Mt. Elgon: 2 GREAT PLACES TO VISIT FROM THE TENP AJIRA DIGITAL CLUB AND SDG TRIP

Mt. Elgon: 2 GREAT PLACES TO VISIT FROM THE TENP AJIRA DIGITAL CLUB AND SDG

Our trip to Mt Elgon National Park was one we will most likely never forget. This trip to Mt. Elgon was held in partnership with The Sustainable Development Goals club and TENP Ajira Digital Club. We had a really great time which was filled with a lot of interactions, socialization and great visual candy, not forgetting all the hiking and learning that we did on that day . We found out some really exciting facts about Mt Elgon, the sorounding area, the landscape and the ecosystem of the place. For example did you know that Mt Elgon National Park once had an airstrip near the entrance its one of the first things you find out when visting the park

Fact about the Mt Elgon National Park

Mt Elgon is one of the largest calderas in the world, its also a dead volcanic mountain that shares the borders of kenya and Uganda. Speaking of borders, it also shares one between two counties in kenya, which are, bungoma where the majority of Mt. Elgon is located and trans nzoia primarily the Endebees area. The jurisdiction of the MT Elgon National Park is shared by the Kenya wildlife Service, kenya forest service and the bungoma county government.

Mt. Elgon: 2 GREAT PLACES TO VISIT FROM THE TENP AJIRA DIGITAL CLUB AND SDG TRIP

Although we did not manage to go up Mt. Elgon we still had a great adventure and got to visit amazing and great places  which included:

• ELKONY WATERFALLS. This waterfall, falls above the Makingeny cave and was recently discovered. unfortunately we were not able to visit the Makingeny cave. The water fall is located near the entrance of the the Mt. Elgon national park.

  

  This was the first site that we went to visit after

  

  entering the park,our tour guide Mr philip, a kws officer took us through the park. The water fall is 1 km away from the main roads of the park and is accesible only through hiking so its a favourite for hikers and nature enthusiast who are visiting Mt Elgon. The members of the club were very happy when they were hiking down the road to the waterfall and when we raeched the area we took a lot of pictures with some even going near the plunge pool and taking the picturs on the slippery stones of the water.Talk about forever young. The trip was filled with a lot of learning experience one of the thing that our tour guide philip highlighted was the word Elkony which is the same as Elgon its derived fro the name El Kony which is a Massai name,it was named after Musobo’s son Kipkony, though through Anglicization it later became Elgon

• KITUM CAVE. This cave is also near the main road and is easily accessible to the hikers. It is a pyroclastic cave that was formed during volcanic activities that were there when Mt Elgon was active . It was first discovered by the Sabaot tribe who after during the colonization era could not imagine working for the white settlers and so had to retreat to the mountain caves but even before, it was still used by humans centuries ago as a shelter. the cave extends 200metres deep. Kitum cave in Mt. Elgon is really dark and the only part with light is the gaping entrance. Kitum cave in Mt. Elgon is also known as the elephant cave because the elephats travel deep into the cave upto to 160 metres in the dark in search of the minerals that the cave provides. The minerals present on the cave walls are magnesium calcium and sodium chloride(salt) the tour guide also highlighted that the way the elephants would get this minerals was by scratching the wall with their tusks and chewing the deposits of salt that landed at the top of the tusks. By them doing this they could get enough niutrients for their bodies. Another thing to find inside the cave was where humans who settled inside the cave used to stay some of the reasons why acient humans would live inside the caves was

1.  To find shelter from harsh elements of the weather.
2.  To hide from predators since the cave had some hiden areas that would make it hard for enemies and predators to find
3.  Access to nearby water stream for example the Kitum falls

All this was highlighted by our tour guide who seemed to be very knowlegable about the ecosystem of the area in Mt Elgon . it hard to imagine that all of us 60 people could fit inside the cave. The best part is we could move freely without colliding with each other because the cave was large enough

This trip to Mt. Elgon by TENP Ajira Digital Club and SDG club was filled with relieving moments and excitment.

 

we extend our heartfelt gratitude to SDG club who helped in preparing and took their time to attend the function. Their vibrant energy and enthusiasm were contagious.We also Thank you to our club members and organizers who made all of it memorable. a special thank to our bus driver and supervisor who made sure we were safe.

we are also looking to how we can improve our events . Please share your thoughts and suggestions to help us make future activities even better. We are already planning our next big event, and we can’t wait to bring you more exciting opportunities to connect and engage.

For more information about our club and upcoming events, visit our TENP Ajira Digital Club homepage. Stay updated with the latest news and events by following our Events Page.

To learn more about the Ajira Digital Program, check out the official Ajira Digital Program website for more resources and opportunities.

Join the Community to attend more trips like the one for Mt Elgon

The success of the Mt. Elgon visit by the TENP Ajira Digital Club and SDG club is a testament to the power of community and collaboration. Together, we have shown that the future works online, and our community is stronger when we come together. Let’s continue to support and uplift each other as we move forward. Here’s to many more successful events in the future!

Thank you to everyone who participated, cheered, and supported us. Your energy and enthusiasm made this event truly special.

Follow our other social media accounts.

Twitter/X: https://x.com/TENPAjira

Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561301182202&is_tour_completed

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tenp.ajira.digital.club?_t=8neM0jRNTLa&_r=1

WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaZxhV3Au3aUEjFRgO3