Budget safaris in Mount Elgon national park

Budget safaris in Mount Elgon national park: Mount Elgon national park is a tourist destination in the eastern part of Uganda in a district called Mbale. The protected area was gazetted in 1992 with the aim of protecting different attractions which include the living and non-living things. On the Ugandan part, the Uganda Wildlife Authority gazetted 1110 sq. km of land which hosts different tourist attractions that people can see while on a safari in the park.

Mount Elgon national park is one of the affordable places to visit while on a budget safari in Uganda. The national park is easy to access, has affordable accommodation and tourism activities can be done by anyone at any time at a very affordable fee. By reading this article, budget travelers will be able to plan a budget safari to Mount Elgon national park and go enjoy the explore the beauty of the park.

Activities that can be done on a budget safari in Mount Elgon national park

Mount Climbing

Climbing Mountain Elgon is an activity every traveler can afford if they are interested in mountain hiking. Hiking this mountain is affordable because it’s done for any number of days that a hiker wants starting from one. Hiking Mount Elgon for one day is $50 for foreign non-residents, $40 for foreign residents, and UGX50,000 citizens of East African member states.

Hiking to the summit of Mount Elgon takes 4 to 5 days and this means that the maximum a hiker needs is $250 if they are foreign non-residents, $200 if they are foreign residents, and UGX250,000 if they are citizens of East African member states. Budget travelers shouldn’t be worried about the price of hiking Mount Elgon because it’s very affordable.

Bird watching

Bird watching in Mount Elgon national park is a very affordable activity that every traveler can do. The activity can be done at a fee of $30 for foreign non-residents, $25 for foreign residents, and UGX20,000 for citizens of East African member states. The bird watching fee is paid for 24 hours and we believe birders in that period are able to see as many bird species as they can.

Some of the birds to see Nyanza swift, barn owl, white stork, lanner falcon, grey cuckoo shrike, crowned hornbill, red-fronted parrot, white-bellied tit, tambourine dove, red-chested cuckoo, yellow-rumped tinkerbird, northern fiscal, peregrine falcon, blue spotted wood dove, western crested guineafowl, grey-throated barbet, mountain yellow warbler, hunter’s cisticola, speckled mousebird, mountain buzzard, ayres’s hawk-eagle.

Sharpe’s starling, chinspot batis, white-necked raven, red-billed oxpecker, waller’s starling, brown woodland warbler, Abyssinian crimsonwing, kandt’s waxbill, cinnamon black warbler, bronze sunbird, moorland chat, golden breasted bunting, Angola swallow, mountain wagtail, red-eyed dove, cape robin chat, Elgon francolin, streaky seedeater to mention but a few.

Guided nature walks

Guided nature walks are other budget activities that can be done in Mount Elgon national park. They are very affordable and therefore tourists don’t have to miss exploring the park on foot. The guided nature walks in Mount Elgon national park go for 30$ for foreign non-residents, $15 for foreign residents, and UGX10,000 citizens of East African member states.

Budget travelers in Mount Elgon national park should carry out guided nature walks while in the park so as to discover those things that cannot be seen while doing other park activities. During nature walks, tourists are able to see different park animals, birds, rocks, rivers, Mount Elgon, and much more.

Getting to Mount Elgon national park for your budget safari

Tourists can get to Mount Elgon national park for their budget safari using road transport. Budget travelers can use public means of transport to get to the park however it’s better if they book with a tour company that has a driver to drive them throughout the safari. Mountain Elgon national park is located in Mbale eastern part of Uganda and can be accessed in 7 to 8 hours using road transport.

Entebbe/Kampala are the starting points of most safaris in Uganda therefore if one is traveling to Mount Elgon national park by road they use this route. Entebbe via Mukono, Jinja, Iganga, and finally Mbale where the national park is located. It takes tourists 7 to 8 hours to access the park and they should know that the time taken depends on the number of stopovers along the way.

When to have budget safaris in Mount Elgon national park?

Tourists can have budget safaris to Mountain Elgon national park at any time of the year however the best period will be the low season when a few people are travelling. The low season in Uganda is the rainy season and this occurs from March to May and October to November when the country is receiving heavy rainfall and little sunshine. During the rainy season, travelers will find the tour packages cheap because lodges reduce prices as well as tour operators in order to attract the few tourists that are traveling.

Tourists who are to visit Mount Elgon national park in the rainy season because they want budget safaris should know that there is too much rainfall and little sunshine within the park. The vegetation is tall with unclear views of some of the attractions in the Mount Elgon, and walking/hiking trails are muddy and slippery making tourists not access some of the areas in the park. Lastly, the roads leading to the park tend to be muddy and slippery which increases the time taken for the tourists to get to the park.

Tourists who want budget safaris can travel during the dry season and stay in budget and mid-range lodges. The dry season is the best time of the year to visit Mountain Elgon national park because of the good weather. During the dry season, there is good weather which is characterized by plenty of sunshine and little rainfall.

Tourists who will visit Mountain Elgon national park during the dry season will find the vegetation shirt and scattered giving clear views of attractions in the park. The walking/hiking trails are dry and easier to walk through while the roads leading to the park are in good condition and drivers easily drive through and reach the park on time.