Mountain Elgon National Park is situated in the eastern part of Uganda home to the Sipi falls and mountain Elgon, it is raised at 4321meters above seas level with its highest peak being Wagagi.it is believed to have erupted 24 million years ago, initially it was higher than Mountain Kilimanjaro. Mount Elgon is a dormant volcano with the largest world caldera and foot base on which several people are living a race of Kalenjin’s (sabiny) and Bantu(bagisu). It is the 4th highest volcano in east Africa along the border of Uganda and Kenya covering a land area of 1145 square kilometers a UNESCO world heritage site gazette in 1992.
Mountain Elgon is one of the oldest mountains in east Africa, the gazette area is home to several animal and plant species including the mountain duikers, elephants, hyenas, buffaloes, deffassa waterbucks, oribi and a few primate species like the black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys. There are more than 300 species of birds some which are restricted to the area including the Jackson francolin, mustached tinker bird, African reed warbler, white winged sunbirds, crown hornbill, blackcolored apalis to mention a few.
The park supports a very rich vegetative cover ranging from a montane forest to high open moorlands and bamboo forests from which the bagisu drive their staple food ‘Malewa’ the moorlands are well distributed with the giant lobelia and ground plants the floor is covered in carpet fans, orchids and flowering plants. Common tree species like the Elgon teak, cedar, cordia to mention a few. These are natural habitats for micro and macro organisms living within the forest.
Mountain Elgon national park is a water catchment area it originates river Sipi that forms three wonderful falls, there are trails such as the Sasa trail, Sipi trail that helps reach to the bottom of the falls. There are excellent views of the lowland areas of Karamojong region and Lake Kyoga. It presents an opportunity to see a number of bird species.
The natives include the sabiny and the bagisu of eastern Uganda they traditionally practice circumcision as a way of transforming teenagers into adult hood on a lucky year of the performance is a memorable cultural experience. The bagisu call the mountain Elgon ‘masaba’ believed to have been the origin of their ancestor Masaba. They grow coffee and banana on a subsistence scale both races are farmers. Mountain Elgon national park is managed under the Uganda wildlife authority together with pain-upe and Matheniko game reserve.
There are a number of tourism activities to do in the national park for example mountain climbing, guided nature walks, Sipi falls, birding safaris among others the national park can be visited all year round best during the dry seasons of December-February andJune – mid-September. However, it should be noted that dry seasons aren’t so dry it rains some time a forested area that catches rain anytime.it is advisable to carry warm clothes, boots, hats, water prof covers for phones and cameras.
The national park a 6 hours’ drive from Kampala Uganda’s capital to the east of the country all roads are well maintained with ease accessibility to the national park.