Mt. Elgon National Park
Mt. Elgon National Park was named after Mt. Elgon which was once the largest mountain in Africa far exceeding the current mt. Kilimanjaro. Numerous erosion has reduced its height to about 4321m reducing it to the 4th highest peak in East Africa and the 8th in Africa. The park’s caldera stretches to about 40 km2 giving it the name the world’s largest caldera.
Mt. Elgon national park is located in Eastern region of Uganda near the border with Kenya. The park covers an area of 1,279 km2 . It is named after mt.Elgon an extinct volcano that is one of the oldest and the largest i n East Africa.
The park has the largest volcanic base in the World spanning about 4,000km2. There are numerous activity that one can enjoy while at Mt. Elgon national park. Such as hiking, bird watching,exploring the ancient caves and waterfalls within the park.
The park features diverse landscape including montane forests,bamboo zones and moorland offering breathtaking views and unique natural experience.
Activities that one can carry out while at Mt. Elgon national park
Hiking and mountain climbing
Hiking and mountain climbing, is one of the mind blowing activities that one can carry out while in Mt. Elgon national park. The best time for hiking and mountain climbing is during dry season when the trails are not slippery nor very challenging.
Some of the most used trails are sasa trails, sipi trails and piswa trails. One can as well have the best hiking experience while at Murchison falls national park . With the stunning view of the fall and numerous animals found at the park.
Bird watching and nature walks
The park has over 300 bird species and the slopes of Mt. Elgon are very good spot for birding. Some of the birding species found at the park includes; Goshawk,chubb’s cisticola,white chinned prinia. Some of the endangered bird species like lammergeier, tacazze sunbird and Jackson’s francolin.
One can also enjoy guided nature walks to explore the park’s diverse ecosystem such as the forest montane, bamboo zones and moorlands. Kapkwai forest centre offers several trails for nature walks.
Sipi falls
Sipi falls is a series of three waterfalls located on the North western slopes of mountain Elgon. Besides viewing of the mystical fall, one can do abseiling.
Abseiling at sipi falls
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is one of the amazing activities in Mt. Elgon. It started in 2012 and many trails were opened by Uganda Wildlife Authority.The permit for mountain biking goes for $100 foreign non resident, $80 foreign resident and UGX 50,000 East African Citizen.
Exploring the caves
Mt.Elgon slopes are comprised of ancient caves. They were formed by moving lava and erosion of soft volcanic deposits that erupted some years back. The most accessible caves in the mountain are the khauka caves ,wanale ridge and the Kapkwai cave near the forest exploration centre.
These caves were historically used by the local communities.
Community visit
Its is an amazing activity to visit the community as you engage with different people from the community and you embrace culture. Different people have different ways of doing things however we still remain with the same blood. Watching the local communities dance, cook their food and listening the their stories can be a life changing activities.
Giving the people in the community your little time out of the busy schedule restores a lot of hope to them and gives them more reasons reasons to watch over and protect the biodiversity in the park.
Accommodation
Mt. Elgon national park offers different types of accommodation that suites preferences of different types of people the accommodation are in different location. Some tourists prefer to spend a night in Kapchorwa while others would like Mbale town however there are those that would prefer sleeping in the park. The accommodation caters for all types of clients both luxurious and budgeted customers. Some of the accommodation includes:
Mount Elgon Hotel & Spa
Mount Elgon hotel and spa is located just outside Mbale town, this hotel offers spacious rooms, a swimming pool, a gym, and a sauna that is suitable for the tourist in need of total relaxation.
Sipi River Lodge
Positioned on the outskirts of Sipi trading center, this lodge offers accommodation in cottages with en-suite facilities and stunning views of Sipi Falls.
Kayegi Hotel
A mid-range hotel located in Mbale, offering comfortable rooms with impressive views of Wanale ridge.
Noah’s Ark Hotels
Situated on the slopes of Mount Elgon, this hotel offers mid-range accommodation with various options to suit different budgets.
Masha Hotel
Located in Kapchorwa, this budget hotel offers clean and well-maintained rooms.
Crow’s Nest Rest Camp
A budget-friendly option near Sipi Falls, offering camping and cabin accommodations with great views of the falls.
Twilight Campsite
Located next to Crow’s Nest, this campsite offers bandas and dormitory-style accommodation.
Bandas
National Park Bandas are the basic bandas managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, available at various locations within the park. The bandas offers a very good camping experience.
Moses’ Campsite
A budget campsite located near Sipi Falls, offering basic camping facilities.For the best experience at the park, book your adventure with us at Beyond sight safaris where every trip is a story.
