Mountain Elgon National Park is situated in the Eastern part of Uganda in Mbale district. Mount Elgon national park is bisected by the border of Uganda. This trans-boundary Conservation area has been declared a UNESCO man and biosphere Reserve. Mountain Elgon national park has five major peaks Wagagai rising on Uganda side with 4321m, followed by the Kiongo peak with 4303m, the trek to the summit passes through the distinctive altitudinal Vegetation zones restricted to Eastern Africa’s Highest Mountains. Mountain Elgon national park was first gazetted in 1929 as a forest reserve by the Uganda colonial administration because of the need to strengthen the ecological conservation of the parks, the government of Uganda declared mount Elgon forest reserve as a national park in 1992. Mount Elgon is one of East Africa’s oldest physical features first erupting round 20 million years go.
Vegetation
Mountain Elgon national park is an enormous watershed, and its slopes support a rich diversity of altitudinal vegetation areas. They range from lush montane, the mixed bamboo belt forest to the intriguing high open moorland, dotted with the really uncommon worldly plant species such as the large lobelia plus the groundsel plants unusual to Africa. The thick shrubs and luminous wild eternal flowers are another attraction to enjoy while on your safari to Mount Elgon national park.
The exotic landscape, diverse flora and fauna, sheer mount range with an unsurpassed beauty offers all together unforgettable Uganda safari experience.
When to Visit Mount Elgon national park
Mount Elgon national park can be climbed all year round though the dry seasons between June – august and December – March are most enjoyable. Note that even during the dry season, it may rain so come with rain gears like rain a jacket. The wet season between April to October, it gets colder. The snow and hail are also common and will put a damper on your volcano hiking experience. Therefore if you want to hike Mount Elgon national park in the rainy season, you have to be well prepared by carrying rain gears as well as warm clothes. No technical climbing equipment or skills are required to reach the main caldera or the peaks.
Where to stay in Mount Elgon national park
Mountain Elgon National Park has several accommodation facilities and safari lodges ranging from budget, mid-range, and luxury. Some of them include;
Mount Elgon & Spa, Wagagai Hotel, Rafiki lodge sipi, Sipi valley resort, Ccasa del turista, Mbale Resort Hotel, Kapkwai Cottages, Moses campsite, Noah’s Ark hotel, Crow’s nest,
Tourist activities / attractions in Mount Elgon national park
Hiking in Mount Elgon national park
Hiking is one of the major adventure activities in Mount Elgon national park that one can engage in while on a Uganda safari. Mount Elgon area also offers a chance to sight a variety of unique forest monkeys and small antelopes, along with huge elephants and buffaloes. This is because the park has no roads for game drivers but has foot path trails that are hiking and nature walk trails. Hiking Mount Elgon requires no special equipment or technical assistance. There are 4 major climbing trails in the park that can take you to the Wagagai peak and these include;
The piswa trail; this is the longest trail to the Wagagai peak and it takes a distance of 49kilometres. It is the easiest and less strenuous trail to the peak. This trail takes 7 days and starts at kapkwata, 30 kilometres beyond Kapchorwa. It is a long route, but starts at a higher and follows a more gradual route to the caldera. It is notable for the podocarpus forest.
The sasa trail; is the shortest and most strenuous trail to the top of Wagagai and takes 4 days. This route which starts from Budadiri town is the closest to Mbale town and is the most easily accessible. It also provides the most direct route to the peaks, albeit with a stiff climb of over 1600m on the first day. The sasa trailhead takes trekkers via the park’s largest area of bamboo forest and passes the lovely Jackson’s pool on the way to Wagagai peak. It also comes with exploration of the stunning Kitum cave that is hidden with extensive forest.
The Sipi trail; This route takes 7 days. It starts at the forest exploration centre of kapkwai, a few kilometres upstream from the Sipi fall which lies just outside the park. The trail visits the spectacular Tatum cave hidden within the extensive forest.
The Saum trail. The long and little used trail starts at the village of Saum in the Kenyan border crossing. It follows Saum River through the steep and spectacular Saum gorge to the hot springs on the eastern side of the caldera.
Trekking Sipi falls in Mount Elgon national park.
Trekkers have up to 3 main trailheads leading to the Mount Elgon peaks. One may start from Budadiri that is sasa trailhead, Sipi trailhead- forest exploration centre-kapkwai or may use the Kapkwata commonly known as the Piswa trail head. The Sipi trailhead rewards visitors with exploration of its stunning Kitum cave that is hidden with the extensive forest which rewards visitors with exceptional view of wildlife.
Caves Exploration of Mountain Elgon
Kitum Cave is found in the tremendous Mt Elgon National Park along the border of Kenya with Uganda. The Cave is a non-solutionl Cave developed in Volcanic Rocks expanding approximately 200 metres (700 ft) into the slopes of the tremendous Mountain Elgon . This became very prominent around the 1980s when two European visitors contracted the Marburg virus dieses.
Various animals get here to feed on the sodium rich salts although; elephants are the most common animal here. The cave walls are very rich in salt so wildlife animals have transferred to this place in search for salt for centuries. For the elephants in specific, use their tusks to break off pieces of the cave wall to chew and swallow. The other animals that also visit the cave often include the bushbuck, buffalo and hyenas. There is also bat guano deeper in the cave from fruit-eating and insectivorous bats and a deep crevasse into which young elephants fall and lose their lives.
Makingeny Cave is the most beautiful of the caves with settlements of vast fruit bats and candid horseshoe bats towards the back. On your trail, you will spot the spectacular waterfalls flowing across the entrance. Carry the appropriate foot wear so as not to get any inconveniences while trailing along the various routes. These can also help you navigate over slippery muddy surfaces across the trails.
Bird watching in Mount Elgon national park.
Mount Elgon national park is home to over 300 species of birds including the 40 restricted range species. A Uganda safari rewards travel endeavours with exciting bird experiences. Mountain Elgon national park is also one of the few places in Uganda where the endangered lammergeyer can be seen soaring above the caldera and Saum garage. With forest birds, as well as several endemic species including Jackson’s francolin, moustached green tinker bird and black collared Apalis, the bronze-naped pigeon, hartlaub’s turaco and tacozze sunbird, golden winged, Ross’s and hartlaub’s turaco, ,crowned hornbills, black and white casques hornbills, African blue flycatchers, chin spot batis, luhders bush shrikes, baglafetch weaver, doherty’s white chinned Prinia, chubb’s cisticola.
Camping in Mount Elgon national park.
Mount Elgon national park features 9 basic campsites for you to embark on camping experiences. They are strategically located on the trekking routes and camping can be done in designated campsites. For any need to do camping here, you can come with all your camping equipment like tent, sleeping bag, gloves, hat, sturdy hiking shoes, flash light, rain gear, cooking equipment, first aid kit, warm clothes among others.
Rock climbing in Mount Elgon national park
Rock climbing in Mount Elgon national park takes place outside the park with many of the basalt cliffs round Sipi have been bolted and can safely be climbed. There are 14 claims requiring various levels of rock scaling techniques and all equipment can be hired from the Sipi falls Tourists Guides Association.
Wildlife viewing in Mount Elgon national park
Mount Elgon national park boasts of a variety of wildlife including elephants, buffaloes, Dafassa’s waterbuck, bushbuck, oribi, duiker, leopard and spotted hyena, rock and tree hyraxes, civet and several cats, spotted hyena and several rodent species. However, as it is always in forest environments, most of these species are rarely seen.
More commonly seen creatures are the black and white colobus, baboons, red-tailed vervet, De Brazza’s and blue monkeys and tree squirrel.
Communities round Mount Elgon national park
Mount Elgon and its Tributaries re home to four tribes and the Bagishu, the Sapiinjak, the Sabaot and ogiek, better known in the region under the derogatory umbrella tern Ndorobo. The main tribes of the Bagishu and the Sabiiny that reside around the park practicing agricultural activities. Arabic coffee is grown since there is a presence of volcanic soils especially on the lower sides of the Mountain Elgon. The uppermost of the mountain is reserved for wildlife protection and this is done with coordination of Uganda Wildlife Authority and the local community members, and Kenya Wildlife Services.
The Bagishu who live on the southern and western slopes are known for their biannual Imbalu Ceremony in which boys are initiated into manhood through Circumcision. The Bagishu also known as the Bamasaba consider Mount Elgon to be the embodiment of their founding Father Masaba and refer to the mountain by this name.
Coffee Tour
Uganda’s finest Coffee is produced from Arabic beans grown on Mount Elgon. Take a guided tour of a coffee garden at Sipi to see how the beans are grown and ground.
How to get to Mount Elgon national park
By Road; Mount Elgon National Park is about 230 kilometers away from Kampala passing through Jinja, Iganga, Mbale, and Kapchorwa. Roads connecting from Mbale to Mountain Elgon National park are a bit dirty and dusty but passable and they lead you to different trails that you can use to explore mountain Elgon up to its highest peak Wagagai.
By air; Chattered flights from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airfield to Soroti airstrip and then drive for one hour to mountain Elgon National park. You can as well fly to Kisumu airport and then drive for just 50 minutes to Mountain Elgon National Park. Kisumu airport is the only airport near the park and you can take only 1 hour and fifteen minutes to reach Kisumu airport. From Entebbe International Airport, Air Kenya Express operates flights from Entebbe to Kisumu airport.
