Uganda Kasese Tours

Kasese is a mid-sized town in western Uganda, set against the Rwenzori Mountains and serving as the main base for two of the region's biggest draws: Queen Elizabeth National Park and Rwenzori Mountains National Park. Many Uganda tours that combine savanna wildlife with mountain trekking pass through Kasese, using it as a stopover between the park's game-viewing areas and the trailheads into the mountains.

The town grew up around the Kilembe copper mines in the mid-twentieth century, and while mining has since declined, Kasese retains a working-town character that sets it apart from the lodges and camps scattered through the surrounding parks. Most visitors stay only briefly, using it as a logistics point before heading into the park or the mountains.

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park stretches along the Kasese side of the Rwenzori foothills down to the Ishasha sector near the Congo border, and it is one of Uganda's most visited savanna parks. The Kazinga Channel, which connects Lake Edward and Lake George through the middle of the park, draws large numbers of hippos and elephants to its banks and is usually explored by boat cruise. Farther south, the Ishasha sector is known for tree-climbing lions, a behavior rarely seen elsewhere in East Africa.

Rwenzori Mountains

The Rwenzori range, often called the Mountains of the Moon, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the few equatorial areas with permanent glaciers, though those glaciers have shrunk considerably in recent decades. Margherita Peak, at 5,109 meters, is the third-highest point in Africa after Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, and reaching it requires several days of trekking through changing vegetation zones, from forest and bamboo up through alpine moorland to bare rock and ice near the summit.

The Bakonzo and Local Culture

The Bakonzo people have lived on the lower slopes of the Rwenzoris for generations, and many of the porters and guides who support mountain treks come from Bakonzo communities around Kasese. Their farming terraces climb high up the foothills, and several trekking routes pass directly through Bakonzo villages before entering the national park itself.

Tours and Planning

Kasese has 17 tours built around it, ranging from short Queen Elizabeth safaris to multi-day Rwenzori treks. The Trekking Rwenzori Mountains for 7 Days Margherita Peak / Mount Stanley tour is aimed at trekkers heading for the range's highest points rather than casual day hikers.

Best Time to Visit Kasese

The dry seasons, from June through August and December through February, give clearer trail conditions for Rwenzori trekking, when the higher sections are less likely to be obscured by cloud or slicked with rain. Queen Elizabeth National Park is open year-round, and wildlife viewing along the Kazinga Channel holds up well regardless of season.