MOUNT ELGON NATIONAL RESERVE

Mount Elgon Kenya's second highest mountain, located on the Kenya-Uganda border is a volcanic mountain, formed when the earth's crust erupted, creating the Great Rift Valley. It lies 140km North East of Lake Victoria. It is an ancient eroded volcano with a huge caldera and, on its summit, the spectacular flat topped basalt column known as Koitobos. Its soils are red laterite.
Mount Elgon also offers excellent climbing and walking opportunities. The highest peak on the Kenyan side is Koitobos (4,200m). It is accessed through beautiful moorlands and springs that can be seen along the way.
A spectacular range of vegetation can be found on the mountain that features lush rainforest at the base followed by dense bamboo forests at the higher elevations. Giant alpine vegetation covers the moorlands at the very top of the mountain range.
Mt Elgon National Park gazetted in 1968 is one of Kenya's most beautiful, wild and intact, with vast areas of untouched forest and covers a narrow transect up the North Eastern slopes of the mountain of 169 sq km area on the eastern slopes of Mt. Elgon, from lower montane forest to the caldera edge. Its climate is moist to moderate dry. Annual rainfall is over 1,270mm.
The park is endowed with variety and breathtaking scenery of cliffs, caves, waterfalls, gorges, mesas, calderas, hot springs, and the mountain peaks. The major attraction is a series of four caves; Kitum, Makingeni, Chepnyalil and Ngwarisha, all of which are explorable. Kitum is the largest, extending horizontally for 200m into the heart of the mountain.
The caves are favorite gathering places for elephants. Every night, long convoys go deep into the caves to feed on the salt rich deposits.
Four rivers, the Nzoia which flows in Lake Victoria, Turkwell which flows in Lake Turkana, Suam, and Kerio cross the park. Sport fishing is possible in the Suam River.
Game viewing is excellent: the park is home to about 400 elephants, buffalos, leopard, the protected colobus and blue monkeys, the giant forest hog, waterbuck and other types of antelope. Over 240 species of birds have been recorded. The huge Elgon teak and cedar trees, some over 80ft. tall dominate the forest scenery.