Hiking Mount Elgon : Mountain Elgon is an extinct Volcano that was formed many years ago. It is found in the eastern part of Uganda along the border of Uganda and Kenya and It has Wagagai as its highest peak at 4,321m. Mountain Elgon is home to the famous Mount Elgon National Park which is filled with numerous wildlife and bird species making it one of the best destinations for hiking opportunities. Mountain Elgon has a variety of beautiful mountainous vegetation that ranges from montane forest, moorland, groundsel and heather vegetation. There is also a variety of tree species such as Elgon Olive, African Juniper, Elderberry to mention but a few. Mountain Elgon is approximately 270km from Kampala the capital city of Uganda by road and it is located near Mbale the biggest city in Eastern Uganda. Mount Elgon has mainly four major peaks namely; Wagagai, Mubiyi, Sudek, Masaba and Koitobos.
Tourist activities that can be carried out at Mountain Elgon.
Birding tours. Mt Elgon is a home to numerous bird species and has a forest exploration centre where one can be guided over the different birding spots. The various bird species at Mt Elgon include; African Goshawk, White chinned Prinia, Chinspot Batis, Chubb’s Cisticola, African Blue Fly-catcher among others. These shall truly give one on a Uganda bird safari in Mount Elgon an incredible experience.
Cultural experience; The Bagisu and Sebei people are the group of people that mainly live around mountain Elgon and they have interesting cultural practices such as the Bagisu Circumcise openly men every even year, the Sabiny people meanwhile circumcise women with the believe that circumcised women have a controlled sexual desire all these and more are cultural encounters one shall experience while on a Mount Elgon safari.
Mountain Biking; While on a Mount Elgon safari on can take on a thrilling biking experience especially in Sipi trading centre and thereby be able to view the beautiful Sipi falls in Kapchorwa district.
Volcano Climbing; One can use the various trails that run through the different rocks and peaks to climb up the highest peak of Wagagai these Volcano climbing can be a source of exercise one can also take an aerial view from the highest peak.
Eco and Agro Tourism; The slopes of mount Elgon are very fertile which has encouraged the growth of many plants such as arabica coffee, Irish potatoes, ground nuts among others all these provide an opportunity for tourist while on a Mount Elgon safari to find out about the ways of preserving the environment, growing and preservation the crops planted and how they earn from the plants.
Visit mountain Elgon national park; While on a Uganda safari at Mountain Elgon one can visit the famous mountain Elgon national park and explore the beautiful flora and fauna species it has. Mountain Elgon national park is filled with numerous wildlife species that include; Lions, savannah elephants, forest buffalos, leopards, squirrels, spotted hyenas, duiker, blue colobus monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, red tailed monkeys, cheetahs, warthogs, civets, serval cats, hyraxes, rock and tree hyraxes, klipspringers, black –backed jackals, African wild cats, sitatungas stripped jackals, bush pigs, defasa waterbucks, oribi among others and mountain Elgon national park is filled with numerous bird species which include the following; Jackson’s spur fowl, hartlaub’s turaco, eastern bronze naped pigeon, African wood owl, Yellow-billed barbet, Lammergeier, Red-chested cuckoo, Tacazze sunbird, Cassin’s hawk-eagle, European bee eater, Lammergeier among others. All these wonderful species of wildlife indeed make one’s Uganda safari at mountain Elgon indeed incredible and memorable.
Hiking safaris; While at mount Elgon, one of the best and most thrilling activity is hiking till the top of the mountain. This is usually done after selecting one’s desired trail and following it up to the top of the mountain. There are resting cottages usually made out of wooden huts with a fixed bed and a washroom hut attached to it to provide accommodation to tourists while they are on a hiking safari. Hiking to the top of mount Elgon usually takes many days that range from 1 to 2 days to the shorter altitude and 3 to 6 days to the higher altitudes. However, tourists are encouraged to know how far they can go before embarking on hiking safaris. Tourists are also encouraged to check out the weather forecast of that day to be able to establish if they can carry out a successful hiking tour because rainfall in the mountains is usually very heavy and is risky especially when hiking the mountains. Tourists who plan on hiking on mount Elgon are encouraged to carry many clothing especially protective clothing and also ensure they stack enough food and drinks in their water proof bags.
The best time to visit mount Elgon on a Uganda safari is during the dry months of the year which includes the months of January, February, June, July, August and December. During these months there are lesser downpours and tourist activities on the mountain especially activities such as volcano climbing, hiking, biking to mention but a few are not interrupted by the rainfall.
