Mount Elgon National Park
Encyclopedia
Mount Elgon National Park is a national park
140 km North East of Lake Victoria
. The park covers an area of 1279 km² and is bisected by the border of Kenya
and Uganda
. The Ugandan part of the park covers 1110 km² while the Kenyan part covers 169 km². The Kenyan part of the park was gazetted in 1968, the Ugandan part in 1992.
on the border of Uganda and Kenya.
which flows to Lake Victoria and for the Turkwel River
which flows into Lake Turkana
.
and groundsel plants. The vegetation varies with altitude. The mountain slopes are covered with olive Olea hochstetteri and Aningueria adolfi-friedericii wet montane forest. At higher altitudes, this changes to olive and Podocarpus gracilior forest, and then a Podocarpus and bamboo Arundinaria alpina zone. Higher still is a Hagenia abyssinica zone and then moorland with heaths Erica arborea and Philippia trimera, tussock grasses such as Agrostis gracilifolia and Festuca pilgeri, herbs such as Alchemilla, Helichrysum, Lobelia, and the giant groundsels Senecio barbatipes and Senecio elgonensis.
The botanical diversity of the park includes giant podocarpus, juniper and Elgon olive trees cedar Juniperus procera, pillarwood Cassipourea malosana, elder Sambucus adnata, pure stands of Podocarpus gracilior and many orchids.
Of the 400 species recorded for the area the following are of particular note as they only occur in high altitude broad-leaf montane forest: Ardisiandra wettsteinii, Carduus afromontanus, Echinops hoehnelii, Ranunculus keniensis (previously thought endemic to Mount Kenya), and Romulea keniensis.
can be found on the lower slopes. The park is also home to a variety of small antelope
and forest monkeys, including the Black-and-white Colobus
and Blue Monkey
. Over 300 birds can also be found in the area, including the endangered
Lammergeier
, African Goshawk
, and Baglafecht Weaver
.. Maathai's Longleg an endangered dragonfly
was discovered here in 2000 and named after Nobel Prize winner Wangari Mathaai..
At the Endebess Bluff there a panoramic view of the areas' escarpments, gorges, mesas, and rivers. The highest peak of Mt. Elgon on the Kenya side, Koitoboss, measures 13,852 ft (4,155 m), and is easily reached by hikers in about two hours from the road's end.
Activities include
in the former volcano's crater which bubble at temperatures of up to 48°C.
's book The Hot Zone
. Kitum Cave
is also a setting in the book.
Henry Rider Haggard's well-known novel 'King Solomon's Mines
' is may have been inspired by the Mt Elgon Caves.
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
140 km North East of Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
. The park covers an area of 1279 km² and is bisected by the border of Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. The Ugandan part of the park covers 1110 km² while the Kenyan part covers 169 km². The Kenyan part of the park was gazetted in 1968, the Ugandan part in 1992.
Mount Elgon
The park is named after Mount Elgon, an extinct shield volcanoShield volcano
A shield volcano is a type of volcano usually built almost entirely of fluid lava flows. They are named for their large size and low profile, resembling a warrior's shield. This is caused by the highly fluid lava they erupt, which travels farther than lava erupted from more explosive volcanoes...
on the border of Uganda and Kenya.
Location
Mount Elgon National Park is located on the border of Kenya and Uganda. 140 km North East of Lake Victoria. It is uniquely split down the middle by the Kenyan-Ugandan border. Mount Elgon is an important water catchment for the Nzoia RiverNzoia River
The Nzoia River is a 160-mile long Kenyan river, rising from Mount Elgon. It flows south and then west, eventually flowing into Lake Victoria near the town of Port Victoria....
which flows to Lake Victoria and for the Turkwel River
Turkwel River
The Turkwel River is a river flowing from Mount Elgon in the border of Kenya and Uganda to Lake Turkana. The river is called Suam River from its source to the border with the West Pokot District of Kenya...
which flows into Lake Turkana
Lake Turkana
Lake Turkana , formerly known as Lake Rudolf, is a lake in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, with its far northern end crossing into Ethiopia. It is the world's largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake...
.
Climate
The climate is moist to moderate dry. Annual rainfall is over 1,270mm. The dry season runs from June to August, and December to March, although it can rain at any time.Vegetation
Elgon's slopes support a rich variety of vegetation ranging from montane forest to high open moorland studded with the giant lobeliaGiant lobelia
Giant lobelia may refer to:*Lobelia deckenii*Lobelia telekii...
and groundsel plants. The vegetation varies with altitude. The mountain slopes are covered with olive Olea hochstetteri and Aningueria adolfi-friedericii wet montane forest. At higher altitudes, this changes to olive and Podocarpus gracilior forest, and then a Podocarpus and bamboo Arundinaria alpina zone. Higher still is a Hagenia abyssinica zone and then moorland with heaths Erica arborea and Philippia trimera, tussock grasses such as Agrostis gracilifolia and Festuca pilgeri, herbs such as Alchemilla, Helichrysum, Lobelia, and the giant groundsels Senecio barbatipes and Senecio elgonensis.
The botanical diversity of the park includes giant podocarpus, juniper and Elgon olive trees cedar Juniperus procera, pillarwood Cassipourea malosana, elder Sambucus adnata, pure stands of Podocarpus gracilior and many orchids.
Of the 400 species recorded for the area the following are of particular note as they only occur in high altitude broad-leaf montane forest: Ardisiandra wettsteinii, Carduus afromontanus, Echinops hoehnelii, Ranunculus keniensis (previously thought endemic to Mount Kenya), and Romulea keniensis.
Wildlife
Elephants and buffaloAfrican Buffalo
The African buffalo, affalo, nyati, Mbogo or Cape buffalo is a large African bovine. It is not closely related to the slightly larger wild Asian water buffalo, but its ancestry remains unclear...
can be found on the lower slopes. The park is also home to a variety of small antelope
Antelope
Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
and forest monkeys, including the Black-and-white Colobus
Black-and-white colobus
Black-and-white colobuses are Old World monkeys of the genus Colobus, native to Africa. They are closely related to the brown colobus monkeys of genus Piliocolobus. The word "colobus" comes from Greek κολοβός kolobós , and is so named because its thumb is a stump.Colobuses are herbivorous, eating...
and Blue Monkey
Blue Monkey
The blue monkey or diademed monkey is a species of Old World monkey native to Central and East Africa, ranging from the upper Congo River basin east to the Great Rift Valley and south to northern Angola and Zambia...
. Over 300 birds can also be found in the area, including the endangered
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
Lammergeier
Lammergeier
The Lammergeier, Lammergeyer, or Bearded Vulture, Gypaetus barbatus , is the only member of the genus Gypaetus. Traditionally considered an Old World vulture, it actually forms a minor lineage of Accipitridae together with the Egyptian Vulture , its closest living relative...
, African Goshawk
African Goshawk
The African Goshawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family.As defined here following the Handbook of the Birds of the World, it is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique,...
, and Baglafecht Weaver
Baglafecht Weaver
The Baglafecht Weaver is a species of bird in the Ploceidae family.It is found in Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical...
.. Maathai's Longleg an endangered dragonfly
Dragonfly
A dragonfly is a winged insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera . It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body...
was discovered here in 2000 and named after Nobel Prize winner Wangari Mathaai..
Attractions
Together with the fauna and flora, the park has a variety of scenery; this includes cliffs, caves, waterfalls, gorges, mesas, calderas, hot springs, and the mountain peaks.The most popular areas are the four explorable, vast caves where frequent night visitors such as elephants and buffaloes come to lick the natural salt found on the cave walls. Kitum cave, with overhanging crystalline walls, enters 200 m into the side of Mt. Elgon.At the Endebess Bluff there a panoramic view of the areas' escarpments, gorges, mesas, and rivers. The highest peak of Mt. Elgon on the Kenya side, Koitoboss, measures 13,852 ft (4,155 m), and is easily reached by hikers in about two hours from the road's end.
Activities include
- Vehicle circuits leading to animal viewing areas, the caves and Koitoboss peak.
- Self-guided walking trails (Ask for the Kitum Cave guide book at the gate)
- Hiking to Endebess Bluff and Koitoboss Peak
- Primate and bird watching
- Cave explorations
- Camping photography
Mount Elgon Caves
Recent studies have shown that elephants and other mammals are major contributors to the development of these unique . The animals frequently visit at night to 'mine' the natural salt by licking it from the cave walls. The caves are mapped and Kitum, Chepnyali, and Mackingeny can be explored by visitors to the parkOther Attractions
Other attractions include ancient cave paintings near the trailhead at Budadiri, and hot springsHot Springs
Hot Springs may refer to:* Hot Springs, Arkansas** Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas*Hot Springs, California**Hot Springs, Lassen County, California**Hot Springs, Modoc County, California**Hot Springs, Placer County, California...
in the former volcano's crater which bubble at temperatures of up to 48°C.
Popular culture
The park is the setting for parts of Richard PrestonRichard Preston
Richard Preston, born August 5, 1954 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., is a New Yorker writer and bestselling author perhaps best-known for his books about infectious disease epidemics and bioterrorism, although he has written other non-fiction works...
's book The Hot Zone
The Hot Zone
The Hot Zone is a best-selling 1994 non-fiction bio-thriller by Richard Preston about the origins and incidents involving viral hemorrhagic fevers, particularly ebolaviruses and marburgviruses...
. Kitum Cave
Kitum Cave
Kitum Cave is a non-solutional cave developed in pyroclastic rocks in Mount Elgon National Park, Kenya. The cave extends about into the side of the mountain. The walls are rich in salt, and animals such as elephants have gone deep into the cave for centuries in search of salt...
is also a setting in the book.
Henry Rider Haggard's well-known novel 'King Solomon's Mines
King Solomon's Mines
King Solomon's Mines is a popular novel by the Victorian adventure writer and fabulist Sir H. Rider Haggard. It tells of a search of an unexplored region of Africa by a group of adventurers led by Allan Quatermain for the missing brother of one of the party...
' is may have been inspired by the Mt Elgon Caves.