Where is Mount Elgon national park

Where is Mount Elgon national park: Mount Elgon national park lies on the eastern side of Uganda in Mbale district on Uganda’s borders with Kenya. The park is shared by Uganda and Kenya with Uganda taking the biggest portion of the park. Uganda takes 1110 sq. km of land while Kenya takes just 169 sq. km piece of land.

Mount Elgon national park is part of the 10 national parks of Uganda that are managed and controlled by the Uganda Wildlife Authority a government agency managing and promoting different national parks in the country. The national park is one of the famous safari destinations in Uganda known for hosting the second tallest mountain in the country Mount Elgon.

Located in the eastern side of Uganda, getting to Mount Elgon national park is by road transport. Drivers take 7 to 8 hours depending on the speed, nature of the roads, and the number of stopovers. Entebbe is the starting point of most safaris in Uganda, tourists pass through Kampala, Mukono, Jinja, Iganga, and finally Mbale where the national park is found.

What can be found in Mountain Elgon national park?

Animals

Every national park in Uganda harbors different wild animals including Mountain Elgon national park. These animals have found a peaceful home and plenty of food in the gazetted national park. The lowland areas of Mount Elgon national park are inhabited by animals such as blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, de brazza’s monkeys, vervet monkeys, leopards, elephants, cape buffaloes, and a few antelope species to mention but a few.

Birds

Mountain Elgon national park has over 300 bird species which have been so far recorded in different park areas. These birds are some of the attractions tourists can enjoy seeing while on a safari in the park. A birding activity which is done in the form of nature walks inside the park will enable birders to see as many bird species as they can.

A bird watching safari in Mountain Elgon national park will introduce birders to bird species such as the grey crowned crane, African black-headed oriole, little bee-eater, grey-throated barbet, hadada ibis, African wood owl, black-throated apalis, rock martin, white-necked raven, western house martin, tropical boubou, mountain yellow warbler, brown crowned tchagra, grey-backed fiscal, rufous necked wryneck, red chested owlet, African penduline tit, barn owl, elgon francolin, brimstone canary.

African stonechat, kandt’s waxbill, white-browed robin chat, black goshawk, red-capped robin chat, white-eyed slaty flycatcher, common bulbul, hartlaub’s turaco, mosque swallow, yellow-billed barbet, red-billed oxpecker, cape robin chat, pale flycatcher, bronze sunbird, green-headed sunbird, Abyssinian crimsonwing, green-backed camaroptera, pin tailed whydah, oriole finch to mention but a few.

Mount Elgon

Mountain Elgon is the major attraction found in Mountain Elgon national park. The mountain is found on the eastern side of the park on the borders with Uganda and Kenya. Mount Elgon is the second tallest mountain in the whole of Uganda with the highest point at 4321 meters above sea level. Wagagai peak is the tallest mountain on Mount Elgon and it’s the best hikers which reach the peak. Hikers need 4 to 5 days to get to the summit of Mount Elgon national park while taking part in hiking activities with armed ranger guides.

Hiking is the major activity done in Mount Elgon national park on Mount Elgon which is the tallest mountain in Uganda. To hike Mount Elgon national park, you need to be physically fit because the activity can be very challenging. Armed ranger guides lead the hiking and make sure that hikers are safe all throughout the activity.

Hiking Mountain Elgon national park is done during day time for 7 to 8 hours each day. During the hike, hikers get to see different attractions on the slopes of the mountains such as animals, birds, vegetation, rocks, rivers, hot springs, and other attractions surrounding the mountain. After 4 to 5 days of hiking, hikers get to the summit of the mountain which is Wagagai peak get to see the largest caldera lake in the world, hot springs, and much more.

Water sources

Mountain Elgon national park has got different water sources especially on Mount Elgon. While hiking Mount Elgon, hikers will see rivers like Suam river, Lwakhakha river, Nzoia river. Hikers will also see the largest caldera lake in the world if they reach the summit at Wagagai peak. On the sides of the caldera lakes there are hot springs which are attractions of their own.

When is the best time to go to Mount Elgon national park?

The dry season is the best period to visit Mountain Elgon national park. The season happens from June to September and December to February when the area receives little rainfall and plenty of sunshine. During the dry season it’s when a lot of tourists are within Mount Elgon national park enjoying the good weather while carrying out different tourism activities.

The dry season is characterized by plenty of sunshine and little rainfall which favors most of the activities. The walking/hiking trails are dry and easier to walk through which makes tourists access most of the park areas and even hike Mount Elgon faster. The roads leading to Mountain Elgon national park are dry and passable though at some point they can be dusty.

Tourists who visit Mountain Elgon national park during the dry season will find the vegetation short and scattered which gives clear views of different attractions within the park. Tourists are advised to visit Mount Elgon national park in the dry season to enjoy good weather and do activities smoothly.

Tourists can still visit Mount Elgon national park during the rainy season which happens from March to May and October to November. The rainy season favors budget travelers and maybe those who are visiting the park for bird watching. During the rainy season, the lodges reduce prices and the tour packages are very cheap which favors the budget travelers.

Tourists should know that there is too much rainfall and little sunshine during the rainy season in Mount Elgon national park. The plenty of rainfall can delay activities, make the hiking/walking trails muddy and slippery and this limits tourists from accessing some of the areas in the park. During the rainy seasons, the vegetation grows tall which leads to unclear views of some of the attractions within the park.