Overview
If you want to combine adventure and culture, this tour is for you. This 9-day culture and hiking vacation in Uganda combines the best of both worlds. Your initial encounters will be with local populations in the countryside around Mt Elgon’s slopes. Following that, you will spend four days climbing and exploring Mt Elgon, which features waterfalls, greenery, and caverns.
Safari highlights
- Source of River Nile
- Sipi Falls
- Sabiny Culture
- Hiking Mt Elgon
Itinerary
Day 1: On Arrival in Uganda – The Pearl of Africa
When you arrive at Entebbe International Airport, an African Bufallo Safaris guide will greet you and offer information about the safari you are about to embark on. You will then be driven to your accommodation for the night.
Day 2: Transfer to Jinja – Adventure Capital of East Africa
We begin our tour with a cultural experience at Sezibwa Falls on our route to Jinja. The road to Jinja passes past scenic tea and sugarcane farms, a tropical rain forest, and various homesteads.
When we arrive in Jinja, we take a boat ride to the source of the Nile on Lake Victoria, where an excited youth will tell you about the Nile and its voyage to Egypt. We move to Sipi for the night after the boat ride.
Day 3 &4: Cultural experiences on the slopes of Mt Elgon
We will spend time learning about and participating in Sabiny culture and community. First, we proceed to the Sipi Widows group on Mt Elgon’s slopes. This is where the best washed Arabica coffee comes from. The Sipi Widows’ Group walks you around the coffee farm, showing you how to grow, select, grind, store, and wash coffee.
We will learn about the Sabiny and engage in traditional weaving, African cuisines (preparation, cooking, and tasting of local meals), and a visit to the women’s handicraft business. Proceeds from the tour and shop are used to maintain the coffee trees, raise awareness about the hazards of female circumcision (which is still performed in this region), and pay school tuition.
We will also go to the Sipi Falls, which provide stunning views.
Day 5: Hike to Piswa Camp
After breakfast, we will drive you to Kapkwata at 2190 meters, where you will begin your Mt Elgon walk. It is a picturesque trek that takes you through bamboo, heath, and moorland before reaching at the Piswa Camp at 2850 meters. Today’s climb will not be too strenuous; instead, take in the varied greenery as you ascend to Piswa camp.
Day 6: Hunters Cave Camp in Mt Elgon
Hike up to the caldera rim past stunning columns of rare and indigenous plant species such as the enormous Lobelia Elgonensis. This is a magnificent tour through the foliage found solely at this elevation in Uganda; keep an eye out for the ever-beautiful wild Everlasting flowers. On this path, you will pass through the hot springs, which are an excellent place to pause. Suam Gorge, with stunning mountain vistas, is located on the same path. After the gorge, the final stage of the hike takes you to Hunters Cave Camp at 3850 meters.
Day 7: Overnight at Mude Cave Camp
The aim for today is to climb to the top of the caldera at the 4321-meter-high Wagagai Peak. The views from the caldera are well worth the ascent. Following that, we will descend through the Jackson peak (4200 meters) and the Jackson pool to Mude Cave Camp (3500 meters) for the night. Mt Elgon features the world’s biggest caldera and is Africa’s fourth tallest peak.
Day 8: Descend through the Sasa Trail
After an early breakfast, you will start your descent down the Sasa route to Budadiri. We chose an alternative track so that you may see more of the mountain from a different perspective. We arrive in Budadiri, where our driver guide will meet you and bring you back to Kampala, with a lunch stop in Mbale.
Day 9: End of Mt Elgon Hike – Departure
After a comfortable night reminiscing about your walk to Uganda’s second highest mountain, you transfer to the airport to begin your trip home. Thank you for joining us in experiencing this portion of Uganda… We look forward to helping you organize your next trip to the Pearl of Africa.
