Mount Elgon National Park is made up of unique wildlife within its boundaries. The vegetation of mount Elgon covers the mountain hills and this is the home for the waterbuck, elephant’s, Defassa’s, buffaloes, squirrels, duiker, Oribi, and spotted hyenas. You will also see few primates like the blue monkey and white colobus monkey. The park is also a habitat for various small antelope, spotted hyena, leopard and forest monkeys.

The mountain slopes are known for supporting the altitudinal vegetation zones which start from the montane forest to moorland which is scattered in the big groundsel plus lobelia. While you are climbing up to mountain Elgon’s slopes, you will go through a mixed bamboo belts and dense montane forest teeming with birdlife. You will then go to the moorland zones that are made up of several amazing endemic plant species like groundsels and giant lobelia. Lovers of wildlife will be happy to spot primates like blue monkey, white and black colubus monkey, several bid species like Ross’s and Hartlaubs Turacos, Golden Winged and Tacazze sunbirds, Black and White Casqued, the endangered Lammergeyer and Crowned Hornbills, the Jackson’s Francolin which is only found in Uganda. If you are a kin wildlife observer you will spot buffalo, hyena, duiker, elusive leopard. You will enjoy the flora and the fauna of the area.

Mountain Elgon is an enormous watershed that its slopes are responsible to support the altitudinal vegetation areas that start from the lush Montana, open moorland, mixed bamboo belt forest and dotted with unique worldly plant species like groundsel plants and the large lobelia which are unusual in Africa. The luminous wild eternal flowers and thick shrubs are the major attractions which can be enjoyed as you’re on the Mountain Elgon safari in Uganda. This variety of vegetation provides homes for different plant species of birds and wildlife.

Mountain Elgon National Park is found on the border of Uganda and Kenya and booth are adjoined by a forest reserve. The natural reserve and the forest reserve combine and they end up forming the trans-boundary nature conservation for an area of almost 2229km sq.km. UNESCO declared this area as a biosphere and a man reserve thus the Ugandan part of the park was gazetted.

The dramatic ascent of altitude and diverse terrain combined with weather and Vagaries of rainfall can produce 4 separate vegetation zones on Mt. Elgon. These include;

Moorland Zone (3500m-4321m):

This boasts the highest number of endemic plant species that are found on the mountain. Moorland grassland is open and dotted with lobelia plats plus clusters of peculiar giant grounded plants and are so unique to the East African community.

Heath Zone (3000m-3500m):

This is characterized by brilliant wildflowers, dense scrub.

Mixed Bamboo and Podocapus Zone (3000m-3500m):

The bamboo mixed with forests contains the highest biodiversity found on the mountain.

The Lush Montane Forest (2000m-2500m):

The Lush Montane Forest is dry highland evergreen type that includes almost 100 species as well as ferns and trailing lianas plus epiphytic orchids. You can best view this type of forest at the chelulus circuit.

1n the year 1992 Mt. Elgon has a variety of vegetation which begins from moorland, montane forest to the groundsel and lobelia plants. The vegetation always changes with altitude. The mountain slopes are covered with Aningueria adolfi-friedericii wet montane forest and olive Olea hochstetteri. When it gets to the higher altitude it changes to bamboo Arundinaria alpina zone and Podocarpus, Podocarpus gracilior forest and olive. The higher you go still you see moorland with heaths Erica arborea and Hagenia abyssinica zone with Philippia trimera, tussock grasses such as Agrostis gracilifolia and Festuca pilgeri, herbs such as Helichrysum, Alchemilla, Lobelia, and Senecio barbatipes, the giant groundsels, and Senecio elgonensis. The Kenyan part was established in 1968.

Besides Mount Elgon national park is blessed with many tourist attraction but Uganda has many national park with amazing attractions such as Bwindi impenetrable forest national park where you will endangered mountain gorilla and get a chance to explore more about them. You can visit Murchison falls national park and take a boat cruise on rive Nile where you will see various aquatic animals like hippos, crocodiles and many more or you may go for game drive and you view a variety of wildlife animals such as giraffes, buffaloes, hippos, Uganda kob plus countless bird species.