Exploring Mount Moroto

To kick off the month of June I did my first real hike in Uganda. It's destination was Mount Moroto in north-east, next to the Kenyan border. Unlike back home, where every place is mapped to the tiniest detail, around here you can truly explore new walking and climbing routes. The first MCU exploration group had gone to Mount Moroto at Easter time and found out that up there are criss crossing paths used by local tribes to access food markets. Our group utilized their findings for entry/exit points and camping spots, plus added a new peak to the selection.

Our Kampala delegation consisted of five girls. Not knowing each other beforehand did not matter, as we had plenty of time to chat during our slow and bumpy 12-hour drive to Moroto, where we met up with the rest of the hiking group. We were led by Alistair, who has lived there for years and knows the mountain as his own pockets.

 The hike began on Saturday morning. As a starter we climbed up an exhausting path on loose rocks, followed by a softer rise on tall grass. During lunch break we faced a problem: our porters no longer felt like carrying our water supplies but left them under the camp peak and took off. So we stuffed our backpacks with water bottles and continued ascending our camp. Thanks to the extra carrying weight my legs were totally spaghetti when we finally reached the peak of 2997m height.

On Sunday we did an exploration journey up to another peak, which we hoped to be higher than the one where we camped. During seven hours of hiking we got to climb up and down steep rocks, walk on mountain ridge paths and enjoy shade in a rain forest. The peak was indeed 3084m high, which made it worth ascending! After returning to camp we built a big fire and sat around it enjoying the coolness of the mountain.

The next morning we split into two groups: Moroto people continued on to a longer route while we Kampala people decided to walk directly back down in order to begin our return drive during daylight. It proved to be a wise move, as anyhow I was not home until after midnight.

I believe everyone agrees that photos tell a lot more about the beautifulness of Mount Moroto than any writing. Credit of these great photos belong to Elizabeth Kamugisha.