Mount Elgon

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Mount Elgon is an extinct volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya. The mountain is named after the Elgonyi tribe, who once lived in huge caves on the south side of the mountain. It was known as "Ol Doinyo Ilgoon" (Breast Mountain) by the Maasai and as "Masawa" on the Ugandan side.

Mt. Elgon consists of five major peaks:

Wagagai (4,321m), being in Uganda.
Sudek (4,302m or 14,140ft) in Kenya
Koitobos (4,222m or 13,248 ft), the flat topped basalt column (Kenya)
Mubiyi (4,211m or 13,816 ft)
Masaba (4,161m or 13,650 ft)

Kmunke and Stigler made the first recorded ascent of Wagagai in 1911. F. Jackson, E. Gedge, and J. Martin made the first recorded ascent of Sudek in 1890. The main peak is an easy scramble and does not require any mountaineering equipment.

Other interesting features are :

the caldera — Elgon's is one of the largest intact calderas in the world
the warm springs by the Suam River
Endebess Bluff (2563m or 8408 ft)
Ngwarisha, Makinyen, Chepnyalil and Kitum lava tube caves. Kitum Cave is over 60 metres wide and penetrates 200 metres. It is frequented by wild elephants who lick the salt exposed by gouging the walls with their tusks. It is also considered a possible natural reservoir for Marburg virus since two people who have visited the cave, the first in 1980 and the second in 1987, both contracted the disease and died.

The mountain soils are red laterite. The mountain is the catchment area for the several rivers such as the Suam River, Nzoia River and the Turkwel River, some of which flow to Lake Victoria and others in Lake Turkana. The town of Kitale is in the foothills of the mountain. The area around the mountain is protected by two Mount Elgon National Parks — one on each side of the border.

Some rare plants are found on the mountain, including Ardisiandra wettsteinii, Carduus afromontanus, Echinops hoehnelii, Ranunculus keniensis, and Romulea keniensis.

Mount Elgon

See also