Mt. Rungwe (Trip III)

 

Beautiful forest

Mt. Rungwe is a burly hike and this expedition proved no less challenging than our previous hikes (Trip I, Trip II). 

The day did not begin auspiciously when I tried to take a shortcut from Mbeya and we almost ended up in Malawi. Literally. I had a feeling that the back road was heading in the wrong direction. I stopped to ask a random woman on the road where the road headed. She casually replied Malawi and I asked her if the road to Tukyu (nearest city to Mt. Rungwe) was near and she immediately looked concerned and told me it was far. Very far. Welp, we turned around and then realized that the original shortcut that we wanted to take was closed due bridge repairs. We ended up picking up a random old man to help direct us to the turnoff. He disembarked before but gave us explicit instructions. We still missed it and ended up having to ask yet another person for directions. We finally located the tiny path and our mood lightened as we took in expansive views of the landscape. The road was clearly used more frequently as a footpath or for motorcycles. We enjoyed the ride down to the main road as we realized that we would indeed make the hike today.

However, tjos meant we got a late start and we really pushed it to make it to the top. We started the climb at 10:30am. We managed to make the climb in 4 hours and 51 minutes and descended in about three hours but we were pushing it hard. One way is only 6.4km (about 4 miles) but the altitude gain is 1,340m (4,400 ft). There are some extremely steep sections and towards the top the altitude can really affect the body. 

We had an incredible hike with great sightings of Colobus, Kipunji, and Blue Monkeys. We were casually birdwatching but saw a Bar-tailed Trogon, Red-faced Crimsonwing, and Silvery-cheeked Hornbills. The weather was great and we got to enjoy some time on the summit without fierce wind. 

I was disappointed to see the rustic bungalows were torn down at the new campsite. We met a crew that was building a new toilet which I suppose is a welcome upgrade from the simple drop toilet. The "second campsite" appears to have been completely overgrown and even the path to the toilet is obscured. There was a lot more litter on the trail than our previous excursions which I suppose means it's being used but I wish it was kept a little cleaner though it wasn't completely trashed or anything. 

The hike is not for the faint-hearted and unfit; it requires a decent level of fitness and the rapid gain in elevation can be tough. I love how the trail winds through different environments and the peak has some fantastic views that make it worth it!

Almost to the top

In the bamboo zone