Mountains & Hiking Africa is not widely appreciated as a mountaineering destination, but the equatorial region has three notable ranges, each with peaks rising above 5000m. The most beautiful and challenging of these is arguably the Rwenzori, known alternatively as the Mountains of the Moon. Of the Rwenzoris late 19th century author and explorer Douglas W. Freshfields had this to say: ‘…you may be familiar with the Alps and the Caucasus, the Himalayas and the Rockies, but if you have not explored the Rwenzori you still have something wonderful to see.’ Greek philosopher and geographer Ptolemy included the Lunae Montes in his first map of world in deference to the ancients who predicted accurately that somewhere in the remote spine of the continent lay the source of the Nile. It was Henry Morton Stanley who was the first white man to see the snowcaps of the Rwenzori during his journey up the Congo River. It was he, therefore, who beat the bravest and brightest of the enlightened age to the Holy Grail of the source of the Nile. While in his awe Douglas Freshfields might, at least in part, have been responding to the usual mystique of mountain environments, he could not have been immune to the extraordinary ecology of the Rwenzoris. Much of this has come about as a consequence of enormous amounts of annual rainfall, measured usually in meters, and, although an almost daily phenomenon, more fitful in some months than in others. Central and East Africa experiences as a rule two periods of rain each year: the short and the long rains. Of the Rwenzoris it is said that the short rains customarily occur in the morning, and the long rains in the afternoon! Consequently a mind numbing diversity of life exists under these sodden conditions. No less mind numbing are the ubiquitous bogs that are a severe physical and mental challenge, and make up no small part of the rigor of tackling the Mountains of the Moon. However the beauty, the diversity and the challenge of conquering Mount Stanley (5109m) compensate for this in every regard: if you are strong enough to attempt it! It is generally accepted in local mountaineering circles, meanwhile, that Mount Kilimanjaro (5895m) is the easiest of the Big Three to climb. Despite this only about 30 percent of attempts achieve the summit, which is largely as a consequence of the numbers of novice hikers who annually attempt the climb. Kili is again of unique ecological interest, with distinct altitudinal vegetation zones including, from base upwards: plateau, semi arid scrub, cultivated, well watered slopes, thick cloud forest, open moorland, alpine desert and moss and lichen rock fields. So long as adequate time is allowed there are few experienced mountaineers or hill walkers who might not expect to reach the summit. Being almost on the equator Kili is accessible all year, although again the periods of the short or long rains (late March to mid June and October to the beginning of December) are more difficult. Like Kilimanjaro, and to a much lesser degree the Rwenzoris, summiting Mount Kenya can be regarded as a strenuous hike rather than a technical climb. At it’s highest peak of Batian it reaches an altitude of 5189m. Again the ecological diversity makes the experience worthwhile beyond the obvious mountaineering challenge. From rich alpine and sub alpine flora the ecology encompasses bamboo forest, montane forest, moorland and tundra. Mount Kenya is Kenya’s principal watershed and hosts some of the richest farming areas of the region. Aside from the Big Three, the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa and the ChimanimaniRange in Zimbabwe both deserve mention. Both are beautiful mountain areas of uniquely African ecology, and both offer unparalleled opportunities for hill walking, strenuous hikes and technical climbing. There are other hiking and hill walking destinations throughout the region including the Bergs of the Cape, Mount Mulanjein Malawi, the Mvuradona Range in Zimbabwe, and many, many more.