This district is rich with wetlands, water and a savannah type of vegetation. It contains the world's largest concentration of hippos and is home to more than 25% of Africa’s birdlife population.

The Rwenzori Mountains are a spectacular, tourist attraction, that have attracted visitors for the greater part of this century. The Rwenzori range is the largest and most important group of snow covered mountains in Africa.

The Rwenzoris are also known as the "Mountains of the Moon". They were first described as such by Ptolemy because they were believed to be the Lunae Montes predicted by the ancient Greeks to be the source of the Nile. A number of the mountain peaks are named after early explorers to Uganda, these include Mounts Stanley, Speke and Baker. The Italian Duke of Abruzzi led a major exploration of the range in 1906, producing the first detailed maps of the area and making several first ascents, including that of Mt Stanley. This expedition named most of the major peaks and features giving the names Margherita (5,109m) and Alexandra (5,044m) to the twin summits of Mt Stanley in honour of members of the Italian and British royal families.

The Duke chose to name one of the smaller peaks in the range, Luigi de Savoia (4,627m), after himself.