Christian and Dagmara Kuhne the Italian mountaineering couple who also this month were facilitated by Rwenzori Trekking Services to climb Mt. Rwenzori, were unanimously in agreement about the unique eco-diversity and the ‘sweet challenge’ presented by the Mt. Rwenzori.
In a July 9th meeting with the UTB Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Bradford Ochieng, soon after returning from an 8-day climb, the duo also said that Rwenzori’s unique endowment aside, the mountain, unlike many other mountains popular with climbers, is uncrowded which enhances the entire experience.
Courtesy Photo: Italian mountain climber and an officer of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, the security unit of the Holy See that protects the Pope and the Apostolic Palace, Christian Kuehne (foreground; right) and his Polish wife Dagmara Kuehne (foreground; left), meet with MR. Bradford Ochieng, the UTB Deputy CEO, at UTB offices. Mr. Ochieng invited the couple to visit Uganda again, this time to Mr. Ochieng, invited the couple to come again and visit Uganda again, this time to discover some of the country’s other unique attractions, such as the picturesque landscapes that include mountains, grasslands, forests, rivers, lakes and wetlands, each with its unique ecological attractions such as the “The Big Five + 2” – lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, buffalo, chimpanzee and mountain gorilla– as well as giraffe, zebra, hippopotamus, crocodile, and more than half of all bird species found in Africa.
“We made the eight days trek with Rwenzori Trekking Services, and it was a very good experience with a lot of nature and vegetation,” Christian told the media.
The couple who was brought together by their love for mountains and together have climbed the Alps, Mt. Pyrenes (3,404 m) in Spain, Mt. Damavand in Iran (5609m) and Lenin Peak (7,134m) on the Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan border and made their marriage proposal atop Mt. Kilimanjaro (5,895 m) and summited Aconcagua (6,960.8 m) in Argentina, say that Rwenzori, in Africa, presents a climbing experience like no other.
Dagmara who at first says was challenged by the rain and humidity said that she later got used to the terrain which she later found to be a sweet challenge.
“The going up, seeing the rocks and then the glaciers. It was really a nice experience. It is also important that it was not crowded,” says Dagmara, adding: “That was something extra nice. It was really a nice experience.”
“When you compare with Kilimanjaro, other than the altitude sickness (because of height), technically Kilimanjaro is a normal hike. Rwenzori is different. You begin in the rain forest, then you have a lot of muddy trails… it rains a lot quite every day. It is also longer. The last push, the last day, climbing Peak Margherita, you have to climb. You have to use crampons (ice axe), so it’s really climbing a mountain. It’s not only hiking,” says Christian.
Courtesy Photo: Christian and Dagmara Kuehne trek the Rwenzori’s amidst snow and fog. The couple who was impressed by the mountain’s unique climbing challenge said the differently tougher terrain, compared to other mountains in East Africa they have been to, gives a rewarding feeling after completing the climb. The couple summitted Margherita (5,109 metres) in 8 days.
Mr. Ochieng invited the couple to come again and visit Uganda, as the country had thousands of attractions
“The world over, we are known as the “Pearl of Africa” and this is because we offer some of the continent’s incredible picturesque landscapes that include mountains, grasslands, forests, rivers, lakes and wetlands, each with its unique ecological attractions. The country’s 10 national parks, 12 wildlife reserves, 10 wildlife sanctuaries, 5 community wildlife management areas and 506 central forest reserves among others, create unrivalled guarantees to come face to face with “The Big Five + 2” – lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, buffalo, chimpanzee and mountain gorilla– as well as giraffe, zebra, hippopotamus, crocodile, and more than half of all bird species found in Africa,” he told the Italian couple.
He also told the Italian couple, that Uganda was also home to Lake Victoria the second-largest freshwater lake in the world which forms the source of the Nile, the world’s longest river as well as Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, one of the most beautiful places on earth and home to more than half the world’s population of endangered mountain gorillas.
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