www.rwenzorihiking.org

At Karangura Peak on the Rwenzori Northern Spur Ridge; 3012m

A Tourist climbing towards Karangura Peak

www.rwenzorihiking.org

Up hills above Bundibugyo on the Rwenzoris

Pupils at school at 2100m in Bupomboli, Bundibugyo

The Semliki Rift Valley in Western Uganda

The famous Sempaya Hot Springs in Semliki National Park, western Uganda, East Africa

Tourists on walk-board to the Semliki Sempaya Hot Springs

Following the Rwenzori parkline Trail at 2100m

Tourists are back from a 3 nights and 4days camping and hiking expedition on the Rwenzori Mountains from July18th to 22nd, 2013. Resting at AMA Kazingo office 14km from Fort Portal Town in western Uganda.

Visit a home of many primites on the Rwenzori Mountains

A blue checked monkey will not run away when its aware its up high on the branches of forest trees. Will just look on

The Rwenzori Mini Hike Trail

A tourist taking a rest on the Rwenzori Mini Hike Trail Bundibugyo side. The trail start at Kazingo village the other side of the mountain on Kabarole side.

Entrence gate of a famious Hotel in Fort Portal Town

Contact AMA for your reservation at the Hotel 

Interect with the community from the Rwenzori Mountains

Happy tourists with the children after a community walk

A very beautiful scenery on the Rwenzori Mountains

Visitors take a pose of a picture at a beautiful spot on the road to Semliki National Park. AMA will be happy to lead you to many more breath taking scenery like this one on the Rwenzori Mountains. 

Play with the chrildren during your visit to the Rwenzori Mountains

A tourist having fun with children on her coming back from from climbing the Mountains of the Moon

The hotest spot of Semliki National Park's Hot Springs

The boiling water from underground by nature

Semliki National Park at 600m

The Hot Springs at Semliki National Park at 600m

Rwenzori Parkline Trail

How far have we climbed? A trail through the homesteads of the Bakonzo on the North Rwenzori Mountains is not an easy hike. You have to be strong! Especially to make it to 2000m, where these tourists are standing.

Hiking and Nature Walks in Rwenzori Mountains

Rwenzori Mini Hike (Bwamba Pass): Before a road was built in 1938 to link Fort Portal with the remote town of Bundibugyo, local people followed the most direct route between these settlements – a tough, 2,500m high trek over the steep north Rwenzori ridge, known as the Bwamba Pass. The Abanya Rwenzori Mountaineering Association (AMA) a community group leads visitors over the mountain through isolated mountain villages to visit the Karangora Peak and Kaghoma Bamboo forest and enjoy superb rift valley views.

The park provides many other opportunities for nature walks within the Great Rwenzori’s Northern Spur circuit zone. These include trails up to Karangora Peak and Kaghoma Bamboo forest; walks through the communities of Kichamba to reach the Karangura ridge; and hiking to Bundibugo area through Bwamba pass.

Also various guided forest walks are offered lengths just outside the park. Visitors can follow the Rwenzori Park line, and glimpse views of Portal Peaks as they hike up to 2,300m above sea level. On a clear day it is even possible to view the snow capped Margherita Peak especially the Semliki Valley side of Bundibugyo- a truly spectacular sight. Along the way, keep an eye out for chameleons, squirrels, vervet monkeys and many birds and women and children going to their gardens for coffee, bananas, yams etc.
The sun is most beautiful to view in the morning if you choose to stay within community’s area, high in the mountains in our camp sites and home stays.

Pictures of the Mountains of the Moon foot hills on Kakuka trail

Re: Semliki National Park visit Itinerary;

Dear Clients'
Join the itinerary for 20th to 22nd August 2013, costs breakdown for 4 clients is as follows:-

1st day (20th, August, 2012)
Very early morning we pick you from Fort Portal.
Transportation Ug shs 200,000
              Guide Ug shs 90,000
       Park fees Ug shs 384,000
               Food Ug shs 31,000

Total Ug shs 705,000

Similarly the cost for (21st, and 22nd August 22012)

          Transportation Ug shs 200,000
Lodging for all nights Ug shs 100,000
                       Guide Ug shs 100,000
                       Meals Ug shs 100,000
Total Ug shs 500,000

For Day 3 (22rd August 2012) transportation from home stay to Fort Portal and 
to Bigodi swamps Ug shs 210,000

Grand Total Ug shs 1,415,000

Thanks
Azoli Bahati

PICTURE STORY

Tourists crossing a river stream on a local bridge on the Rwenzori mini Hike trail

Crossing river Mpanga near its source on the Rwenzoris on Bwamba Pass trail

AMA Senior Tourist Guide at 2100m on the Rwenzoris

A Tourist locating a the Great Rwenzori Touric, a bird that was singing in the distance with a beautiful voice on the Bwamba Pass trail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Homesteads of Bakonzo on the Rwenzoris

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

V sapped valley of the Rwenzoris dotted with homesteads of the local people

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The forest zone on the Great Northern Spur Ridge of Rwenzoris on Karangura Peak trail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Mukonzo traditional hut under construction on the Rwenzoris

Local hut under construction

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Early morning picture from the Rwenzoris viewing the cliffs of lake Albert, Ntoroko area

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sun rise on Rwenzoris

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sun rising on the Rwenzoris

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fort portal Plateau under rains

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fort portal Plateau viewed from up in the mountains on the Rwenzori Mini Trek trail in the evening and when raining

Fort portal Plateau viewed from up in the mountains on the Rwenzori Mini Trek trail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Homesteads and gardens of the mountain people, its about to rain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Viewing from the park poundry above in the mountains on The Rwenzori Mini Trek

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Homesteads and gardens of the mountain people

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rwenzori forest covered under mist (fog)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Rwenzori forest plant, local name is called Omusale, used as medicine and as raw materials for making traditional baskets used to offer offerings to the gods by Bakonzo

AMA and Rwenzori Mountains National Park:

Renowned for its spectacular cloud covered mountainous landscape and extraordinary plant life, the
terrain ranges from mountain forests and bamboo stands, to the unique high altitude rainforest vegetation with its giant lobelias. AMA Fort Portal office is situated at an elevation of 1675m in the foothills of the mountains, near the entrance to the Rwenzori Mountains National Park, on the Kazingo Trail, the access point of the Great Rwenzori Northern Spur ridge. AMA provides a unique service to tourists and academics who are interested in native communities, customs and culture.

 Three distinct tribes - Bakonzo, Batoro and Batwa (Pygmies) live around and on the Mountains; our local guides offer various opportunities to visit with these local communities and experience their way of life.

Contact us:
Kazingo: AMA offices are a 5 minute walk from Kazingo Trading Centre. Ask for directions from the Rwenzori Mountains National Park outpost office at the centre. Public transport from Fort Portal:
Board a matatu from the taxi park on theBundibugyo road to Kazingo for about US $ 3 or take a matatu to Bukuuku for US $ 2 and then walk (or take a motor bike) the remaining 3.5 km to Kazingo Trading Centre Bundibugyo: AMA office is near Stanbic Bank. 

For further discussion, and to make a booking, contact Azoli Bahati:
By phone: +256 772 621 397
By email: azolibahati@yahoo.com
By post: PO Box 835, Fort Portal,Uganda
Website: http://sites.google.com/site/
abanyarwenzori/

LEARN MORE ABOUT AMA

HISTORY:

Abanya-Rwenzori Mountaineering Association (AMA) was established in the year 1992 by an initiative of a group of community members living adjacent to the Rwenzori Mountains National Park with an objective to uplift the livelihood of the people living on the mountains and other marginalized members of our society.

AMA is a local NGO, registered with the government of Uganda, under the ministry of Internal Affairs. The organisation is working with the rural communities of Bundibugyo, Kabarole and Ntoroko Districts. Its services are based on the areas neighbouring the protected areas of Rwenzori Mountains National Park (RMNP), Semuliki National Park (SNP) and Semuliki Game Reserve (SGR). The surrounding communities of the above national parks traditionally depended on the park resources for their entire lives. They mainly depended on park resources for food, shelter medicine, social pleasure, firewood and for worshiping their gods.

After the areas were declared National Parks, it was hard for them to access their needs. It is for this reason that they thought of other alternative means of sustainable livelihoods. Building the community members capacities in sustainable ways of harvesting national park resources and training them on improved ways of producing required resources out side the national parks was important, calling for an organization to intervene, hence the birth of AMA with the following vision, mission and objectives.

 
 AMA Vision:

Empowered and enlightened the society of the Rwenzori region, so that can ably participate in own development.

  

AMA Mission:

Improve biodiversity conservation, human rights awareness, governance, voluntary actions and collaboration among the local population of Rwenzori Region through resource mobilization, net working, advocacy, trainings and sensitization for sustainable livelihoods.

AMA Objectives

1. To teach practical knowledge and skills to women, youth, PWDs, and rural communities living in hard to reach areas to participate in their social, economic and political development.

2. To promote good governance, human rights and voluntarism for improved networking and collaboration.

3. To promote sustainable use of natural resources for improved livelihoods.

 ACTIVITIES

The organization was formed by the community members after the Rwenzori Mountains was uplifted from a Forestry Reserve to a status of a national park in 1991.  The members then desired to establish an organization which would be mandated to provide them with the necessary education to change their attitude and increase their knowledge to understand the new environment.  AMA was tasked to source, and repackage relevant information necessary to equip the disadvantaged undeveloped mountain community, train them in alternative income generating activities and other life surviving skills and to access improved planting materials from agricultural research organization. 

Handcrafts making to sell to the tourists visiting the Rwenzori Mountains National Park and passion fruits growing were among the first trainings that were conducted. With time, we realized that training alone was not enough. We had to mobilize for more resources to do much more. Later on we secured funding to do more activities, putting in consideration the communities’ demands and needs in the following areas below:

1.    Sustainable agriculture and Agro forestry

2.    Group dynamics

3.    Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA)

4.    Animal transport (Donkey transport)

5.    Developing Market Chains (primary cooperative societies)

6.    Providing farmers with planting materials

7.    Providing farmers with Farm tools

8.    HIV/AIDS Mainstreaming and Control programme

9.    Gender in development education

10. Peace building and peaceful conflict resolution

11. Disaster preparedness and management

12. Sensitizing farmers and rising awareness on Climatic Change

13. Established a Rural Information Systems in AMA office

14. Established eco tourism activities

15. School Health Education

Major Sectors of AMA Work:

• Agriculture / Rural Livelihoods
• Health Education
• Human Rights and Governance
• VSLA
• Tourism
• Peace / Conflict Resolution

Staffing:

7 paid staff and Volunteers; 30 Community Resource Persons (CRPs) and 2 USA Peace Corps

 Approximate Yearly Turnover:

Between Ush 150 Million

 Main source of income:

International organizations as follows:

AMA successfully concluded implementing a project (Rwenzori Agro-forestry Project - RAP) funded by German Agro Action (GAA), which ended March 31st 2006. The total funds allocated to AMA from GAA for funding this project amounted to 156,562.00 euros. After GAA, Oxfam GB supported the implementation of Sustainable Agriculture Training project since 2006 to April 30^th, 2012 Total amount of money that was involved was 94,308 euros. Concern World Wide; Funded the HIV/AIDS Mainstreaming Program for three years.

 AMA also received one-time grants from the organizations below:

-                      North Caroline Zoological Park (NCZP) donated US $ 1000 part of the grant was paid as school fees for the nurse. She completed her studies at Mengo Hospital Uganda.

-                      WWF – RMCDP – (Rwenzori Mountains Conservation Development Project) helped in funding the first training workshop in 1997 for women in basket weaving UShs. 1,098,500).

-                      The zero grazing projects were supported by DED Uganda in 1997 (UShs 3,450,000)

Second source of income:-

 Is from Eco Tourism activities

 Infrastructure:

§  Five (5) Motorcycles and one (1) bicycle were acquired for the projects.

§  2 Permanent house made of bricks & iron sheets and Concrete

§  1 Toyota Double Carbine Pick-up 4WD. Engine No. LN 107 00 16555

§  1 Generator, Yamaha Petrol Eng.

§  1 Safe, Model AS160s

§  Computers 2;

§  COMPAQ computer, Y08N138421

§  COMPAQ computer, Y08N138925

§  1 HP LaserJet Printer, P2015

§  8 Office desks

§  8 Office chairs

§  4 Book Shelve 

 Coverage:

Presently AMA is working in Kabarole, Intoroko and Bundibugyo Districts:-

Kabarole District;

-          Mugusu sub-county and

-          Bukuku sub-county

 Intoroko District;

-          Karugutu sub-county

 Bundibugyo District;

-          Kasitu sub-county

-          Bukonzo sub-county

-          Harugale sub-county

-          Ndughutu sub-county

-          Bubukwanga sub-county

Networking organizations:

-          SATNET – Sustainable Agriculture Net Work

-          UCOTA – Uganda Community Tourism Association

-          CBCS-

-          57 CBOs in Bundibugyo and Kabarole Districts

      -    CBOs/NGO Forum Bundibugyo and Kabarole Districts Local Government.

Achievements:

AMA is on ground working with over 57 rural farmers’ groups in Bundibugyo, Ntoroko and Kabarole Districts.

 We have an office in Bundibugyo town and in Kazingo, Kabarole District.

 Constraints:

-          Difficult mountain terrain

-          Set back in developing our main activity (Eco-tourism) due to rebel activities during the periods of 1997-2003.