Mount Elgon National Park is located in eastern Uganda, tucked away along its borders with Kenya. The forested area grows beautifully along the slopes of Elgon, which is thought to be Africa’s highest mountain after eruption over 24 million years ago. It is the fourth highest mountain in east Africa. The mountain has the largest foot base in the world, along which are human settlements of the Bantu speaking Bagisu and Kalenjins. The Bagisu are commonly known to the mountain at Masaba, which is named after their founder and ancestral god. The mountain was gazetted as a means of safeguarding the animal species that call this home as well as the forest as a whole, elevated at 4321 meters above sea level.
With a surface area of 4000 square kilometers and a diameter of 80 kilometers, Mount Elgon National Park is one of the remnants of an extinct volcano that is thought to have erupted over 24 million years ago. Wagagai is the highest peak of the park, and a growing forest grows along its slopes, providing habitat for a variety of flora and fauna. The national park is shared across borders with Kenya. The Ugandan portion was designated as a major UNESCO World Heritage Site and published in a gazette. The incredibly beautiful and pristine moorlands reveal an enchanting and unspoiled wildness, and Wagagi, the park’s highest peak at 4321 meters, is home to some of the most underappreciated fauna. Mammal species in the national park include blue monkeys, hyenas, white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, elephants to mention a few.
The national park originates many water catchment areas right from the series of the beautiful Sipi falls, flowing right from the forest to form magnificent attractive water falls, there are well established trails for example the Sipi trail, the Sasa trail that can enable you reach the bottom of the water fall, not only Sipi but there are other falls in case one would be interested in a different hike like the Chebonet waterfalls. Popular activities of the national park include hiking the Mountain Elgon birding, guided nature walks ,visiting the local community they have a rich cultural back ground for example the Bagisu have yearly circumcision ceremonies on every year divisible by two as known to the traditionalists, they perform this ritual as a way of transforming the teenagers into adulthood, they will show you different uses of the forest, the food that is collected from the forest to mention their staple food “Malewa” gotten from bamboo shoots.
It takes about six hours to get to the national park from Kampala, the capital of Uganda, via well-maintained roads. The park is strategically located so that visitors can make a stopover in Jinja, which is the source of the Nile. As climbing Mount Elgon requires fitness, planning ahead is advised. A few accommodations are available, such as Noah’s Ark, Sipi Travelers Inn, and Lacam Lodge. It is essential to pack warm clothing, hand gloves, hiking boots, and any other personal belongings in order to enjoy the trip.