Mount Elgons national park

Mount Elgon National Park in western Kenya protects the eastern slopes of the Mount Elgon massif, an extinct shield volcano that straddles the Kenya-Uganda border. The mountain’s highest summit, Wagagai, reaches about 4,321 meters on the Ugandan side, and the park conserves montane forests, bamboo and high-altitude moorland on the Kenyan slopes.

Key attractions are the mountain’s large eroded caldera, steep escarpments, cave systems and montane biodiversity rather than single technical peaks. Trails and river-cut valleys lead through forest to higher moorland and cliff viewpoints, and caves and waterfalls occur where streams descend the slopes.

Mount Elgon was formed by older volcanic activity and its broad, gently sloping base and deeply eroded upper areas reflect long-term geological processes. Local communities have long used the lower slopes for agriculture; the protected areas conserve remaining forest, water sources and recreational routes.

The park lies in western Kenya, administered in the Bungoma/Kitale area on the border with Uganda, and forms part of the transboundary mountain landscape shared between the two countries.

• Highest summit: The mountain has one of the largest intact volcanic bases in East Africa; its highest summit, Wagagai, reaches about 4,321 meters on the Ugandan side.
• Landscape and geology: The park protects a mix of forest, bamboo and high-altitude moorland and contains notable caves and cliffs formed by long-term erosion of the volcanic massif.

What to See #

• Mount Elgon massif: A multi-summit extinct shield volcano whose highest points reach over 4,300 meters on the massif, with the park protecting the Kenyan side of the mountain.
• Caldera, escarpments and caves: Extensive volcanic caldera areas, steep escarpments and numerous caves that form important geological and ecological features of the mountain.
• Vegetation zones: Montane forest, bamboo and afro-alpine moorland zones that transition with altitude and support diverse flora and fauna.