Exploring the World’s Largest Caldera: Mt. Elgon
Mt Elgon is like Mt. Kenya’s distant cousin, we know it exists but no one really pays attention. Funny thing is Mt. Elgon is to Uganda what Mt. Kenya is to Kenya, maybe that has to do with the fact that the highest summit is based on the Ugandan side, that is Wagagai peak standing at 4321m above sea level. However after exploring Mt. Elgon over the last week, I believe it deserves way more recognition than it gets and that’s what I hope to achieve with today’s article so let’s get down to it!
Untamed Wilderness & Secluded Splendour: Mt. Elgon, Kenya
Mt. Elgon is home to so many beautiful views! From the changing vegetation, to watching wildlife wander around immediately you get in. The landscape is characterized with caves that are home to elephants and waterfalls that flow into streams and rivers that serve the community, not to mention the 16 rivers and countless streams that flow from it! One of them being River Suam, which marks the Kenya-Uganda border.
In Mt. Elgon lies so much history, from the tribal disputes to the naming of the mountain, the stories shared by our hiking guides were endless.
Fun Fact: Did you know that Mt. Elgon is believed to have been the highest mountain in Africa before it erupted over 24 million years ago? I didn’t believe it until I read lots of articles online e.g this one from NASA. Makes sense if you think about it though, it erupted and through erosion it collapsed to form the world’s largest caldera.
But history aside, the scenery, challenging terrain and long walks make this mountain worth exploring!
PS: If you’re looking for a relaxed scenic experience, they do have cottages and one day tours where you can get to see the caves, waterfalls & wildlife without all the pain and suffering. I’ll definitely go back for this! But if you enjoy ̶p̶a̶i̶n̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶s̶u̶f̶f̶e̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ the long walks and meditation, do read on.
Climbing Mt. Elgon, Kenya & Uganda Side:
Getting to Mt. Elgon
Getting to Mt. Elgon is no small feat. The national park entrance, Kenyan side is based at a border town known as Suam in Trans Nzoia County. For context the town is about 1.5hrs from Kitale. Here you will find the Suam river that marks the border between Kenya and Uganda. Coincedentally, I had been to this town before and you can read about my experience here.
To ensure that the trip doesn’t affect your hiking experience you can:
- Fly from Nairobi to Eldoret and drive to Suam — This will still be a long drive (3/4hrs), but with a comfortable car (a 2WD would do but for comfort purposes, preferably a 4WD since the road is under construction) the journey doesn’t feel as long.
- Drive from Nairobi to Suam and have a day to relax before starting the hike since this could take you about 10 hours.
Border Stop:
My team and I were on a mission to summit Koitoboss in Kenya and Wagagai in Uganda.
So how did we manage to cross over into another country while on a mountain? (And no, there is no border post on the mountain :D)
To do this legally, we had to head to the Suam border post, get stamps to exit Kenya and enter Uganda, then get back into Kenya to head to the Mt. Elgon National Park, Chorlim Gate near Endebess town. Once you have a stamp of entry into Uganda, we could now cross over and exit from the Ugandan side and drive back into Kenya.
Now that the logistics are out of the way, let’s talk about the hike:
Day 0: Mt. Elgon, Chorlim Gate (2100m asl) to Road End Camp, Kenya (3500m asl)
Once we got to the Mt. Elgon gate, we were met by our porters and guides, ready to take us to the road end camp via a KWS vehicle. It is literally the end of the road as the name suggests. The path to the camp is characterized with wildlife and rainforest vegetation. Unfortunately we travelled at night so we didn’t get to see much.
For someone who experiences altitude sickness, this will be a quick ascent with not enough time to acclimatize. So beware in case you feel a little sick, that’s most probably the cause.
Day 1: Road End Camp, Kenya (3500m asl) to Koitoboss Summit (4222m asl) to Mude Cave Camp, Uganda (3500m asl)
Day 1 was incredibly long! To give you context, this is like walking from JKUAT in Juja to the Nairobi CBD, but with changes in altitude and drastic change in terrain.
12 hours, 29 kilometers. That’s how long we walked.
After summitting Koitoboss (Kenya), we headed to a point referred to as the exchange point, where the Kenya Wildlife Service guides and porters officially handed us over to the Uganda Wildlife Service guides and porters. We signed some documents, had lunch and headed to our camp for the night, that is Mude Cave Camp.
Day 2: Mude Cave Camp Uganda (3500m asl) to Wagagai Summit (4321m asl) back to Mude Cave Camp Uganda (3500m asl)
After a filling dinner and good night sleep, you should feel well rested to take on day 2 knowing that the worst is behind you. Day 1 will be your toughest day, after that, the rest resemble a normal day hike.
The walk to and fro was slightly less than 7 hours, covering 18km. The walk to Wagagai is scenic with a view of the Jackson pool and Jackson peak, and lots of ranges that cover the Elgon area.
Random Story: We bumped into a Ugandan group while hiking and got to witness a marriage proposal at Wagagai summit! Our guides had never heard of one before so we might have just witnessed Mt. Elgon’s first proposal!
Day 3: Mude Cave Camp Uganda (3500m asl) to Mt. Elgon National Park, Budadiri Office (through Sasa Camp)
On day 3, we leave Mude Camp and descend all the way to the bottom. Day 3 marks the end of the hike.
Disclaimer, the descent through this trail (Sasa trail) is quite steep, so if planning to go up this trail, just keep that in mind. The trail descends into a town known as Bumasola, where you will meet with your porters and have lunch. From here, arrange (prior) for a vehicle/boda to take you to the Mt. Elgon office which is about 7km from Bumasola for clearance purposes.
PS: There’s also so much to explore on the Ugandan side! So if opting to only do the Ugandan side, there are lots of articles online.
After this, we made our way to Mbale, where we spent the night and drove to Kisumu the following day before we took a flight back to Nairobi. If you plan to drive back, make those arrangements prior to ensure a comfortable drive back after such an intense but brief experience. I would advise that you spend the night in Kisumu before driving/flying back to Nairobi so that your body gets all the rest it needs, plus Kisumu has so much to offer!
In conclusion:
Days needed: 5/6 : 3 days for the hike, 2–3 days for travel depending on your mode of transport
Budget: This is a tricky one since it depends on the mode of transport, type of car you hire, accomodation, if crossing into Uganda etc. So depending on this, it could be as low as Ksh. 30,000 and as high as Ksh. 80,000.
Gear: The usual as broken down here, however Mt. Elgon doesn’t require the summit gear that is used on Mt. Kilimanjaro & Mt. Kenya. Since the altitude isn’t as high. You can use the gear that you use to reach the base camp before summit night, since the summits at Elgon are basically at those altitudes.
Team: As always, make sure you have a great team by your side! Team spirit goes such a long way! Shout out to my hiking group Tipwa Tipwa and my Mt. Elgon hiking group #Fantastic 8 for their great energy and team spirit.
Weather: Mt. Elgon is known for being quite wet and rainy, so make sure to always have your gaiters on and your poncho in your day pack. And of course, wear waterproof boots.
Final words: In a span of 3 days we covered over 60kms, managed a dual summit across two countries and camped in nature. In as much as I am proud of this achievement I still stick by the rule that it’s all about the journey, the destination is a plus. So whether or not you get to the top, challenge yourself and do the best you can, it’s only by experiencing discomfort does one grow.
I hope this article inspires you to explore Mt. Elgon whether it’s just one side, both or the one day trip, I promise you it will definitely be worth it! Let’s #TembeaKenya. On to the next adventure!
#ChooseToThrive
