Which part of Africa is Mount Elgon

Which part of Africa is Mount Elgon? Mount Elgon is one of the most popular mountains in the world. One of the things that make the mountain popular is that it has the largest volcanic base and largest caldera lake in the whole world. Mount Elgon is found on the African continent. In Africa, the mountain is situated in East Africa. In East Africa, Mount Elgon is found between the borders of Uganda and Kenya.

In Africa, Mount Elgon is found on the eastern side of Uganda and the western side of Kenya which are both East African countries. For easy location, Mount Elgon is situated inside Mount Elgon national park a protected area between Uganda and Kenya borders. Uganda takes the bigger part of Mount Elgon while Kenya takes a small portion of the mountain.

Where in Africa is Mount Elgon

Continent: Africa

Location: Eastern Uganda and Western Kenya

Country: Uganda and Kenya

Geographical region: East Africa

Mount Elgon is 4321 meters tall making it the eighth tallest Mountain in Africa. In Uganda it’s the second tallest mountain after the snow capped Mountain Rwenzori. Mount Elgon has a volcanic base measuring 80 sq. km in diameter hence making it the volcanic mountain with the largest base in the whole world.

Mount Elgon located in Uganda and Kenya has 5 peaks Wagagai peak (4321 meters) in Uganda, Sudek peak (4302 meters) in Kenya and Uganda, Koitobos (4222 meters) in Kenya, Mubiyi (4211 meters) in Uganda, and Masaba (4161 meters) in Uganda.  Mount Elgon is hiked from the Ugandan side and Ugandans are very happy because hiking activities attract lots of tourists from different parts of the world.

What are the unique geological features of Mount Elgon?

Mount Elgon is an extinct volcano located north of the equator. Mount Elgon has 5 peaks namely Wagagai, Sudek, Koitobos, Muniyi, and Masaba. The highest peak on Mount Elgon is Wagagai peak which is 4321 meters above sea level. Wagagai peak is found on the Uganda side but there are some of the peaks which are found in Kenya.

Where on the map is Mount Elgon

Mount Elgon’s latitude and longitude on a map are respectively 1.1493° N and 34.5418° E. On the map, Mount Elgon is found on the borders of Uganda and Kenya, and the highest peak which is Wagagai is found in Uganda. Standing at 4321 meters above sea level, Mount Elgon is the second-highest peak in Uganda.

Hiking Mount Elgon takes 4 to 6 days depending on the hiking trail used. Hikers who are fit enough will complete their hiking in 4 days because the mountain is not hard to climb. The dry season is the best time when one can complete the hiking in a few day’s time because the hiking trails are dry.

Getting to Mount Elgon

Mount Elgon is found on the eastern side of Uganda can be accessed from Entebbe the starting point of most safaris.  It is located about 240 km taking tourists 5 to 6 hours to get Mount Elgon national park.  The time taken depends on the speed of the driver as well as the number of stopovers. From Entebbe, tourists drive through Kampala, Mukono, Jinja, Iganga, Kapchorwa, and then Mbale where the park is located.

When to go visit Mount Elgon in Africa

There are two weather seasons in Uganda where Mount Elgon is found and the best time to go and explore this mountain is the dry season. The dry season happens from June to September and December to February a period when the mountain and the surrounding areas receive little rainfall and plenty of sunshine. The weather is good during the dry season and the hikers on Mount Elgon get to the summit with less difficulty.

During the dry season, the hiking trails are dry and easy to walk through, the skies are clear allowing tourists to see different things on the slopes and areas around, the vegetation is dry short, and scattered allowing hikers to see different attractions on the slopes of the mountain and lastly the roads leading to the park are passable.

Tourists can still visit Mount Elgon during the rainy season which happens from March to May and October to November. Tourists should come knowing that it’s the period when the park is receiving a lot of rainfall and little sunshine. The hiking trails are muddy and slippery, vegetation on the lower slopes is tall and this gives unclear views of some of the attractions, and roads to the park are in poor conditions.