the Adventure Lifestyle magazine

IElevation: 16,763 feet. 5,109 meters) Mt Stanley has always been shrouded in mystery. Aristotle speculated that a "silver mountain" ed in the heart of Africa. Five hundred years later, the Greek geographer ptolemy Ruwenzori Range the "Mountains of the Moon: Both philosophers speculated that the were the source of the Nile River-ond both were correct. The lower zones of Mt Stanley are with a dense forest protected by 998 square kilometers of Mt Ruwenzori National Park. approach to Mt Stanley is a seemingly endless swamp and bog traverse but once you're above the wetlands, Mt Stanley will challenge the most experienced high-altitude mountaineers. High-altitude mountaineering experience is a prerequisite and a summit push should not be attempted unless you G'" ;.rnpE ri f .,:·:,.:ipped with ice axes and crampons. You can hire porters and guides Irecommend- ed, but not requiredl in Ibanda and Bundibugyo, the main Ruwenzori Park entry points. Access to National Park costs US$lO per day, per person. The best time to climb is January-February June-August. Keep your eyes open for elephants, forest hogs, golden cats, genets, rock hyraxs, I m()naee,;e duikers, velvet monkeys, and chimpanzees. If you want to summit with an outfitter, try in London at +44-(0)-1550 721319, www.ewpnet.com. you're comfortable with adventure in its ~rm, consider paddling the White Nile through least-explored national park: Murchison Falls. The Nile River splits into two parts Kayak the White Nile, Uganda ~ urman, a city in Sudan. The Blue Nile branches off toward Ethiopia, while the White Nile thun- into Uganda. The warm water crashes over basalt rock and between forested islands, some- breaking into channels. The put in is below Karuma Falls, beyond Lake Kyoga, and from I paddle this Class V river through the jungle and wild animals of the national park. The hippos, buffalos and crocodiles who inhabit this equatorial river will be your only companions: (Elevation: 19,563 feet, 5,963 metersl See AFRICA ON HIGH, page 38. 2 Climb Mt Meru, Tanzania (Elevation: 14,979 feet. 4,566 meters) Located in the strictly-controlled Arusha National Park, Mt Meru's flanks are laced with streams and thick forests and the su~mit is barren and rocky. The surrounding parkland is home to large populations of wildlife. Mt Meru is in a strictly controlled national park. Local buffalo and elephant do not react well to being surprised, so you must travel with an armed park ranger to get to the first hut. You can legally hike Mt. Meru without a guide but it is not recommended because the trails are tricky to navigate. The rangers will often double as guides for your climb. It is customary to tip approximately US$lO a day for experienced guides, US$8 a day for each camp crew mem- ber and US$5 a day per porter. The Momella Route is currently the only accessible route to the summit. It is a two- or three-day trek and there are huts available along the way. Summitting Mt Meru is often treated as a warm-up exercise to climbing nearby Mt Kilimanjaro. Take an extra day in one of the crater huts to acclimatize to the thinning oxygen levels in the air. The best time to climb is December-March and June-August. The open glade areas of the mountain are heavily populated with black-fronted duiker and bush buck. Also watch for elephants, leopards and buf- falo in the crater. If you want to summit with an outfitter, contact Klub Afriko SafariS, 011-255-57- 8878, www.klubafriko.com. 3 Climb Mt Kenya, Kenya , ! , (Elevation: 17,057 feet. 5,199 meters) .. With its snow covered peaks and 11 permanent glaCiers, Mt Kenya is the primary water catchment area for the entire country. The mountain erupts out of the savannah and quickly pushes through seven distinct vegetative zones, beginning with hot, dry grasslands and ending in alpine rock, snow and ice. There are actually two peaks on Mt Kenya: Point Lenana (4,985 meters) and Batian (5,199 meters) and the mountain has some of the finest rock and ice climbing on the continent. To summit either peak, you must be experienced and equipped and technical climbing experience is a must in the alpine zone. The qUickest and most popular route to Point Lenana is the Naro Moru. This should take between three and four days, including acclimatization time. The Burguret Route to Batain is considerably more difficult and includes a confusing trek through dense bam- boo. But you'll see more wildlife on this route. Another option is to link together multiple routes and experience Mt Kenya in its entirety. You'll need a local gUide on Burguret Route but porters are generally not used. Access to Mt Kenya National Park (everything above 3,200 metersl will cost US$15 a day, plus a US$lO-per-day climbing rate. (The access cost for students is US$5 a day).The best time to climb is January and February, south side; August and September, north side. Look out for elephants, rhinos, buffalos, baboons, lions, hyenas, tree hyraxs, Sykes monkeys, Defassa waterbucks and leopards. If you want to climb with an outfitter, contact Mountain Madness, 800- 328-5925, www.mountainmadness.com. humans live along this section of the White Nile. Be prepared to climb trees and forage through dense jungle to get a clear view of where the river is going. For more information, contact Cam McLeay at Adrift Adventures in New Zealand (raft@adrift.co.nz). Victoria Falls, located between Zambia and ~we, splits the Zambezi River into upper and 6 Whitewater Raft Victoria Falls ~ lower sections. Below the falls, the Zambezi offers 14 miles of class V rapids. The put-in is below the falls on the Zimbabwe side at The Big Eddy above Rapid 4 or Morning Glory during low water (apprOXimately October to March). Rush through deep, hostile water (that snakes through steep canyon walls) and pull out to camp on the riverbanks at night. Be sure to walk around Rapid 9, lov- ingly called Commercial Suicide. During high water, the put-in is below Rapid 10, the Gnashing Jaws of Death. The Zambezi River opens up toward the lower rapids; be sure to look for hippos and crocs basking on the banks. The low water put-in on the Zambian side is Boiling Pot, above Rapid 2. However, if you put-in on the Zambian side, you must take-out on that side too, to keep your pass- port in order. There are limited exit points and roads are in the process of being built. Contact Mountain Travel Sobek at 888-687-6235, or Bio Bio Expeditions at 800-246-7238 for more informa- tion. 7 Sand board Namibia The vast dunes of the Namib Desert are ideal for this hybrid boardsport, and there is a wild feel to the place. Sand board tours operate on a forty mile stretch of dunes between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay on the Namibian coast. (Dune Seven, near Walvis Bay, is one of the highest dunes in the world and the most popular location for sandboarding in Namibia.) There is almost nothing north and south of this region, just the great Namib Desert comprised of some rocky hills, mountains, dry riverbeds and the odd farm or hamlet. There is so much sand here that it is theoretically the world's biggest beach. Some areas have wildlife, others are devoid. But if you camp out. there will always be jackals prowling about and the odd hyena coming by to sniff out your dinner. Contact Downhill Adventures Namibia, 011-264-8-11-277-636. 8 Sandboard South Africa Wherever there is decent sand in South Africa, there will be sandboarding enthusiasts and tour oper- ators. Cape Town and Port Elizabeth have some of the best dunes but there are many other areas, such as Richards Bay, north of Durban. In Cape Town tours run to two areas on the coast (here you can go for a surf or swim later to get the sand outl. and at a spot inland, where the sunsets are often spectacular. For more information on boarding South Africa, call Downhill Adventures at 011-27-21- 220-388 or Dune Sandsurfing at 011-27-82-459-2422. 9 Sand board Ubya Libya's sands are endless and untouched. Garb Oun Sebha is an incredibly beautiful oasis sur- rounded by dunes exceeding 200 meters in height. Holger Hirsch, one of the world's best sand- PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT!: JEFF BARBEE. PAT O·CONNELL. MILES MASTERSON. NEVADA WIER

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