Africa. The flora, to which the park owes its fame, has been described as one of the most extraordinary and rich in the world.
Established in 1991, and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site only three years later, the National Park in the past risked losing precious resources due to occupation by rebel militias in the early 2000s. Today, however, theThe entire area is owned by the Ugandan government which manages and protects it through the Uganda National Parks.
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