Mount Elgon is a large extinct volcano that straddles the border between Kenya and Uganda (map). Reaching a height of 4,320 metres 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 kilometers 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 mountains 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 metres. Branches are frequently festooned with lichen and a tangle of wild orchids.

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