Mount Elgon National Park Safari/Sipi Falls Tour
Several meters above the ground with an 80km caldera at the top dotted by trees and short vegetation crossed by water that forms a waterfall with spectacular views of wildlife and flora offers a memorable lifetime experience.
Mount Elgon National Park covers an area of 1145 sq. km located in eastern Uganda.
Locally the mountain is known as Mount Masaba, named after a founding ancestor, called Masaba who was believed to come from one of the caves created on the slopes of the mountain.
The mountain is 4321m high on the borders of Uganda and Kenya with Wagagai as the highest peak other outstanding peaks include the Kiongo summit at 4303m, Mubiayi summit at 4210m, and Jackson’s summit at 4165m.
The slopes of Mount Elgon form an array of altitudinal vegetation zones ranging from Montane to open moorland scattered trees with huge groundsel and lobelia.
Mount Elgon has several meandering rivers most remarkable is River Sipi which forms the charming Sipi Falls.
The unique attraction in Mount Elgon National Park is the Caldera which is 80 KM wide and the world’s largest caldera.
The park is rich in biodiversity of flora and fauna, the park is a rich destination for bird lovers with about 300 species of birds including the endangered lammergeyer and other common birds like Jackson’s francolin, weyn’s weaver, marsh widowbird, moorland francolin, hunter’s cisticola, Alpine chat among others.
Mount Elgon National Park has a medley of animal species, for example, the buffaloes, forest monkeys, elephants, antelopes, warthogs, and three-horned chameleon among others.
Attractions in Mount Elgon National Park
Waterfalls.
Mount Elgon rises in a series of massive basalt cliffs, often several kilometers in length over which the mountain’s rivers plunge as beautiful waterfalls.
One of the fascinating waterfalls well known in the park is Sipi Falls on the Kapchorwa road the waters of river Sipi fall off the cliff several kilometers with a rumbling sound and misty splashes of water all over the place.
Other waterfalls include cascades over 100m, Simba plunges 69m over the cave entrance, Ngasire gushes over 87m high ridge, Chebonet Falls, Bulango Falls, Sisiyi Falls, and Wanale Falls among others.
Caves
Mount Elgon slopes comprise of various caves left by moving lava and erosion of soft volcanic deposits that erupted years back.
There are many magnificent caves along the slopes of Mount Elgon in districts of Kapchorwa, Kitgum, Mbale, and others situated near Wanale Ridge.
These include Kapkwai Cave near the forest exploration center, Khauka Wanale Ridge, Mudecave, Siyo Cave, Tutum Cave, and Hunter Cave among others.
Suggested Safari Itineraries
Mount Elgon Peaks and the Caldera.
Tourists adventuring in Mount Elgon National Park can opt to hike various peaks such as Wagagai which is the tallest of all standing at an elevation of 4321 meters, Koitobos at 4222, Sudek, and Mubiyi.
The mountain holds “The world’s largest Caldera” which was formed due to magma that was drained from the volcano’s chamber but later collapsed into a depression-like shape called a caldera filled with water.
Forest Exploration center
The forest exploration center at Kapkwa is about 13km from Sipi town and acts as an education center for schools and the trailhead for climbers using the Sipi trail to the Caldera.
The forest has stunning features such as caves, waterfalls, escarpments, and also viewpoints to spot birds and Primates. The bird species include Hartlaub’s turaco, Lemon dove, Dusky-turtle dove, African hill Babbler, and black–throated wattle-eye among others.
Jackson’s pool and Jackson’s peak
Jackson’s pool which is said to be standing at 4, 050m is a natural pool occupied by shallow waters. The pool lies in the lowland of Jackson’s Peak, a free-standing volcanic plug rising from the western flank of the mountain.
These magnificent features were named after the explorer Fredrick Jackson who was the first European to climb Mount Elgon.
The peak has traditional attachments to the locals since they use it as a spot to communicate with their ancestors who left them a long time ago.
Suggested Safari Itineraries
Best time to visit Mount Elgon, National Park.
Mount Elgon national park is open to tourists throughout the year. However, some seasons provide a better experience than others.
The best time to visit the mountain is during the dry season i.e. June, August to December but mountain climbing can be done throughout the year.
How to get to Mount Elgon National Park
Mount Elgon National Park lies 235km east of Kampala. A tarmac road runs through Jinja to Mbale town at the western base of Mount Elgon, before climbing to Kapchorwa on the mountain’s north-western flank. Murram roads lead off the Mbale -Kapchorwa road to reach the various trailheads. The journey is about 5-6 hours.
In conclusion,
Mount Elgon national park is one of the fascinating destinations for nature lovers in Uganda with thrilling activities like rock climbing, trout fishing, and hiking that will offer an unforgettable experience to visitors in their Uganda safari. Regard! Nata Adventures safaris.
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