What to do in Mount Elgon national park? This is among the best destinations in Uganda with many tourist attractions apart from climbing Mountain.  Those can still be complemented with the more adventurous mountain climbing, for example, the visit to Chebonet falls and the magnificent Sipi falls and walks along several trails like the saum trail, the Sasa trail, and the piswa trail and also the Sipi trail which takes you to falls. You can book a 3-day hike to mountain Elgon in Uganda.

Eastern Uganda has various amazing activities and sights for an unforgettable Uganda safari, these are Mount Elgon and the magnificent Sipi falls. You can also enjoy Uganda and a complete safari experience by just visiting Sipi falls and mountain Elgon. They have amazing attractive views and exhilarating activities such as hiking, hot springs, biking, abseiling, birding, nature walks, ancient rock painting, and caves to explore and among others. There are several accommodation facilities and safari lodges where you can spend your night to complete your trip in these areas of Uganda. With visits to Sipi falls and Mount Elgon is the perfect way to wind down from all the bustle and hustle of Kampala, and any other fast-paced city.

Most of the travelers visit Uganda mostly for gorilla trekking in Western Uganda, but that means that many visitors to Uganda are missing out on the scenic beauty of Mount Elgon and the magnificent roar of sipi falls. You can still enjoy your safari at Mount Elgon without climbing the mountain. You can visit Mountain Elgon and do bird watching, go on nature walks, or explore the villages, see some wildlife, or go to caves and interact with the Bamasaba people also get an opportunity to learn more about them like their lifestyle and historical background and among others.

You can plan a visit to the forest exploration center or other trails on the foothills of the mountain. The forest exploration center is found nearby sipi town and it is used to be an educational center, it is also now a trail-head for hikers climbing mountain Elgon, and it is the perfect starting point for that one who wants to explore caves, and see the various valleys, waterfalls, and escarpments.

Mount Elgon National Park is also the best place for bird lovers. There are a lot of bird species that you can spot on your birding safari in Mount Elgon such as the Black-throated Wattle-eye, Eastern Bronze-napped Pigeon, Hartlaub’s Turaco, Lemon Dove, African Hill Babbler, Alpine Chat, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Dusky-Turtle Dove, Thick-billed Honeyguide, Grey Cuckoo-Shrike. There are also numerous trails in nature walks. You can go on a half-day nature walk with guides from the Uganda wildlife authority and see some interesting flora and fauna or you can visit Sipi falls.

Activities in Mountain Elgon.

There are a number of things to do in Mount Elgon national park Uganda, below are some tourist activities;

A nature walk in Mount Elgon

The walk takes a full-day nature hike through Budadiri to the mudange cliff known as the walls of the Death, which is found on the boundary of the National park. These cliffs are located in the tropical forest and white Columbus and blue monkeys have normally seen across your tracks. Nature walks to sipi falls are organized by local community guides and it can take a full day around local viewpoint in Kapchorwa 20-minutes sunrise trek at 6 am from Noah’s ark Hotel leads to the nearby Tewei Hill to watch down spreading across the vast kalamojja plains at the base of the mount

Hiking on Mt. Elgon National Park

Hiking mountain Elgon national park will take you 7kilometers and it is about 4 hours mountain bamboo trail to Kapkwai Cave passes through bamboo forest and tropical.  Along the trail, there are various primate species, countless bird species, rare tree species such as Elgon olive and Elgon teak.  The 11km hike to the Tutum Cave, 5km walk to the Chebonet Falls, and 3km walk to the Kapkwai caves follow the ridge view trail with the option of camping overnight beside the cave.

In Wanale, a visit to Khauka Cave will take you 3-4 hours or you can go to the viewpoint through Nabuyoga loop and see Wagagai peak and Jackson’s Summit. In Budadiri, short day hikes are available covering the Drigana lower falls, Mudagi Cliffs, and Sasa River Camp. They are best for nature walks, bird watching, and overnight camping.

Visit Budadiri community experience

In the Budadiri community, there are Mt Elgon’s Arabica Coffee processing plants that offer help to the local farmers.  In the same region, there are community groups that offer car hire, community nature walks accommodation, guided coffee tours, and cultural dances. Visitors also experience the wonderful regions malewa bamboo shoot, cultural dances, and folklore and food preparation.

Walkers can take three trails is Namugabwe Cave Trail that takes a whole day. It passes through Bamasaba community land hence reaching the historical Cave that is full of bones. The three days walk to reach the mighty Sipi Falls also helps visitors to experience the culture of the two nearby tribes. Dirigana loop trail that goes straight to Gabushana Cave and Dirigsana falls allows visitors to experience the Walls of Death and the local markets.

Sportfishing in Mt. Elgon

Sportfishing is taking place above the highest of the three waterfalls at Sipi outside the park. It provides exhilarating challenges to anglers who take pride in battling with the rainbow trout because of its beautiful coloration and fighting ability. The largest can weigh 3kgs.

Fishing is limited to designated sites and advance booking is not necessary. Interested anglers are advised to carry their equipment, a permit is required and you can get it from Sipi River Lodge.

Birding Watching in Mt. Elgon National Park

Birds in Mountain Elgon has different areas where bird species can be spotted like the Kapkwai Forest Exploration Center with excellent birding opportunities, the center is found within the Mount Elgon National Park, bird species that one can see while on a birding trip to Mountain Elgon include  African Blue Flycatcher, the African Goshawk, Chubb’s Cisticola, Tacazze, White-chinned Prinia, Chinspot Batis, Mackinnon’s Fiscal, Dohertys and Luhders Bush-shrikes, Cinnamon Bee Eater, Moustached Tinkerbird, Hartloub`s Turaco, Baglafecht Weaver among other bird species.

Besides Mountain Elgon national park has many amazing experiences, Uganda has other best destinations with the most interesting activities like Bwindi impenetrable national park for mountain gorilla trekking, where you will get a chance to explore more about these shy primates. You can visit Murchison falls national park and take a boat cruise and view various wildlife animals such as buffaloes, giraffes,  Uganda kob, hippos plus countless bird species.