A note/tip about climbing Mt. Sabinyo with a big group

I climbed this awesome Virunga some time ago on a day that surprisingly many other people were doing the same, too. Going up was okay but coming back down turned very unpractical and unnecessarily troubled since for the 15 of us (a few of them travelled together) we had joined only by two "bodyguards", rangers, that is. This meant that everyone had to proceed at fixed speed in poor weather. There were people with good reason to go slowly (like vertigo and headache) but also people with no reason to wait for long periods of time for the tail of the group to arrive.

What Im saying is that everyone has the right to go at their own speed and enjoy their day, not that everyone should go at my speed.

The ranger and guide told the "faster ones" that Mghahinga National Park has over 60 staff members but there werent more available rangers to join the group of 15 that day, albeit I see guards and rifles everywhere in Uganda and Mghahinga didnt seem to be very busy now.

If I had known this before, I would have made sure to trek on a day that is not busy or then made sure that we get much more guides. But I will be back!

The day trek itself is wonderful and quite challenging and scary even if you dont suffer from vertigo. The ladders between the main peaks are occasionally very steep but in quite good condition (I saw only one fractured step on a critically steep section though.) Especially on this section going back down was painfully slow because some people took their time, which is perfectly okay. But knowing your own limits, fitness and/or tolerance of vertigo in cold, windy, wet weather makes you want to go at your own speed while with dangerous animals awaiting at the lower sections of the mountain everyone has to walk with a gunman, like in Mt. Meru Tanzania.

Recommended as one of the more adventurous day hikes Ive done! Cant wait to go to Muhavura on a DRY season.

All three volcanoes cost 60 us dollars each, golden monkeys 50 us dollars. (And to do any of these day activities you must appear at the visitor office by 7 am! The hikes usually start by 7:30 am.)