Mount Elgon National Park

Altitude: 8,000 to 13,800 feet above sea level.

Area: 169 square kilometers.

Airstrips: Elgon (At Park Headquarters).

Opened: April 1968

Activities: Game Drives, Elephant Cave Exploration, Hiking and climbing

Mount Elgon is the third highest mountain in East Africa. It is situated on the Kenya / Uganda border and was formed when the earth’s crust erupted, creating the Great Rift Valley. This National Park is one of Kenya’s most beautiful, still wild and intact, with vast areas of untouched forests. Game viewing is excellent; the park is home to an estimated 500 elephants, buffalo, leopard, the protected colobus and blue monkeys, giant forest hog, waterbuck and various other types of antelope as well as over 240 species of birds. Huge Elgon Teak and Cedar trees, some over 80ft. Tall, dominate the forest scenery.

A major attraction is a series of four caves, all explorable. The largest of these is Kitum, extending more than 200 meters horizontally into the heart of the mountain. It’s Maasai name means “Place of Ceremony”. The caves are a favorite gathering place for the elephant. Every night, long convoys venture deep into the caves to feed off the rich salt deposits. This nightly practice has earned them the title “underground elephant”.

Mount Elgon also offers excellent climbing and walking opportunities. No special equipment or experience is required and the park management provides guides. The highest peak on the Kenyan side is Koitobos (4,200 meters). It is reached across beautiful moorlands and the Hot Springs can be visited on the way.

There are no lodges in the park, but Elgon can be visited as a day trip or there are number of beautiful campsites for both luxury mobile-tented operations and budget campers.

Saiwa Swamp National Park is one of Kenya’s smallest National Parks, only 3 square kilometers. Opened in 1974 to protect the semi-aquatic Sitatunga Antelope notable for it’s webbed wide spread hooves, which allow it to walk on the surface of the swamp. It is also the home of the endangered De Brazza Monkey, a variety of otter, giant forest squirrel, Black and White Colobus, bushbuck and gray duiker. Saiwa Swamp is only for walking; vehicles cannot enter the park. There are three nature trails, bridges for walking over the swamps and three Sitatunga viewing platforms.

Kerio Valley National Reserve was established in 1983 for it’s bio-diverse importance, covering an area of 66 square kilometers. Kerio valley is 4,000 ft. deep with tropical vegetation on the slopes leading down to dry thorn bush at the base. It provides some very impressive views. As at October 1999, there is still no real infrastructure in the reserve and as such it is very difficult to get in and out of.