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Mount Elgon National Park, Kenya (Center on Interactive Map)

Map of Mount Elgon National Park, Kenya

Map of Mount Elgon National Park, Kenya



Mt. Elgon Cave Mt. Elgon Cave Inside Mt. Elgon View From Bandas Mt. Elgon Road to Trail Head Mt. Elgon Trail to Peak Mt. Elgon Rest Stop
Mt. Elgon Savanna Mt. Elgon Lobelia Forest Mt. Elgon Koitoboss Peak Unidentified Butterfly
Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) - Male Northern Double-collared Sunbird (Cinnyris reichenowi) Slender-billed Greenbul (Stelgidillas gracilirostris) Gray-throated Barbet (Gymnobucco bonapartei) Chinspot Batis (Batis molitor) Brown-capped Weaver (Ploceus insignis)
Thick-billed Seedeater (Crithagra burtoni) Blue Monkey (Cercopithecus mitis) Black and White Colobus Monkey (Colobus guereza) Dusky-brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa adusta) Black Goshawk (Accipiter melanoleucus) African Pied Wagtail (Motacilla aguimp)
Bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) Bronze Sunbird (Nectarinia kilimensis) Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater (Merops oreobates) Hartlaubs Turaco (Tauraco hartlaubi)

This shield volcano is one of the higher mountains in Africa.

Trips

Kenya Solar Eclipse

10/28/2013: We arrived in the morning to the mountain for a stay of three nights.

On the first day, we hiked to a couple of caves in which there are salt licks for the buffalo and elephants. It is not clear if these animals are still found in the area, but we saw their dried up poop and some scratches in the wall. We also saw a very poor grade on a crumpled up school exam for some boy named Mohammed.

Really, Mohammed, 70%? We both know you can do better than that.

The caves were very scenic, and there were some thousands of bats flying about. The front of the caves were highlighted by waterfalls. The walk to the caves involved a lot of rain, and the trails were very muddy.

The next day, we drove up toward the top of the mountain in an attempt to bag the peak. The road was very muddy, and our vehicle was barely up to the task as we got stuck several times. We were finally dropped off on the trail head to the welcome of lightning, freezing rain, and hail.

The weather cleared up for the most part after about an hour, and we camped near the summit. The thin air made breathing a real challenge, but somehow we all survived. On the way back down the mountain, we met some very unprepared looking people wearing short sleeves. And, then the rain started again. Not sure if those people made it out alive...

When we reached the trail head, we were slightly surprised to find that our ride was not waiting for us. We walked down the mountain for a few more miles to find that the driver had been stuck on a muddy hill, and that he had needed to get towed out by some guy with a tractor.

Previous Visit (Kitale: 10/27/2013)
Next Visit (Saiwa Swamp National Park: 10/31/2013)



Species Recorded (63)

Birds ( 53 )

Old World Flycatchers and Chats ( Muscicapidae )
African Stonechat - Saxicola torquatus

Hawks, Eagles, and Kites ( Accipitridae )
Black Goshawk - Astur melanoleucus

Ibises and Spoonbills ( Threskiornithidae )
Hadada Ibis - Bostrychia hagedash

Kites, Hawks, Eagles, and Allies ( Acciptridae )
Black-winged Kite - Elanus caeruleus
Long-crested Eagle - Lophaetus occipitalis
European Honey-buzzard - Pernis apivorus
Bateleur - Terathopius ecaudatus

Falcons and Allies ( Falconidae )
Eurasian Hobby - Falco subbuteo

Grouse, Turkeys, and Allies ( Phasianidae )
Scaly Francolin - Pternistis squamatus
Elgon Francolin - Scleroptila elgonensis

Pigeons and Doves ( Columbidae )
Rameron Pigeon - Columba arquatrix
Dusky Turtle-Dove - Streptopelia lugens
Tambourine Dove - Turtur tympanistria

Turacos ( Musophagidae )
Ross's Turaco - Musophaga rossae
Hartlaub's Turaco - Tauraco hartlaubi

Sunbirds ( Nectariniidae )
Mariqua Sunbird - Cinnyris mariquensis
Northern Double-collared Sunbird - Cinnyris reichenowi
Variable Sunbird - Cinnyris venustus
Collared Sunbird - Hedydipna collaris
Bronze Sunbird - Nectarinia kilimensis

Bee-eaters ( Meropidae )
Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater - Merops oreobates

Rollers ( Coraciidae )
Lilac-breasted Roller - Coracias caudatus

Wood-hoopoes ( Phoeniculidae )
White-headed Woodhoopoe - Phoeniculus bollei

Hornbills ( Bucerotidae )
Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill - Bycanistes subcylindricus

Barbets ( Lybiidae )
Gray-throated Barbet - Gymnobucco bonapartei

Piculets and Woodpeckers ( Picidae )
Fine-banded Woodpecker - Campethera taeniolaema
Cardinal Woodpecker - Chloropicus fuscescens

Cuckoo-shrike ( Campephagidae )
Gray Cuckooshrike - Coracina caesia

Swallows ( Hirundinidae )
Mosque Swallow - Cecropis senegalensis
Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica
Black Sawwing - Psalidoprocne pristoptera

Bulbuls ( Pycnonotidae )
Common Bulbul - Pycnonotus barbatus
Slender-billed Greenbul - Stelgidillas gracilirostris

Prinias and Apalis ( Cisticolidae )
Gray Apalis - Apalis cinerea
Green-backed Camaroptera - Camaroptera brachyura
Hunter's Cisticola - Cisticola hunteri

White-eyes ( Zosteropidae )
Northern Yellow White-eye - Zosterops senegalensis

Shrike-flycatchers ( Platysteiridae )
Chinspot Batis - Batis molitor

Thrushes and Allies ( Turdidae )
White-browed Robin-Chat - Cossypha heuglini
Red-capped Robin-Chat - Cossypha natalensis
White-eyed Slaty-Flycatcher - Melaenornis fischeri
Dusky-brown Flycatcher - Muscicapa adusta
Moorland Chat - Pinarochroa sordida
Abyssinian Thrush - Turdus abyssinicus
African Thrush - Turdus pelios

Wagtails and Pipits ( Motacillidae )
African Pied Wagtail - Motacilla aguimp
Gray Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea

Starlings and Mynas ( Sturnidae )
Red-winged Starling - Onychognathus morio

Cardueline Finches and Allies ( Fringillidae )
Thick-billed Seedeater - Crithagra burtoni
African Citril - Crithagra citrinelloides
Streaky Seedeater - Crithagra striolata

Old World Sparrows ( Passeridae )
Black-bellied Firefinch - Lagonosticta rara
Brown-capped Weaver - Ploceus insignis

Lifelists

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