Kitum Cave
A cave in volcanic rock on Mount Elgon. Elephants and other animals enter it to eat the salt in the walls.
A cave in volcanic rock
Kitum is one of several caves on the slopes of Mount Elgon, an extinct volcano on the border of Kenya and Uganda. The rock is rich in sodium. Animals that lack salt in their diet come to the caves to get it.
Elephants break off pieces of the wall with their tusks and eat them. Over a very long time this has helped to enlarge the cave. For many years people thought the tusk marks were made by ancient miners.
Kitum Cave at a glance
- Location
- Mount Elgon National Park, western Kenya
- Rock
- volcanic ash and agglomerate
- Length
- about 200 m
- Altitude
- about 2,400 m
- Known for
- elephants digging for salt
- Other animals
- buffalo, bushbuck, bats
- Health note
- linked to Marburg virus cases in the 1980s
- Access
- on foot, with a ranger
Night visits by elephants
The elephants usually come at night and find their way in the dark by touch. Buffalo, bushbuck and hyenas also use the cave. Visitors seldom see the elephants but can see the scraped walls and droppings.
A waterfall drops over the cave mouth in the wet season.
Marburg virus and bats
Two people who had visited Kitum Cave died of Marburg virus disease, one in 1980 and one in 1987. The cave became widely known through the book The Hot Zone. Egyptian fruit bats are now known to carry the virus.
Visitors should follow the advice of the park rangers, avoid contact with bats and their droppings, and stay out of the inner parts of the cave where bats roost.
Kitum Cave in figures
In pictures
Select a photograph to enlarge it. Authors and licences are listed in the photo credits.
Before you go
Getting there
The park gate at Chorlim is about 30 km from Kitale. The cave is a short walk from the park road.
On the visit
Go with a ranger and carry a strong torch. The floor is uneven and covered with rock debris.
Good to know
Other caves in the park, such as Makingeny and Chepnyalil, can be visited on the same walk.
Opening times, access rules and prices change. Confirm them before you travel: kws.go.ke.
