LOCATIONS
Home Kenya Locations The Aberdares Amboseli Bogoria Central Highlands The Coast Lamu Lake Turkana Malindi Maasai Mara Mombasa North of Mombasa South of Mombasa Mount Elgon Mount Kenya Nairobi Exploring Nairobi Northern Parks Northern Kenya The Rift Valley Rift Valley Parks Southern Kenya Tsavo Lake Victoria Watumu Western Highlands Western Kenya

Mt. Elgon Region

 This area is known for its daily torrential rains that drench the region. Travelers are advised to complete their journey by early afternoon to avoid getting caught on impassable roads. The Kakamega Forest Reserve is a 45 sq km swath of tropical rainforest in the heart of an intensively cultivated agricultural region. The reserve is the only remaining section of such forest in East Africa and is home to 125 species of hardwood trees and hundreds of species of birds and animals, many of which are found no where else in Kenya. The Forest Department maintains a four-room rest house as well as a large nursery for propagating trees and shrubs. Tours can be arranged with little trouble and the side trip is well worth the effort.
The Cherangani Hills are part of the rift valley system and extend for about 60 km northeast from the town of Eldoret. The hills form the western wall of the Elgeyo Escarpment and are ideal for camping and hiking. The hills are dotted with small towns and are home to the Marakwet people who migrated here from the north. Kitale is a small agricultural town and serves as an important take off point for travelers exploring the Mt. Elgon region. Kitale is home to the National Museum of Western Kenya which contains excellent ethnographic displays of the Turkana people as well as animal and geological information. The outdoor exhibits include traditional homesteads of numerous tribal groups and a nature trail which leads through virgin forest behind the museum.
The Saiwa Swamp National Park sits just north of Kitale in a 2 sq km area of swampland surrounding the Koitobos River. This tiny park was set up originally to protect the natural habitat of the Sitatunga antelope in Kenya. The reserve is only accessible on foot and boasts numerous walking trails which skirt the swamp. Mt. Elgon National Park covers a 169 sq km area on the eastern slopes of Mt. Elgon. The free-standing volcanic cone sits on the border with Uganda and the Mt. Elgon range is the fourth highest in Kenya. A spectacular range of vegetation can be found on the mountain that features lush rainforest at the base followed by dense bamboo forests at the higher elevations. Giant alpine vegetation cover the moorlands at the very top of the mountain range. Not far from the entrance gate (approximately 9 km), a series of deep caves have been formed from eroded volcanic ash and serve as natural salt licks for the elephant population. The largest and most accessible are the Kitum Caves where it is possible to see the gouge marks made by the elephants foraging for the minerals from the walls.

Return to top.

© JamboKenya.