Mount Elgon National Park Mount Elgon National Park is located near the
Mbale district on the slopes of Mount Elgon in eastern Uganda. It covers 1145
square kilometers, an extinct volcano on the Uganda-Kenya border. Mount Elgon
National Park is shared by her two neighbors, Uganda to the east and Kenya to
the west. The highest peak, Wagagai, is on the Ugandan side and is 4321 meters
high. Besides, he has three outstanding mountains, Jackson his 4165m, Kiongo
his 4303m, Mubii 4210m and Mount Elgon is his fourth highest mountain in East
Africa.
This mountain is the basin of rivers such as the Sipi River that forms
the Sipi Falls. Mount Elgon national park has altitudinal vegetation areas
including lush Montana, mixed bamboo belt forest with uncommon plant species
like large lobelia, thick shrubs, groundsel plants, luminous wildflowers among
others and attractions like the old cave paintings near the trailhead that are
found at Budadiri, the stunning caves and the hot springs inside the crater.
Mount Elgon national park is a home of about 300 bird species which include
red-throated wryneck, black collared apalis, alpine chat, moorland francolin
among others and animal species including buffalos, antelopes, elephants,
Oribi, defassa, waterbuck, duiker, primates like forest monkeys among others.
Activities in Mount Elgon National Park
Hiking: Mount Elgon national park-offers a better hiking option for
hikers in Uganda and hiking is the main activity done in the park in that it
has lower peaks which are favorable than those of Mount Rwenzori. Hiking in
Mount Elgon national park is interesting since the park is less congested
because many people are not aware of it. There are different trails to take
during the hike, for example, the Piswa trail which is long and gentle, takes 7
days and covers 49kilometers, the Sipi trail which covers 56kilometers and
takes 4-6days and the Sasa trail which is the shortest but toughest because
it`s very steep and takes about 4days during the hike. A wide variety of
animals will be spotted during the trek including unique forest monkeys,
elephants, buffalo, small antelopes, birds, Sipi waterfalls, beautiful scenic
peaks, hot springs and ancient cave paintings near the Budadiri trailhead.
Nature walks: Nature walk is one of the activities that is
carried out in Mount Elgon national park where the visitors move on foot within
the park with park rangers for relaxation, close view of the animals and
landscapes. During the nature walk you can take a 7km bamboo trail to Kapkwai
cave and pass through the tropical and bamboo forest which take about 4 hours
and will be able to spot primate species, different birds, rare tree species
like Elgon teak, Elgon olive among others, the 5km walk to the Chebonet falls,
a 3km walk to Kapkwai caves and an 11km hike to Tutum cave where you can camp
for an overnight and view different bird species like the African blue
flycatcher, African goshawk, black collared apalis among others.
Cultural encounters: this is an activity where the visitors visit
the communities surrounding the park to learn about their lifestyles. There are
different communities living around Mount Elgon national park which include the
Gishu traditions also known as the Bagisu tribe, they call the mountain their
first father and have a common Imbalu ceremony of the removal of the foreskin
on the males private part with myth behind this ceremony hence becoming a
serious culture in Gishu and visitors get to learn why this ceremony is carried
out. The Sabiny traditions where you get to meet the Sipi widows group for
entertainment, also take you on a guided walk through the coffee plantations
explaining the activities involved during the coffee growing, planting,
picking, grinding, washing, storing among others. They can engage in
educational activities such as recognizing female circumcision practiced by
Savigny.
Mount Elgon National Park is open to visitors
year-round, and the best times to visit are during the dry season from June to
August and December to March. There are several accommodations to stay during
the safari, such as Wooden Camping Bandas, Mbale Resort Hotel, Mount Elgon
Hotel, Sunrise Inn, Guest Houses and Country Houses.
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