The western circuit in Uganda takes in some of the country’s better known highlights including its famous mountain gorillas, unmatchable chimpanzee experiences and excellent safaris. But head east from Uganda’s capital city and you will find a real gem in Mount Elgon National Park.
Mount Elgon is pretty unique in that it has the largest volcanic base of any freestanding mountain and one of the largest intact caldera in the world. Once Africa’s highest mountain – far exceeding Kilimanjaro’s 5891m – thousands of years of erosion has now left it 8th in the ranking at just 4321m, making it both safer and easier to climb.
Mount Elgon National Park is a stunning and undiscovered wilderness that has many hidden treasures. Located in the foothills are the spectacular cascades of the Sipi Falls, a series of 3 waterfalls, the highest of which plummets 100m. The mountain soil in this area is rich in iron and responsible for some of Africa’s finest Arabica coffee. The uniqueness of this coffee is a closely held secret of the local Basigu tribe who consider Mount Elgon to be the embodiment of its founding father Masaba and have produced and grown coffee here for generations.
Mount Elgon’s slopes are dotted with caves, the largest being 200m long and seems to be constantly growing due to a population of elephants in the area who come to lick the natural salts found on the cave walls. Numbering about 100 individuals these mysterious elephants enter the caves as whole families and disappear deep into the dark labyrinths to excavate the mineral rich rock for salt.
Together with its towering cliffs, breath taking gorges and variety of flora and fauna, Mount Elgon National Park has an abundance of attractions for the discerning traveller but the cave elephants are a true wonder of the natural world and a must see for those lucky enough to take the path east.
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