Montane grasslands with giant senecio and lobelia plants, Ruwenzori Mountains, Congo (Democratic Republic)

"Lying slightly north of the Equator, the Ruwenzori Range has a maximum breadth of 30 miles (50 km) and extends south-north for 80 miles (130 km) between Lake Edward and Lake Albert. Unlike most African snow peaks, the Ruwenzori is not of volcanic origin but is a gigantic horst of six separate glaciated masses, reaching a high point in Mount Stanley at Margherita Peak (16,795 feet [5,119 m]). The Ruwenzori Range's largest mountains are separated by passes and deeply cut river valleys that all eventually drain into the Semliki River. The mountain summits are often hidden in cloud cover, created periodically by moist airstreams from the Atlantic and Indian oceans. While trekking through this ecoregion, you'll move through several types of vegetation. In the low elevations of the Virungas, forests of bamboo provide cover for mountain gorillas. Moving up the mountain slopes, you will find yourself dwarfed by giant heather plants covered in lichens and mosses. As you climb close to the snowline, you'll reach montane grasslands full of giant senecio and lobelia plants, as well as abundant swamps. These unusual moorlands are quite rare in the world--found only in east and central Africa, New Guinea, and the northern Andes. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon traveled to Africa from early March 1951 to July 1951, accompanied by his wife, Joan B. Elisofon.