The Sipi Falls have become a huge head-turner recently for both foreign and local tourists. It offers a misty fog created as the water drips with great toughness and deep rumbling, the magical suspenseful hike on the top of the falls and the views of Mount Elgon it provides, coffee plantations views, and the surrounding Kapchorwa plains, but not forgetting the photo-worthy spots. If you are planning to travel to Sipi Falls, here is what you should expect to do and see. Click here to see mountain gorilla trekking safaris .

Abseiling at Sipi

Abseiling is one of the most intrepid sports in Sipi Falls, which travelers should engage in on their adventurous trip. Abseiling is good for an adrenaline junkie (in a good way); this is the activity carried out by experienced people. It is a sport where tourists descend to the slopes of the steep rocks down the water falls with a friction device and rope. Abseiling is also called ‘rappelling’. Click here to view our recommended mountain gorilla trekking tour

Tourists are advised to carry a helmet and comfortable shoes with grips for abseiling. This sport is done at Chebonet Falls, which is elevated at 1272 meters above the ground. Chebonet Falls is nearby but not among the three Sipi Falls, so abseiling is an added marvel to your original expectation.

Hiking

Hiking in Sipi Falls is an add-on adventure where tourists are given walking sticks for support during the hike. Hiking in Sipi Falls takes approximately 3 hours to finish at all three falls. Why should travelers come all the way and just hike one of the falls? For a complete experience, participate in the 3-hour hike.

The Sipi Falls hike paths are approximately 7 to 8 kilometers long, with each hiking trail offering a different adventure and discoveries. Tourists are guided by a professional local tour guide who knows all the ins and outs of Sipi as well as the best places with the best panoramic view of the valley.

Agro-tours

On your agro-tour, you will be taken to encounter the life of a coffee grower. You will discover the main type of coffee grown in the Sipi region, which is Arabica coffee, which grows at 1900 meters above sea level.

Many people around Sipi are coffee growers who have been doing this from generations to generations. Most of the people along the lower Mount Elgon plains are coffee growers in all stages. Tourists are granted opportunities to learn the entire process, from planting coffee to the weeding process to maintaining, grinding, and selling.

Mountain Biking

Tour a rocky and hilly place like Sipi Falls in style using a bike. Biking in Sipi Falls isn’t for everyone. Sipi Falls offers lots of biking trails set up specifically for biking near Sipi River Lodge. Trekking trails range from hard-core technical rocky climbs to easier downhill trails.

The biking trails offer more than a biking opportunity, where travelers get a chance to bike along the lower sides of Mount Elgon and get a chance to view many coffee plantations, Kapchorwa plains, three Sipi Falls, and the Sipi River. Tourists can also bike through the local community and check out how these local people live.

Mount Elgon National Park

Mountain Elgon National Park is located just 34 kilometers from Sipi Falls. Mount Elgon has a lot to see, ranging from wildlife species such as bush pigs, leopards, forest hogs, bushbucks, elephants, spotted hyenas, buffalos, red-tailed monkeys, Defassa waterbucks, black and white colobus, baboons, and vervet monkeys, among others.

Bird-watching in Sipi Falls

Sipi Falls is located in the mountainous area, protecting over 300 bird species, such as afrotropical highland like the Moorland Francolin, Moustache Green Tinkerbird, and Alpine Chat. Be ready to spot some black-collared Apalis and Jackson’s Francolin that can be seen in the Mount Elgon region. There are also black-shouldered kites, Tacazze Sunbirds, and endangered Lammergeyer. that can only be spotted in eastern Uganda.

Community Visits

For tourists who are deeply interested in African or Ugandan cultures, a community tour is one of the things you should participate in while on the trip to Sipi. The people who reside in this area are called the Bagisu, showcasing one of the immensely cultural tribes in Uganda. The Bagisu still practice some of their old traditions up to now, such as the infamous 'Imbalu, which means the circumcision’ of all male children when reaching a certain age group. It takes place in August and December, but unfortunately, you can’t take pictures.

Traveling from Kampala to Sipi Falls takes 4-5 hours. The main highway used is the Kampala-Jinja Highway, which gives travelers an opportunity to view fascinating places such as the Mabira Forest and the Nile River. When you reach Jinja, your journey continues to Iganga town before turning off and joining the Tinyiri highway leading to Mbale. Alternatively, travelers can continue straight up to Tororo town and then to Mbale. But the Tororo route is longer, so I don’t advise it, but it offers more scenic views.

The Sipi Falls can be toured throughout the year. Visiting the waterfalls in the drier seasons of the year is the best for most tourists who wish to encounter the cool weather within Sipi Falls. The dry month is best for visiting Sipi Falls because the hiking trail up to the highest waterfall is not muddy and slippery.