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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.
A
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. A
fascinating area, Mount Elgon National Park is one
of the few parks where walking explorations are
possible and where you can spot the webbed foot
Sitatunga Antelope in the Saiwa Swamps. This rare
little antelope is extremely shy and quiet tracking
is required to find it. However, the sight of this
elegant brown antelope 'running across water' is
well worth it and simply magical |
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