HISTORY OF THE RWENZORI MOUNTAINS
For centuries there had been rumours of the existence of the snowy mountains that fed the Nile. About 1800 years ago, Ptolemy showed them on a map and called them the Lunae Montes, the Mountains of the Moon. But it was not earlier than 1891 that Dr. Franz Stuhlmann led a 5 day trip into the heart of the Rwenzori. He was the one who first described accurately the vegetation zones from the foothills to the snowline.
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The history of the Rwenzori Mountains National Park dates back to 1991 when it was officially designated as one of the National Parks in Uganda. In 1994, Rwenzori Mountains National Park plus other protected areas like Bwindi Impenetrable National Park became UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is considering Rwenzori Mountains National Park’s exceptional natural beauty.
In 1997-2001, the Rwenzori Mountain range was occupied by the rebel militias and between 1999, it was listed among the World Heritage Sites in Danger from 1999-2004. This is due to the insecurities and shortage of resources in the Rwenzori Mountains National Park.
The Rwenzori National Park is one of the 10 National Park in Uganda and it is a beautiful UNESCO Site set in the Western side of the country. The park occupies about 1000sq.kms of land area, approximately 386sq.mi and features the third highest mountain peak and several magical waterfalls, glaciers, lakes etc. The park is famous for its unique floral species that distinguishes it from the many National Parks in Africa.