Where Is Mount Elgon National Park Located In Uganda? Mount Elgon national park is located in the Eastern region of Uganda and it is considered to be one of the oldest national parks and the most iconic natural landmarks which shares boarders with other countries like; Kenya. Mount Elgon national park covers a total surface area of about 1,279 square kilometers and about 494 square miles and this game park is known to have derived its name from the Elgonnyi tribe who were individuals that lived in huge caves within the southern part of the mountain. More so, it was named after the Mount Elgon, which is a massive and extinct volcano that dominated the landscape. In addition, both the Kenyan Maasai tribe together with the Ugandan Masawa tribe all lived within this national park. In addition, the other unique fact about Mount Elgon is that it is also commonly referred to as “Ol Doinyo Ilgoon” which means the breast mountain and one of the other side of the mountain is known as “Masaba Mountain”.
Mount Elgon national park is situated between districts like; Bududa district which is the eastern region of the country, Kapchorwa, Manafwa and sironko. In addition, the highest peak of Mount Elgon, which is also known to be the parks central point, is Wagagai, which stands at an elevated area of an altitude of about 4,321 meters (14,177 feet) above the sea level. More so, it well noted that this mountain is also part of Elgon Massif, which covers an area of about 4,000 square kilometers (1,544 square miles).
Mount Elgon national park is also easily accessed because it is situated just a few kilometers away from Kampala, which is the capital city of Uganda, and the distance goes for about 235 kilometers (146 miles) to the southwest. And travelling to this national park usually tourists can opt to either use air transport means or the road transport means and the most commonly used route is that goes through Mbale town which is the largest urban centre within the region hence serving as a gateway to the park.
Tourist Attractions found in Mount Elgon national park.
Mount Elgon national park is a perfect destination to travel to while on your safari in Uganda and it is an area that characterized by its rich biodiversity, stunning topography, diverse ecosystems, moorlands, caves such as; Kitum cave which is famously known for its salt mining elephants which are normally spotted when they visit the cave to just lick the salty walls, forests, waterfalls, open grasslands among others. In addition, all these beautiful features contribute a lot towards the parks reputation and make it a captivating destination for adventure seekers and nature enthusiasts to travel to.
Wildlife;
Mount Elgon national park is also a perfect destination to visit because it is a home to numerous mammal species that are usually spotted while they move around different areas of the park while searching for food and some of these animals include; waterbucks, duikers, spotted hyenas, oribi, squirrels, buffalos, forest elephants, leopards, hyenas, bushbucks among others.
Birds.
Because of its rich avian biodiversity, mount Elgon national park is also seen as birders haven because it harbours around 300 bird species hence making it a designated important bird area(IBA) and some of the birds include; moorland francolin, marsh widowbird, weyn’s weaver, Alpine chat, moustached green tinker bird, Jackson’s francolin, hunters cisticola, red throated wryneck, black collared apalis, lammergerier vultures, black shouldered kite, white starred forest robin, Eastern bronze naped pigeon, tacazze sunbird, Hartlaub’s turaco, white starred forest robin, Lammergerier vultures, the Rwenzori turaco and many others and they are commonly spotted within the Montane forest.
More so, apart from the above mentioned attractions, there are many more such as; the mount Elgon itself is considered to be the key attraction and it is ranked to be the 4th highest mountain in East Africa and the 8th mountain in the whole of Africa and many tourists are always excited to hike to this mountain and it is noted that hiking this mountain it always takes individuals about 3 to 5 days to be to reach at the top of the mountain depending on one’s physical fitness.
And exploring through different areas of the park also blesses tourists with to be able to engage into several activities where they gain new experiences and some of these things include; bird watching, wildlife viewing, mountain climbing, hiking, guided nature walks where they are always guided by park guides who lead them through different trails, photography, biking, community visits and cultural encounters and many others.
Contact our trusted tour operators for more information and inquiries about where Mount Elgon is located and then book with our tours and travel companies such as; Achieve Global Safaris who offer the best tour packages while on your safari in Uganda.
