The climate of Rwenzori Mountains is largely influenced by the seasonal movements of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone, altitudinal range and topography. The Rwenzori Mountains experiences a typical tropical climate with 2 rainy seasons and 2 dry seasons in every year. Low rainfall amount is recorded around most of the plains at the base of the Rwenzori Mountains-about 750mm.
Rwenzori Mountain range is one of the most splendid destinations worth visiting on a safari in Uganda. The park and its mountain range are famous for their distinct alpine climates due to their strategic location along the Equator crossing. The Rwenzori region receives high amount of rainfall each year compared to any other place in the world. The block mountain chain doesn’t boast of its unique alpine climatic conditions but also features luxuriant vegetation zones where the distinct botanical big game thrive.
Rwenzori Mountain range houses one of the beautiful tropical glaciers and one of the very few that is left on earth. These range on the 3 massifs including Mount Stanley, Baker and Speke. You can experience the tropical glaciers upon a successful trek to the summits of the snow-capped peaks. The glaciers are rapidly retreating and reduced from a total area of 2.5sq.mi to less than sq.mi years ago. This has made it a little easier to hike the Rwenzori Mountain chain than before.
The Rwenzori region climate is influenced by Inter-tropical Convergence Zone where around June, the movement is witnessed taking the northward side resulting into monsoon season in the Himalaya and India. In December, the ITCZ moves to the Southern hemisphere and results into heavy rains in the Northern Australia. During the spring, heavy rains are experienced around Equatorial areas. This means, visiting the Rwenzori Mountains during spring or wetter season makes it challenging to hike to the peaks.
Temperatures
At 3000-4000m altitude, temperatures range from 10-15 degrees celsius and this is usually during the day. At night, temperatures reduce drastically 2-6 degrees celsius. At the camps, temperature ranges from 4 to 5 degrees celsius and 1-2 degrees celsius. At the peaks, the temperatures drop by -2 degrees celsius and at times, it reaches -10 degrees celsius and characterized by winds.