Mount Elgon National Park : Bordering Kenya, MT Elgon National Park is an exquisite natural wonder and nest to Uganda’s second mountain, Mt Elgon which is an extinct volcano with its greatest peak being Wagagai (4,321) metres above sea level. This national park is found in the eastern part of Uganda and spans in the districts of Mbale, Kapchorwa, Bududa and Sironko with Mbale being the biggest town in the region. Mt Elgon National park is approximately 340.4km from Kampala the capital city of Uganda comprising of the beautiful green savannah vegetation the following are some of the life species found at Mt Elgon National park; Lions, savannah elephants, forest buffalos, leopards, squirrels, spotted hyenas, duiker, blue colobus monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, red tailed monkeys, cheetahs, warthogs, civets, serval cats, hyraxes, rock and tree hyraxes, klipspringers, black –backed jackals, African wild cats, sitatungas stripped jackals, bush pigs, defasa waterbucks, oribi among others. Mt Elgon National Park is also a nest to numerous bird species that include; African Goshawk, Hartlaub’s turaco, Hunter’s cisticola, Jackson’s spurfowl to mention but a few.
Major attractions at mount Elgon national park;
Mt Elgon; This is an extinct Volcano that is found in Mt Elgon National Park bordering Kenya. Mt Elgon has Wagagai (4,321) as its highest peak. Mountain Elgon is shelter to numerous wildlife and birding species. Mountain Elgon has a variety of beautiful montane vegetation that varies from montane forest, moorland, groundsel and heather vegetation. It also has a diverse range of tree species for example; Elgon Olive, African Juniper, Elderberry among others. Mount Elgon is approximately 270km from Kampala city of Uganda and is situated in Mbale district the biggest town in Eastern Uganda. Mount Elgon has four main peaks that are; Wagagai, Mubiyi, Sudek, Masaba and Koitobos. All these wonderful attributes of the mountain make it an exciting attraction to visit while on a Uganda Wildlife Safari at Mt Elgon National Park filled with satisfaction.
Sipi falls; Sipi falls is an exquisite waterfall found in Kapchorwa district along one of the slopes of Mount Elgon, its approximately 277km by road from Kampala city of Uganda. Sipi falls is surrounded by beautiful hills and tress and it consists of three separate falls with the main falls known as Sipi falls falling from the highest distance above the ground approximately 100 m long and the first and second being 85m and 65m long. The nearest town to Sipi falls is Mbale city which is about 55km from Kapchorwa district. The natural wonder is indeed a required visit while on a Uganda wild life safari at Mt Elgon national park.
Kapkwai Forest exploration centre; This centre is found in Mt Elgon National Park and 13km from Sipi falls. Kapkwai Forest Exploration is an educational centre and also site where tourists can camp and find budget accommodation options. At Kapkwai Forest Exploration Centre one can get the map to trails that run through the forest for example; the trekking trails that lead to the peaks of mount Elgon such as Wagaggai, the famous Naugabwe cave trails that lead to the caves and is among the most visited site. Kapkwai Forest Exploration Centre is also home to numerous tree species such as Olea capesis, Podocarpus, prunus Africana on the lowland forest Zones, the bamboo to mention but a few.
Tewei hill; This wonderfull hill is located outside Mountain Elgon and is situated in a position where one can get a glamourous view of Sipi falls. This hill also offers a beautiful opportunity for viewing the the waterfalls of Sipi, the beautiful green vegetation and plains not forgetting the scenic views of Wagagai peak. This hill also offers a great opportunity for Paragliding for tourists that take fun activity. This makes Tewei hilltop Definitely a beautiful attraction to visit while on a Uganda wildlife safari at Mt Elgon National Park.
Wildlife; Mt Elgon national park comprises of the beautiful green savannah vegetation in Uganda that nestles the following wild life species; Lions, savannah elephants, forest buffalos, leopards, squirrels, spotted hyenas, duiker, blue colobus monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, red tailed monkeys, cheetahs, warthogs, civets, serval cats, hyraxes, rock and tree hyraxes, klipspringers, black –backed jackals, African wild cats, sitatungas stripped jackals, bush pigs, defasa waterbucks, oribi among others. This shall fulfil wildlife tourists expectations, as they will have a lot of unique species of wildlife to view from
Birds; Mt Elgon national park holds various bird species that include the following; African Goshawk, Hartlaub’s turaco, Hunter’s cisticola, Jackson’s spurfowl to mention but a few.
The best time to visit Mt Elgon national park is during the dry months of January, February, June, July, August, September, December and November, as during these days the trails are more moveable, it is also very easy to view wildlife during the dry season since they come to common drinking places and the bushes are not so thick.