Rwenzori, also called the “Moon’s Mountains” hide their cliffs’ grandeur under a permanent wall of clouds. The wild beauty of the peaks covered by snow can be observed only when the cold winds clear the fog around them. The unique African mountain chain was discovered by the Europeans by Henry Morton Stanley, in 1888. This explorer noted in his journal that during 300 days per year, the cliffs were covered by a dark cloud, but when the cloud disappeared, the view was breathtaking.

In the local language, Rwenzori means “the one that brings the rain” and Stanley was the one that named them this way. The snowy mountains are just about 48 kilometers from the Equator. The chain stretches along approximately 96 kilometers on the border between Uganda and The Democratic Republic of Congo. It seems like the peaks, that are covered up with icebergs, are reaching the sky. Margherita, one of Stanley’s Mountain peaks, is 5,110 meters high.

When the fog is gone, the peaks are shining with an awkward intensity. This shine is not just because of the snow, there’s a composite in the stones that have this amazing bright texture. This was formed due to the tectonic movements in the last 10 million of years. Unlike The Kilimanjaro or Kenya Mountains, the Rwenzori Mountains are not volcanic.

The most incredible thing though, is the vegetation that draws the sides of the mountains and resists the snow, in the heights. The permanent fog is creating a sauna atmosphere and is the perfect environment for luxurious vegetation, so that the plants around here get to have unbelievable sizes. But the fog is not the only reason. The soil is rich in humus and here you can find worms bigger than a man’s arm.

Having such an odd climate, fauna and vegetation, this mountain kingdom is the birth place for numerous legends and sayings. From the ancient Greeks (the ones that named Rwenzori “The Moon’s Mountains), until the modern civilizations, they have always intrigued people by this mysterious and wonderful landscape. Rwenzori is a unique sight in the African Equatorial Area.

Image credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

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