Mt. Elgon National Park- “The World’s Largest Mountain Caldera”

Conservation and Importance: Known for its’ unique fauna and flora, waterfalls, gorges, mesas, cliffs, caves, vast calderas, hot springs, and mountain peaks.

Specie diversity: Elgon’s slopes support a rich variety of vegetation that ranges from montane forest to high open moorland studded with the giant lobelia and groundsel plants. 42 species of mammals ranging from elephants, leopards, buffalo, bushpigs, monkeys to a variety of small antelope. 312 bird’s species including the Black-collared Apalis, Green Tinkerbird, Jackson’s Francolin, Verreaux’s Eagle, Black-collared Apalis &endangered Lammergeier.

Tourist attraction: The major activities in this park are mountain hiking, primate and bird watching, cave explorations, and camping photography. The most popular areas around Mt. Elgon are the vast caves where frequent night visitors such elephants, bush-pigs and buffaloes come to lick natural salt found on the cave walls. They are ancient cave paintings near the trail head to Budabiri, the hot springs-48⁰c in the former volcano’s crater, and the Sipi Falls at the foot of Mt. Elgon.

Size and accessibility: Gazetted in 1992, the park covers an area of 1145km². Nearest town is Mbale 28km to the trail head of Budadiri. While, if you have to travel from Kampala, it is 314km. there are no roads within the parks, and all activities are done on foot. No game drives!

Elevation: Mixed montane forest 250m, low canopy montane forest with bamboo 3000 – 3500m and moorland.

Timing: March and September.