Mountain Elgon National park was named after the Mount Elgon an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya. Having a 50km by 80km area, Elgon is a great Uganda safari destination having the largest surface area of any extinct volcano in the world but 4th highest mountain in East Africa. This mountain extends to the Kenyan border but its highest peak Wagagai, lies within Uganda and is best ascended from the Uganda side. Elgon also contains collapsed Crater-Calder covering over 40kms at the top and it’s the largest known crater, surrounded by a series of rugged peaks.
Mountain Elgon is a great watershed, with its slopes supporting a rich variety of vegetation zones that range from rush Montana, Mixed Bamboo forest to the fascinating high open Moorland, studded with the other worldly most rare endemic plant species like the giant Lobella and groundsel plants peculiar to Africa. The dense shrubs and brilliant wild everlasting flowers are yet another tour attractions to include to your itinerary of Mountain Elgon Safari tour.
The Local people living in Mountain Elgon are the Bagishu and the Sabiny. They grow crops for home consumption and practice annual circumcision ceremonies to initiate young women and men into adulthood. Once you make your safari during such seasons, it’s such a great memorable tour adventure by listening to their songs, watching their dances and traditional circumcisions.
Activities and Attractions
Apart from fauna and flora in Mount Elgon National Park, there are different types of scenery like Waterfalls, Cliffs, Caves, Calderas, Gorges, the Mountain peaks, Mesas and Hot Springs. At the lowest slopes of Mount Elgon, you will find the Buffalo, Elephants, Antelopes, forest monkeys like the Blue monkey and black white colobus. There are about 300 bird species for example the African Goshawk, Lammergeier and Baglafecht Weaver.
The main tourist attraction for hikers in Mountain Elgon is the scenery. It provides an opportunity to see a variety of unique forest monkey and small Antelops along with huge Elphants and Bufalos. There is also the unique Sipi waterfalls, ancient Stone Age cave paintings close to the Budadiri trail head, the scenic mountain peaks, the hot springs that bubble up at 4800c and Gorges.
Mountain Elgon has 9 basic campsites to offer, located at strategic points along the trekking routes. Camping should only be done at designated campsites and tourists are advised to carry along with them all the required camping equipments. Tourists engaged in this activity should carry along with them jungle walking shoes, rain gear and well lighting torch with extra cells for the cave tour. Reservation can be made from the visitor information center at park headquarters in Mbale before hiking. The hike areas allow you to explore mountain Elgon’s diverse Mountane forest.
Trekking is another activity where by trekkers have up to three main trailheads leading to Elgon Mountain peaks. One may start from Budadiri that is Sasa trailhead, Sipi trailhead, Forest exploration center- Kapkwai or you may use the Kapkwata commonly refered to as the piswa trailhead. Sasa trail passes through the park’s largest area of bamboo forest, it is the most direct route to the peaks through steep with rugged climbs of over 1600m in the start and it’s accessible from Mbale.
The following are some of the accommodation facilities that can be used by visitors interested in safaris to Mountain Elgon Noah’s Ark Hotel, Savanna Guest house, Sipi falls lodge, The crow’s Nest camp, Mbale resort Hotel, Mountt Elgon Hotel.