2022 Safari Activities in Mount Elgon National Park

2022 safari activities in mount Elgon national park; Mount Elgon national park is located in eastern part of Uganda on the Uganda-Kenya border. The national park has the largest volcanic base in the world at 3,821 square kilometers. Mount Elgon is an extinct volcano and one of Uganda’s oldest physical feature that first erupted around 24 million years ago. Mt Elgon was once Africa’s highest mountain at 5,895meters but due to millennia of erosion it reduced its height to 4,321 meters. Mount Elgon national park was declared a UNESCO man and Biosphere reserve and it harbors different animals including elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, bushbucks, oribi, bush pigs, giant forest hogs, duikers, primates like black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, baboons and over 300 bird species including Jackson’s francolin, lammergeyer, black shouldered kite among others.

2022 safari activities in Mount Elgon national park

Mountain climbing

Mountain climbing is an exciting activity that attracts big numbers of tourists to Mount Elgon national park. There are different mountain climbing trails to follow including the Sasa trail which is the shortest but toughest that takes four days round trip and starts at Budadiri town at an elevation of 1,250meters, Sipi trail which starts at Kapkwai forest exploration Centre at an elevation of 2,050 meters and takes about four to six days round trip, Piswa trail which is the longest and most gentle trail that takes seven days round trip and starts at the village of Kapwata. During mountain climbing you will pass bamboo forest, podocarpus forest, hot springs, tutum cave, Jackson’s pool on to Wagagai peak among others where you will enjoy stunning views of the Karamoja plains, Nandi and Kapeguria hills in Kenya, view different animals, plant and tree species among others.

Rock climbing in Mount Elgon national park

Rock climbing is an exciting activity that takes place outside the part at Sipi. There are 14 routes that require various levels of rock scaling techniques and the toughest is a 35 meter climb while the easiest is a 15 meter climb. Rock climbing equipment’s can be hired from the Sipi falls tourist guides association and you will be able to enjoy views of Karamoja plains and the waterfalls.

Bird watching in Mount Elgon national park

Mount Elgon national park is one of the best birding destinations in Uganda in that it harbors over 300 recorded bird species. During bird watching in the park you will be accompanied by an experienced park guide who will help you to spot different bird species such as moustached tinkerbird, tacazze sunbird, African blue fly catcher, chubb’s cisticola, cinnamon bee-eater, black collared apalis, olive and bronze naped pigeon, African goshawk, white chinned prina, baglafecht weaver, chinspot batis, luhders and dohertys bush shrike among others.

Nature walks/ hiking in Mount Elgon national park

Nature walk in Mount Elgon national park is an interesting activity where you will be able to explore the park and areas outside the park on foot with the company of an experienced park guide and park ranger. There are numerous hiking trails such as trails from Budadiri to the Mudange cliffs which is also known as the walls of death. During the guided nature walk you will get an opportunity to get up-close and personal with different wildlife species, view primates like the black and white colobus monkeys, baboons, vervet monkeys, view different bird species among others.

Mountain biking in Mount Elgon national park

Mountain biking is an adventurous activity in Mount Elgon national park where tourists get a chance to explore the park and surrounding areas on a bike. During the interesting Mountain biking activity which takes about 1 to 2 hours, you will follow trails which run from Sipi trading Centre to Chema hill in Kapchorwa town and enjoy spectacular views of the waterfall, Karamoja plains, local people among others.

Cultural tours in Mount Elgon national park

This is an interesting activity where you will be able to interact with the local people in the neighboring villages. During the cultural tour in Mount Elgon national park, you will be able to interact with the Sipi widows group who will take you on a guided walk passing through the coffee plantations where they will illustrate how coffee is planted, picked, sorted, roasted, grinded up to when its ready for sell. You will also be able to interact with the Bagisu and Sabiny people, learn about their lifestyle, culture, participate in their traditional activities like weaving, visit their farmlands, learn how to cook traditional meals, visit the craft shop where they sell art and craft souvenirs among others.

Best time to visit Mount Elgon national park

Mount Elgon national park can be visited anytime throughout the year though the best time is during the dry season also known as the peak season in the months of June to September and December to February because that’s the period when the nature walks/ hiking trails are dry and passable compared to the wet season when the nature walks/ hiking trails are wet, muddy and slippery which make climbing difficult.

Where to stay during your safari in Mount Elgon national park

There are a number of accommodation facilities in Mount Elgon national park where you can stay during the safari. The accommodations range from luxury, midrange, budget and campsites including Mount Elgon Hotel, Mbale Resort Hotel, Sipi River Lodge, Kayegi Hotel, Wash and Wills Country Home Mbale, Noah’s Ark Hotel, Lacam lodge, Crow’s Nest Rest Camp, Masha Hotel, Sipi Falls Resort, Roses Last Chance, Mount Elgon View Hotel among others.

How to get to Mount Elgon national park

Mount Elgon national park is located in eastern part of Uganda and can be accessed by road transport means whereby you will drive from Kampala via Jinja, Mbale, Kapchorwa and then connect to the park headquarters which takes about 7 hours drive.