Mount Elgon National Park is home to over 300 species of birds, including the endangered Lammergeyer. The higher slopes are protected by national parks in Uganda and Kenya, creating an extensive trans-boundary conservation area which has been declared a UNESCO Man & Biosphere Reserve. Situated on the Kenyan-Ugandan border, Mount Elgon National Park is named after Mount Elgon, an extinct shield volcano which first erupted more than 24 million years ago. Mount Elgon has the largest surface area of any extinct volcano in the world, and its 4,321m peak is the eighth highest in Africa.
Besides the Elephants and Buffalo found on the lower slopes the park is also home to a number of small antelope and monkeys including the Black-and-white Colobus and Blue Monkey. The area is also home to over 300 bird species including the endangered Lammergeier, African Goshawk and Baglafecht Weaver. Mount Elgon National Park is a national park is 140 kilometres (87 mi) northeast of Lake Victoria.
The park covers an area of 1,279 square kilometres (494 sq mi) and is bisected by the border of Kenya and Uganda. The Ugandan part of the park covers 1,110 km2 (430 sq mi) while the Kenyan part covers 169 km2 (65 sq mi). Climbing Mount Elgon takes between 4 to 6 days depending on the trail used.
There are three main starting points
- The Salsa Trail
- Pisa Trail
- Sipi trail
The Salsa Trail also known as the Buddukiro trailhead is a shorter trail but with very steep climbs.
Access Roads
By Road:
One route leads from Kitale town, while there are two options leading from Eldoret. Both lead by murram (dirt) road to Mt.Elgon Lodge and Chorlim gate. …
By Air:
Visitors can fly to the Eldoret airport (70 KM away) or the airstrip within the park.
Please contact the warden for airstrip details.April
Insight
October is the wettest period on Mount Elgon, although the park can be visited at any time of the year, therefore, mountain climbing can be done pretty much the entire year. It gets extremely cold during the rainy season; snow and hailstorm are common and will put a damper on your volcano climbing experience.
Visit park All Year Round