Mountains
of Magical Kenya
Details
on Mount Kenya and others to come
Mount
Elgon
Mount
Elgon is a large extinct volcano that
straddles the border between Kenya and
Uganda. Reaching a height of 4,320
meters and extending over 100 km in
diameter, Mount Elgon is the largest,
although not the highest of Kenya's
mountains.
On
the Kenyan side of the border, 340
square km of the mountain has been set
aside as a National Park, preserving a
wide range of natural vegetation in an
otherwise intensively cultivated area.
The mountain invites exploration, as
you wind your way through a mixed
forest of deciduous and evergreen
trees, including magnificent specimens
of the East African Cedar and the Podo,
both reaching upwards of 30 meters.
Branches are frequently festooned with
lichen and a tangle of wild
orchids.
With
luck, you will observe black and white
Colobus monkeys and the blue monkey, as
well as the giant forest hog and red
forest duiker. Many leopards, buffalo
and waterbuck also inhabit the
Park.
wide
range of birds, including the rare
forest francolin, make Mount Elgon a
bird watcher's delight. The forest
floor, where many rare species of
flower may be found, is also
interesting for
botanists.
Hiking
to the peak of the mountain, visitors
pass through the forests, leading into
glades of montane bamboo, open
woodlands and finally open moorlands to
the craggy summit
The
walk to the peak (no technical
skills required) provides an
exceptionally beautiful experience,
offering views of giant groundsels and
giant lobelias, survivors of a remote
ice age, as well as endless vistas over
the African landscape.
Mount
Elgon is also well known for its four
explorable caves, formed by the action
of water on ancient volcanic ash. These
caves play a vital and unique role in
the lives of forest animals. Families,
and sometimes entire villages of the El
Gonyi, a Masai tribe, lived for
centuries in the caves with their
cattle.
The
minerals contained in the rocks of the
caves are vital to the well being of
cattle and other grazing animals. High
rainfall in this area has denuded the
soil of natural salts and minerals; the
caves provide the only source of salt.
Elephant, buffalo, bushbuck, waterbuck,
duiker, forest hogs, even the colobus
and blue monkeys need a ration of salt;
on Mount Elgon, they find it only in
the caves.
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