Mount Elgon National Park

With a surface area of 1,154 sq. km, Mt. Elgon straddles the Kenya boarder ranking the eighth highest mountain in Africa; rising from the broadest base of any freestanding mountain in the world. Mt. Elgon is the relic of an extinct volcano, whose formation was associated with the tectonic activity that created the Rift Valley several million years ago. Elgon’s tallest peak form a jagged circle around a more or less intact caldera, which has a diameter of about 8 km (making it one of the largest in the world) and is dotted with small crater lakes and hot springs created by Pleistocene glacial activity. The tallest peak, set on the Uganda side of the border, is Wagagai (4,321m) which lies on the southwest caldera rim. The local Bagisu call this mountain Masaba in commemoration of their founding ancestor called Masaba who is said to have emerged from a cave on the slopes several centuries ago.
The mountain supports a contiguous belt of evergreen forest extending over about 750 sq. km within Uganda composed of montane and bamboo forests. Above 3000m lies the heather belt, giving way at around 3,500m to other worldly Afro-Alpine vegetation studded with stands of giant lobelia and groundsel including the endemic Senecio barbatipes and Senecio elgonensis.
The park has animals such as blue monkeys, black-and-white colobus, a small number of elephants, De Brazza’s monkey, bushpig, buffaloes, leopards, sitatunga and common duiker. The park supports a rich variety of forest birds as well as several which are endemic to East Africa’s montane moorlands. 12 of the species registered in this park occur nowhere else in Ugandan national Parks. Of particular interest are Jackson’s Francolin, moorland Francolin (common in only Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains), Red-throated Wryneck, Hunter’s Cisticola, Moustached green Tinkerbird, Alpine Chat, Weyn’s Weaver, and marsh widowbird. The endangered bearded vulture or lammergeier can be spotted at higher altitudes.

Hiking on Mt. Elgon
Hiking on Mt. Elgon is relatively easy as the mountain is not difficult to climb. No specialised skill or equipment is required to access the peaks. There are no altitude-related illnesses like other high mountains such Mt. Kenya and Mt. Kilimanjaro. You climb this mountain any time of the year though the dry months of June to August and December to March are the most preferred. November/December when the highland flowers are in bloom is the best period.
Several hiking trips exist. A four-day round trip from Budadiri to Wagagai following the Sasa Route in both directions is the most prominent. An alternative one is a five-day round hike from Budadiri, taking in Wagagai and the hot springs; and a six-day hike between Budadiri and Kapkwata through Wagagai and the hot springs.