5-day Mount Elgon summit via Bushiyi Trail – Sipi Trail.

MOUNT ELGON NATIONAL PARK OVERVIEW:

– Size: 1,121km² – Mount Elgon is an extinct volcano, one of Uganda’s oldest physical features, erupting around 24 million years ago.

– It was once Africa’s highest mountain but now stands at 4,321m, making it the 4th highest peak in East Africa and 8th on the continent.

– Home to the Bagisu and Sabiny tribes, with the marginalized Ndorobos living deep within the forest of Benet.

– The Bagisu, or BaMasaba, consider Mount Elgon to be the embodiment of their founding father Masaba.

– With a 4,000km² base, Mount Elgon has the largest volcanic base in the world, located on the Uganda-Kenya border.

– Mount Elgon National Park is home to over 300 species of birds, including the endangered Lammergeyer.

– The higher slopes are protected by national parks in Uganda and Kenya, creating a trans-boundary conservation area declared a UNESCO Man & Biosphere Reserve.