Sippi Falls

Panoramic view of the lower falls

First of all, I apologize for the delayed post, we actually went to Sipi  two weeks ago. But then my PI from the US visited and I was very busy and then I was sick so did nothing last weekend. Turns out I have a touch of the pneumonia and amoebas... So I also apologize for this long rambling blog. Next adventure is Fort Portal (if my lungs comply).

View from our camp

Sipi falls is located in the foothills of Mt. Elgon, which straddles the border between Uganda and Kenya. It is a series of three large waterfalls, the biggest dropping 100m. Mt. Elgon is a volcano crater and used to be the tallest place in Africa until it erupted, putting kili on the map. It's now a measly 14,177 ft (4,321 m), which still puts all the ski resorts in the US to shame (at least so wiki tells me). Luckily Sipi Falls is only at 1,100m, which is lower than Kampala.

Sunset over the plains/lakes

We set off Friday after work. There were 9 in our  intrepid team (the fellowship of sipi), lead by our fearless half-Ugandan leopard-print snuggie-wearing (while hiking) leader. We were going to mutatu there (the taxi minibuses that drive like maniacs), but the morning before we left my Ugandan coworker informed me we would die this way, so we took a bus. The trip took around 5 hours, and wasn't bad for African standards. We arrived in the dark in Mbale and switched to a minibus  to climb up the escarpment. The moon was out, and so was the power (if it ever existed) and so we could actually see quite a bit. Our camp/hostel site was on the edge of a cliff, which I almost plummeted off in the dark that first night. However, we could see the falls in the moonlight, absolutely stunning.

Sunset over the plains of Uganda

The next day we woke, had a sad breakfast and even sadder coffee. Sipi falls grows Bugisu arabica coffee that only grows at an altitude of between 1,600-1,900m. It is meant to be excellent and is exported around the world, where it is very expensive. Being an addict, I was really looking forward to the coffee. However the stuff we were served was terrible, maybe we got the reject beans? We also ran out of time for a coffee tour. Clearly I must go back.

view of both the top and lower falls

Dangerously under-caffeinated and still hungry, we set out on our trek. Our guide got us some walking sticks "for balance." We started out along the road, where coffee beans were lying out in the sun. From the road in the blue morning haze the plains looked like an ocean. We did a steep climb through villages and coffee, maize and banana fields. We wheezed our way up while village boys ran along side us trying to make conversation. We did get an unofficial coffee tour: every single "arabica coffee" tree was pointed out to me. We also got to see the first step in millet-beer making. Called ajono. The entire process takes 3 days and is rather labor intensive. It seems the women make it, then the men drink it. Figures.

millet

 making millet beer

 As we approached the top falls, it started to get very wet from the mist. There were beautiful flowers  on the way. I of course fell and was covered in mud...By the end I was soaked and muddy.

Flowers by the top falls

The top falls

Our guides/entourage of village boys asked us if we wanted to see chameleons. They disappeared into the jungly undergrowth and returned with a male and a female chameleon. Backstory--when I was in Malawi, the two things I wanted to see most were elephants and chameleons. Well, I did see a chameleon but it was dead and regurgitated from a very poisonous snake, which itself was dead having been stoned by the villagers. I also did see elephants--they "escaped" the park and went marauding through a village and were being shot at (air shots). I decided the only thing I want to see in Uganda are mountain gorillas...let's see how that turns out.

male chameleon--thanks nick!

 We went on past avocado, mango, papaya, banana, onions and maize to a swimming pool in the river. I didn't swim because I felt I was coming down with something (many things), but from the various expletives it must have been freezing. We continued to the top of the second falls. 

river winding down from the middle falls

middle falls with banana plants

It didn't rain on us

Then on down through some jungle to more falls, these ones with a cave behind them. Our guide took a shower.

Then down some more for the final lower falls, the 100m drop ones. Now this bit was a bit hairy, there was a ladder of sorts to "help" us up/down the very steep hillside. The rungs bits of dodgy wood and very far apart, especially for my short legs. We went down facing forward, as instructed (I think for our guide's entertainment). The rails were not reliable. It was very steep. I'll put it this way, luckily none of us are scared of heights. Simon could not have done it.

at the top, before the really steep bit

lower falls

At this point in our journey, school boys were helping us. Basically dragging us up and down the hill. I tried to resist (training for kili here!) but it was hard. They managed to do in oversized flip flops what we could barely do in hiking books. We gave them some money "for water" at the end.

lower falls

We also passed thru nests of biting ants. Not fire ants (thank god), but nonetheless the buggers that you have to pull off you and often they leave their pincers in. On the way back up, I had one in my sports bra, it bit me twice while I was climbing the damned ladder. Almost died. 

whispering acacia tree

At the top we all rested, then back to the campsite. A few of us decided to hike to the other side of an outcrop to see the sunset. We set off up the road and in no time had a guide, who told us the best place. He pointed up to a hill where a man would help us see the sunset (?). We looked up and there was a tiny figure of a man waving his hands from the top of the steep outcrop. So up we went with another entourage (girls this time). The view was amazing, we could see the base of mount Elgon (the peak was shrouded in clouds), both the top and lower falls, and the plains with lakes that stretched on forever.  We forgot how fast the sun goes down on the equator and stumbled back to camp in the pitch dark for dinner (guacamole, beans and rice!) and stargazing. 

sunset (spot Julie and Lexie)

looking toward Mt. Elgon and Kenya

 I woke up early Sunday morning to catch the sunrise. The more fit in our group went for a run. It was only then, as I wandered around the village wondering why nobody was responding to my limited Luganda greetings that I remembered they speak a totally different language here (Lumasaaba). Wonderful. We all regrouped and got the 11am bus back to Kampala. I was exhausted!

maize

sunset