Attractions in Mount Elgon national park
Attractions in Mount Elgon national park: Attractions in Mount Elgon national park are those things that bring tourists from different parts of the world to Uganda and Mount Elgon national park each and every year. Mount Elgon national park is one of the 10 national parks in Uganda found in the eastern part of the country. The 1279 sq. km piece of land is shared by Uganda and Kenya where Uganda has 110 sq. km piece of land in Mbale district.
Mount Elgon national park was gazetted in 1992 as a national park to protect the different attractions that were living there at the time. There are so many attractions within Mount Elgon national park which we about to look at in this article. These attractions have made people move from different parts of the world and come to explore them.
Attractions in Mount Elgon national park
Mount Elgon
Mount Elgon is the major attraction found in Mount Elgon national park. the name of the park is got from this mountain that is found on the eastern side of the park. Mount Elgon being the second tallest mountain in Uganda attracts a number of hikers from different areas of the world. Hiking is the main activity to do on mount elgon and it does take 5 to 6 days to get to the summit.
Hiking Mountain Elgon is a guided activity that starts everyday with a briefing from park authorities. They teach hikers the rules and regulations of hiking so that they are able to make it to the summit without any difficult. Hiking starts each morning and hikers are led by ranger guides from the park who know very well the hiking trails.
Hiking Mount Elgon gives hikers an opportunity to see some of the attractions that have been recorded within the park in the slopes of the mountain and bothers in the nearby surrounding areas. Hikers see animals, birds, vegetation, water sources, and much more whole hiking Mount Elgon. At the summit of Mount Elgon, hikers are able to be see the largest caldera lake, and surrounding areas, and are allowed to take photos or record videos.
Birds in Mountain Elgon National Park
Mount Elgon national park hosts about 300 bird species which have been so far recorded in different areas of the park. Birds are some of the major attractions within Mount Elgon national park attracting different birds in the eastern part of the country. Birds of Mount Elgon national park are seen during bird watching activities that are done in the form of nature walks in different areas of the park.
Birds of Mount Elgon national park include Nyanza swift, ayres’s hawk eagle, black cuckoo, red chested owlet, narina trogon, crowned hornbill, European bee eater, meyer’s parrot, grey cuckoo shrike, tropical boubou, African blue flycatcher, northern crombec, chestnut throated apalis, mountain yellow warbler, angola swallow, slender-billed greenbul, red billed oxpecker, Barn owl, sharpe’s starling, Nyanza Swift.
Tacazze sunbird, African thrush, white-eyed slaty flycatcher, Hadada Ibis, scaly spurfowl, tambourine dove, hartlaub’s turaco, chinspot batis, ring necked dove, red-eyed dove, Black kite, Lanner falcon, African stonechat, Elgon francolin, moorland francolin, rameron pigeon, bronze sunbird, Abyssinian crimson wing, ross’s turaco, African emerald cuckoo, northern grey-headed sparrow, African pied wagtail, Elgon Francolin, and streaky seedeater to mention but a few.
Visiting the Mount Elgon caves is a great opportunity to spot various wildlife species
Mount Elgon caves
Mount Elgon caves are other attractions found in Mount Elgon national park. Tourists who want to explore these caves can request park authorities to organize them a visit to the caves. There are so many caves on the slopes of Mountain Elgon but the most visited ones are Kitum, Chepnyali, and Mackingeny. These caves are a habitat for different animals and birds that have been recorded in the park.
A visit to the caves in Mount Elgon national park gives tourists an opportunity to meet different park animals that come to lick salt from the walls. These caves have so many bats which provide manure from their droppings. It said that these caves were home to different people and domestic animals years ago before the area was gazetted as a national park.
Wild animals in Mountain Elgon National Park
Not so many wild animals have been recorded in Mount Elgon national park but the few that are there are an attraction in the park. The lower slopes of Mount Elgon are home to animals such as blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, de brazza’s monkeys, vervet monkeys, leopards, buffaloes, and elephants to mention but a few. The animals of Mount Elgon national park are seen during nature walks and others while hiking Mount Elgon.
When is the best time to go see the attractions of Mount Elgon national park?
The best time to visit Mount Elgon national park would be the dry season. The dry season in this park happens from June to September and December to February. This is when the park has good weather conditions that are characterized by little rainfall and plenty of sunshine. During the dry season, the walking/hiking trails are muddy and slippery, the vegetation is short with good views of wildlife and the roads leading to the park are passable.
Tourists can still visit Mount Elgon national park during the rainy season from March to May and October to November for the park is always open. A few tourists visit the park because of the bad weather characterized by too much rainfall and little sunshine. Too much weather makes the hiking/walking trails muddy and slippery, vegetation is tall with unclear views of animals, and roads leading to the park tend to be muddy and slippery.
Getting to Mount Elgon national park
Tourists can get to Mount Elgon national park in a single day using road transport. The national park is located about 240 km from Entebbe which is the starting point of most safaris in Uganda. From Entebbe/Kampala, tourists go through Mukono, Jinja, Iganga, to Mbale where the park is located. The journey to Mount Elgon national park is full of great views along the way. It takes less than 6 hours to get to Mount Elgon national park and the time taken depends on the speed of the driver and the number of stopovers.
