A Guide To A Self Drive Safari To Mt Elgon National Park
Explore a complete guide to a self-drive safari to Mt. Elgon National Park, including the best routes (getting there), things to do, attractions, where to stay, packing list, when to go for a self-drive, and a lot more. A self-drive safari is a perfect alternative available for tourists to explore Mount Elgon National Park your way.
Location
Mount Elgon National Park is located in Eastern Uganda, and from Kampala, it is about 235 km. The park is accessible on self-drive for about 6-7 hours’ drive on the Kampala-Jinja-Iganga-Mbale-Kapchorwa route. It is possible to drive from Soroti to Mt. Elgon National Park via Mbale or from Kidepo Valley National Park or Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve.
Getting to Mount Elgon National Park is possible using a 4×4 safari vehicle. The available self-drive rental car options for your road trip to Mt. Elgon National Park include 4×4 Toyota Rav4, 4×4 Land Cruiser with rooftop tents, Land Cruiser Prado, and others.
Tourist Attractions to Explore on Self-Drive in Mt. Elgon National Park
Mt. Elgon National Park is home to distinct attractions, including the scenic and distinct Mount Elgon. Mount Elgon dates back to 24 million years and has the biggest base area, with Wagagai peak (4321m) featuring as its highest peak. The summit features a scenic Crater measuring about 40 km.
Mount Elgon National Park features caves, gorges, calderas, peaks, cliffs, faunal, and avifaunal species. It was gazetted in 1968 and is a designated UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve.
Wildlife –the different faunal species that survive in Mt. Elgon National Park include spotted hyenas, squirrels, buffalo, oribis, Defassa waterbucks, leopards, duikers, bushbucks, red-tailed monkeys, and black and white colobus monkeys.
Bird species to identify on a tour in Mt. Elgon National Park. More than 300 bird species live in Mt. Elgon National Park, including the Narina trogon, Northern Crombec. Ayres’s hawks-eagle, Mountain buzzards, tropical boubou, white-stared forest robins, pale flycatchers, gray-throated barbet, African goshawk, Chubb’s cisticola, golden-winged sunbird, red-fronted parrot, white-headed wood hoopoe, western crested guinea fowl, ring-necked dove, MacKinnon’s fiscal, Kandt’s waxbills, and others. The presence of numerous birds makes Mt. Elgon a great bird-watching destination.
Things to do on a self-drive tour in Mt. Elgon National Park.
Mountain Climbing
Mountain climbing is the main adventure in Mount Elgon National Park is most popular. The hike to the summits of Elgon Volcano involves conquering the different trails, including the Sasa trail, which begins from Budadiri at 1250m, Sipi trail, which is a 4-6 day hike, and the hike begins from 2050 meters. The Piswa trail, which is 7 day round hike and rewards climbers with the breathtaking views of the extensive Karamoja plains.
Hiking or nature walks
Guided nature walks involve exploring the base area of Mount Elgon on foot. During a guided nature walk, expect to come across different primates, birds, and caves etc. The hike takes visitors via various trails, including the 5 km trail to the Cabinet waterfall, a 3 km walk to the Kapkwai caves, a 3 to 4 hours walk to the Khauka caves, and others.
Sport fishing
Sport fishing in Mount Elgon is done at the base of the Elgon Volcano at the Sipi Falls area. Unlike sport fishing excursions in other areas in Uganda, Elgon Volcano sport fishing involves catching and releasing the trout fish. The rainbow trout is known for its beautiful body color and has a maximum weight of about 3 kg.
Birding/bird watching
Over 300 bird species are distributed in Mount Elgon National Park. During the guided birding excursion, expect to come across birds such as Tacazze sunbird, lammergeyer, Jackson’s francolins, black collared apalis, African goshawk, white-chinned prinia, Chubb’s cisticola, moorland francolins, Mackinnon’s fiscals, Hartlaub’s turacos, Luhders bush-shrike, Doherty bush shrikes, African blue flycatchers to mention but a few.
Cave exploration
At the base of Mount Elgon, there are amazing caves to explore on a Uganda self-drive tour. They include Kitum, Chepnyali, and Mackingeny, while at the base of Wanale ridge features caves like Kapkwai and Khauka caves.
Wildlife/game viewing
Elgon National Park is home to numerous mammal species, making it an ideal game viewing spot. The different mammal species to expect to explore here include the blue monkeys, hyenas, leopards, duikers, vervet monkeys, and colobus monkeys.
When to go for a self-drive tour to Mt. Elgon National Park
Mt. Elgon National Park is open to all visitors throughout the year. However, the best time to visit and explore the park’s wonders is during the peak dry months. The dry months occur from June to August, followed by another phase from December to February.
Where to stay during the self-drive tour
Mt. Elgon National Park features many lodges ranging from budget to luxury. They include Kapkwai Forest Cottages, Mount Elgon Hotel & Spa, Masha Hotel, Mbale Resort Hotel, Sipi River Lodge, Casa Sipi River Lodge, Noah’s Ark Hotel, and Kayegi Hotel. For the best adventure, hire a rooftop tent car in Uganda and go camping in mountain Elgon National Park.
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Top 5 Destinations to Enjoy an African Safari
SOUTH AFRICA You can opt for the Private Game Reserves in Timbavati and Sabie Sands are without rival if you want to see the Big Five. You will get excellent luxury lodges at Thornybush in the Timbavati Game Reserve and Mala Mala, Sangita, Sabi Sabi in the Sabie Sands Game Reserve.
Kruger National Park, with a well maintained road system; it’s perfect for self-drive African Safaris. Not very expensive compared to others, plus the smooth roads, it is ideal for elderly, families with young children, who may not cope with the rough off-road conditions. Meals and accommodation are perfect. All structures are superb.
Min-buses are ideal for self-drive African Safaris. Escorted bush walks by rangers. Open four wheel-drive vehicles are popular for game drives.
BOTSWANA The Chobe National Park, Okavango Delta and Moremi Game Reserve support extensive varieties of wildlife. It is easy to extend your African Safaris from South Africa into Botswana.
NAMIBIA The rallying point for your African Safaris in Namibia is the Etosha National Park. The onset of the dry season after the flooding of the giant salt pans, forces wildlife to congregate around waterholes and natural springs; creates wonderful vantage points from where you can view game.
TANZANIA Ngorongoro From the rare rhino, wildebeest, zebra, lion and elephants; you will find them in the world’s largest intact caldera.
Serengeti Endless plains and teeming animals. No where in the world can you find the same concentration of grazers.
UGANDA Bwindi forest national park which is a great place for the gorilla trekking, good for watching forest elephants and buffaloes. Queen Elizabeth national park for the tree climbing lions and other wildlife animals to bird watching, Murchison falls national park for wild animals, see the magnificent falls and have a boot cruise down the falls. Lake Bunyonyi national park good for bird watching with thousands of flamingos.
KENYA Amboseli National Park With a magnificent view of the Roof of Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro, Amboseli is renowned for huge elephants.Masai Mara known for the annual wildebeest spectacle in July and August. A destination not to omit from your African Safari options.You will not forget your Africa Safari adventure, whether it is your first time or whether it is your nth safari; for the simple reason that the options are staggering. ZAMBIA The environment from which you watch the wildlife plays a very important role. Watching a Lion in Etosha is the same as watching it in Ngorongoro crater. When the bush is still green, you can not think it will be the sun-scorched, just a few moths later. Dried river beds scattered with trees from the previous torrents. The call of the fishing Eagle seems out of tune, but it will patiently wait. You are in Luangwa Valley, Zambia
The majesty of Mount Kirimanjaro will stop you in your tracks. The clouds hide its middle part, giving you the impression that the crown is floating. Its size reduces you to your proper size. Quite minute indeed. When you come within a certain distance, you feel the latent, unseen force which put this phenomenon in place. While you are assimilating the forces which were at play in the distant eons; then appears a herd of elephants. You feel doubly humbled by another type of creation majesty. Giraffe, zebra, antelope, buffalo, wildebeest and elephant. Big Game country, this is Amboseli, Kenya.
Unaware, elephants paint themselves. You have to see them to believe it. If the water is scarce to have a decent bath, the elephants will wallow in mud to cool themselves and get rid of some parasites. If the mud is the usual colour, you would not be surprised, but it may chance to be red or pink! The perfect environment and setting is Tsavo, Kenya.
You would not expect grass eaters in a wind blown environment, covered in sand and dusty; not to mention the heat. You will be astounded by the number of wildlife supported in this harsh environment. Find out how such big numbers of animals survive in such an environment. There is no other place like it in Africa. This is Etosha, Namibia.
Read MoreBest Parks for Gorilla Trekking in Africa
Uganda, DR. Congo and Rwanda in Africa are the best destinations and only three countries where you will find the last mountain gorillas in the wild. When planning your gorilla safari in Africa, you need to first know which country that can fit your budget. You need to know the costs that are standard, costs that cannot be negotiated but standard. This will help you to plan your best budget tour based on facts.
Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks
In Uganda mountain gorillas are found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. In these areas tracking takes place at 5 locations; Buhoma Ruhija, Rushaga, Nkuringo in Bwindi and Ntebeko in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. All locations combined give a total of over 18 gorilla groups, however the permit number are limited because only 8 people are allowed to visit a gorilla family per day for only one hour.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is undoubtedly the best point in the entire world to enjoy the ultimate gorilla experience. Bwindi Impenetrable is a World Heritage Site located south- western Uganda, a sanctuary for chimpanzees, bird species, and butterfly species but most famous for its mountain gorilla population, more than half of the world’s gorillas permanently live here.
Uganda’s dense forests are home to over half of the world’s 1004 or so mountain gorillas as of May 2018, the rest live in the neighboring Rwanda and the Democratic Republic if the Congo. As they do not survive in captivity, preservation of these fragile habitats is essential for their survival.
Accessibity to the Park
By road; Bwindi impenetrable National Park can be reached from Queen Elizabeth National Park to the north (2-3 hours), from Kabale to the south (1-2 hours), or from Kampala via Mbarara (6-8 hours). The roads meet at Butogota, 17km from the Buhoma entrance gate. A 4WD vehicle is necessary during the rainy season.
By Air; Guests can fly from Entebbe or Kampala (Kajjansi airfield) to the modern tarmac airstrip at Kisoro. Planes can also be chartered to the grass Kayonza or Savannah airstrips. Bwindi is well served by three airfields at Kayonza and Kihihi for the northern sector and Nyakabande in Kisoro for those going to track gorillas in the southern sector (Nkuringo, Nshongi and Mishaya).
Sectors for tracking mountain gorillas
There are 4 locations for trekking gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and these are Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo. The 4 locations have a total of about 18 families as of December 2018. Tracking permits need to be bought prior to tracking by booking directly with the reservations office at Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) Headquarters or through a reputable tour agent. Permits can be paid for up to two years in advance.
Number of people to track and how old
According to the number of people allowed trekking the gorillas, only 8 visitors are allowed to view the gorillas for one hour per day, participants must be aged 15 or over. And they will be accompanied by trained armed guides while with the gorillas.
The Gorilla Experience
Tracking commences every morning from the park headquarters at 8:00am. Your guide will then lead you along generally clear paths up into the forest, in radio communication with the trackers that stay with the group so that they can be located. The mountain gorillas cover large distances throughout the day and they rarely do stay in one area. The guides will use their knowledge of the gorilla’s habits and information from the previous day to locate the group’s whereabouts.
Climate
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is chilly in the morning and at night with average temperatures ranging from 77⁰C – 20⁰C. The coldest period in Bwindi is June and July, while wet seasons are March- May and September-November with total annual rainfall of up to 2390mm. Rains in March-May are short. They are heavier in September-November but can just be long hours of soft drizzle.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Covering an area of about 33.7 sq. kilometres, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is located in the south-western park of Uganda bordering Congo and Rwanda. The Park is a habitat for man’s closest mountain gorillas which roam about the whole forest in search for food.
This Park is one of the few places in the world where the endangered mountain gorillas live and it attracts people from different countries to come to Uganda for gorilla safari tours.
Accessibility to the park
By road; Mgahinga can be accessed by use of a car from Kampala via Kabale to Kisoro. This journey takes about 8 hours.
By air; one can board a plane from Entebbe to Kisoro Airstrip which is near the park. This is the quickest mode of access and it takes about 1 hour. There are daily scheduled flights which must be booked long in advance with your local Uganda safari operator.
On a daily basis, the moment you visit the park, the welcoming atmosphere is an evidence of adventure filled of natural beauty. A day’ trek through the forests of Mgahinga with a well-trained guide explains the gorillas’ behaviors along the way is a lifetime experience.
Usually, gorilla trekking tour starts from Ntebeko entrance gate around 8:00am in the morning daily taking 2-4 hours. A visitor is expected to budget for his/her time well while with a gorilla family since the maximum time allowed to spend with them is one hour.
Gorilla Permit Price
You need to know the cost of a gorilla permit before booking your safari trip. A gorilla permit in Uganda costs $700 USD per person, while Gorilla Habituation Experience costs $1500 USD per person spending 01 and 4 hours with gorillas respectively.
Other places that provide an opportunity for gorilla trekking are Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda as well as Virunga National Park in Democratic Republic of Congo. So, before you decide to book a gorilla tour in Uganda, you need to convince yourself that you have made the right decision on where to trek these gorillas.
Read MoreVisit Bhutan – Himalayan Wilderness
There are countless things to see in the world’s last remaining Himalayan kingdom. In Paro, visit Ta Dzong National Museum, filled with art, relics and artifacts; Drukgyel Dzong, an ancient fortress below the snow dome of sacred Jhomolhari; and the Tiger’s Nest, one of the holiest sites in the Buddhist universe. See spectacular mountain views from the top of the Chalela Ridge, and take short hikes to the Dzongdrakha temples and Kila nunnery. From the ridge, descend into the recently opened Haa valley, still almost completely untouched by tourism.
In Thimphu, visit Tashichhodzong, the beautiful medieval fortress monastery which now houses the National Assembly Hall, the monastery of the Je Khenpo (Chief Abbot), and the Dragon Throne. The Late King’s Memorial Chorten, topped with a golden spire, contains many beautiful works of art. Visit the School of Fine Arts (thangka painting and other traditional arts); the Royal Dance Academy (Buddhist Cham dances); the Folk and Textile Museums, the National Library, which houses ancient Buddhist manuscripts, Changgangkha and Zantog Pelri monasteries and Drubthrob nunnery, Explore a papermaking studio, the handicraft center, Thimphu’s myriad of colorful shops and on weekends, the outdoor market.
Beyond Thimphu, the National Highway leads east, over the 10,000 ft Dochu La pass into the Punakha valley, Bhutan’s ancient capital, where the majestic Dzong is situated at the confluence of two mighty glacial rivers. Here you can hike to the chorten of Khamsum Yuelley above the valley, and the temple of Drukpa Kuenley, the Divine Madman. Beyond is Wangduephodrang Dzong, overlooking the river and the old trade route. At Gangtey, the rare and hauntingly beautiful black-necked cranes return every winter to the remote and lovely valley.
The Pele La pass crosses the Black Mountains and divides western and central Bhutan. East of the pass the road leads to Trongsa, site of Bhutan’s largest Dzong and ancestral home of the royal family. Beyond lie the breathtakingly beautiful Bumthang valleys, the heart of Bhutan, a treasury of temples and monasteries, a living museum of art and history. From Bumthang it takes about two days to reach the eastern border, along wild rocky roads and over Bhutan’s highest road pass to Mongar, and then the eastern center at Trashigang, where few tourists have yet ventured.
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