Hello, as even a lot of Congoleses seem to not know these mountains, I do a thread about them here.

These mountains are the third highest of Africa, after the Mount Kilimandjaro at 5895m and the Mount Kenya at 5199m, and then the Ruwenzori Mountains at 5109m. These three mountains are the only three in Africa to be highest than 5000m and the only three to be covered with glaciers and permanent snow.

The Ruwenzori mountains are actually an Alpine range, the Mounts Kilimandjaro and Kenya are isolated dead volcanoes.
The highest range of the Ruwenzori is the Mount Stanley and his highest peak, the peak Margherita, is the one at 5109m.

The border between DRC and Uganda is exatly on this peak, so the peak Margherita is the highest point of DRC and Uganda.

These mountains were once thought to be what the Greeks called the Mountains of the Moon and are actually well one of the Nile's sources.

But sadly, the glaciers are rapidly shrinking and they could have disappeared by 2020 ...


Here a map of the mountains (from http://www.summitpost.org/mt-stanley/212349) :

http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac321/SylvainInspi/RuwenzoriMap.jpg


The following photos are partly from this site :, I'm sorry to being not more precise, I collected these pictures a long time ago and I'm not able to refind them anymore.

A view of the city Beni with the snowy mountains in the back

http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac321/SylvainInspi/BenietvuesurlesmontsRwenzori.jpg

Somewhere in the Kivu

http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac321/SylvainInspi/rwenzoriDSC05415.jpg


Additional impressive view here : http://www.flickr.com/photos/gorillacd/3716350686/

The following pictures were taken by an ascent expedition in 2010, but I can't refind the website.

Ugandan side, the margherita peak is the last at the right

http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac321/SylvainInspi/952_stanley_route.jpg

http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac321/SylvainInspi/953_teamsonstanley.jpg

A plateau near the summit on the Ugandan side

http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac321/SylvainInspi/margheritapeak2010janvier7354-7358.jpg

The summit (Margherita peak at the right)

http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac321/SylvainInspi/7353_twinp.jpg

A panoramic view from the summit

http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac321/SylvainInspi/summitpano27397-7410.jpg

On the summit, if Congoleses don't seem to know that this point is their summit, the Ugandese know it well, and they omit to say it was also the Congolese highest point.

http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac321/SylvainInspi/7421_sign.jpg

The Ugandan side in 1906 ...

http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac321/SylvainInspi/rwenzori1906panorama_large.jpg

And the Congolese one in 1925 ...

http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac321/SylvainInspi/CongoRDC-Ruwenzori1925.jpg


Impressive ... but may be no more for a long time :S.

Oui, c'est impressionnant! Et après que l'on ne nous dise plus qu'il n'y a pas de réchauffement climatique (global warming).

En fait c'est plus complexe que cela :),
pour le mont Kilimandjaro il a été prouvé que le réchauffement climatique n'était pas responsable de la fonte des glaciers, mais la déforestation dans la région a provoqué un assèchement de cette région, et donc moins de précipitations neigeuses et aussi moins de nuages (et donc plus grande exposition des glaciers au soleil). En réalité la température au sommet du Kilimandjaro n'a jamais été positive même ces dernières années.
C'est peut-être ce qui se passe aussi avec les monts Ruwenzori ... mais en tous cas c'est bien dommage en effet.

Merci pour ces précisions.

Impressive pictures indeed.

Compared to its eastern and southern neighbours, DRC has missed a trick when it comes to tourism.

Only big countries like the USA can compete when its comes to natural beauty.

Impressive pictures indeed.

Compared to its eastern and southern neighbours, DRC has missed a trick when it comes to tourism.

Only countries like the USA can compete when its comes to natural beauty.

Tourism workds hand-in-hand with peace. Our forest is being destroyed at the moment by Lebanese businessmen who want woods and still there is nothing done about that.

Tourism workds hand-in-hand with peace. Our forest is being destroyed at the moment by Lebanese businessmen who want woods and still there is nothing done about that.

You are correct with the first statement about peace. The last decade or so is a write off for me for obvious reasons, the leadership is not there.

I was referring to the Mobutu era, there was peace but the tourism industry was neglected but as always, there is a lot of hope for the future.

You are correct with the first statement about peace. The last decade or so is a write off for me for obvious reasons, the leadership is not there.

I was referring to the Mobutu era, there was peace but the tourism industry was neglected but as always, there is a lot of hope for the future.

At least in Katanga they are trying reinforce it. The lubumbashi zoo is in good hands.

On the summit, if Congoleses don't seem to know that this point is their summit, the Ugandese know it well, and they omit to say it was also the Congolese highest point.

http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac321/SylvainInspi/7421_sign.jpg



Yeah, next exemple of devastation of tourist base by polish tourists ...

Sorry ...

Do you can give more pictures green areas from Congo ?

You are correct with the first statement about peace. The last decade or so is a write off for me for obvious reasons, the leadership is not there.

I was referring to the Mobutu era, there was peace but the tourism industry was neglected but as always, there is a lot of hope for the future.

Eastern Congo ceased to have peace not really because of Mobutu's doing but mostly the arrival of Paul Kagame in power in Rwanda in 1994. Since 1994, when even with Mobutu in power, there is no peace due to Kagame's bit to expand Rwanda's territory.

Let's not forget that Mobutu was the first victim of instability in Eastern Congo in 1996 when Kagame led AFDL to power in Congo

Let's not forget that Mobutu was the first victim of instability in Eastern Congo in 1996 when Kagame led AFDL to power in Congo

You speak about politics. I think that this tread is the place for presentation of the wonderful pictures for the foreigners, no to constructing political movements