Mountain Elgon Hike, Hiking Tours at Mountain National Park.

Mountain Elgon is estimated to be at least 24 million years old hence being the oldest volcano in East Africa. The mountain is an extinct shield volcano situated along the eastern and western border of Uganda and Kenya in the north of Kisumu and west of Kitale.

Mountain Elgon in Uganda

The most high point is located in Uganda and this is called “Wagagai” peak. Its largest form is 80 kms (50 mi) in diameter, rising about 3,070 metres (10,070 ft) over the surrounding plains.

Its high altitudes offer refuge to the flora and fauna where as the cool elevations provide breathing space for the humans that occupy the hot plains below. There are five different major peaks on this tremendous Mountain and these include;

  • Wagagai –4,321 metres (14,177 ft) in Uganda
  • Sudek —4,302 metres (14,114 ft) on the Kenya/Uganda border
  • Koitobos—4,222 metres (13,852 ft) a flat-topped basalt column in Kenya
  • Mubiyi—4,211 metres (13,816 ft) in Uganda
  • Masaba—4,161 metres (13,652 ft) in Uganda

Features at Mountain Elgon National Park

    • The caldera at the Mountain is one of the largest calderas in the world.
    • Endebess Bluff (2,563 metres (8,409 ft)
    • The warm springs by the Suam River
    • The caves of Ngwarisha, Makingeny, Chepnyalil and Kitum. Kitum Cave is the most prominent among all with over 60 metres (200 ft) wide infiltrating 200 metres (660 ft) with salt deposits that bring very many different wild animals to the caves.
      The popular visitors are the elephants followed by the bushbuck, buffalo, kobs etc. The mountain is a water shed for several rivers that flow in the area like the Saum River which becomes the Turkwel proximate and flows into the tremendous Lake Turkana, the Nzoia River and the Lwakhakha River which also pour their waters into one of the world’s fresh water lakes i.e Lake Victoria.

The area around the Mountain is conserved and preserved by two different National Parks each on one side of the international border i.e Mountain Elgon National Park.