Mount Elgon National Park – Kitagata Safaris Uganda

The dominant feature of Mount Elgon National Park is, of course, Mount Elgon itself, the massively eroded remains of an extinct shield volcano that was once Africa’s tallest mountain. At 4,321 meters, it is now the eighth tallest in Africa, with a base that is still the largest in the world.

This is also the largest and oldest solitary volcanic mountain in East Africa, measuring 80 kilometers in diameter, with a caldera of more than 40 square kilometers. Located in eastern Uganda on the border with Kenya, Mount Elgon National Park’s 1,279 square kilometers fall across both countries, though most (1,121 square kilometers) are in Uganda.

It is home to a wide variety of climates (influenced by elevation), mammals both big and small, and 300-plus bird species. Visitors to the park look to explore the park’s waterfalls, gorges, hot springs within the caldera, exportable caves (which are known for animals stepping in to lick salt from the cave walls), and, especially, the mountain peaks.

Activities here include vehicle tours, self-guided walking trails, animal and bird watching, and more. The two-hour trail to the top of Mount Elgon’s Wagagai Peak is rarely the ultimate goal, as many people carry on to explore the vast caldera.