Trip facts
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Private trip, your own group only
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Your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala, or Entebbe International Airport
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Your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala, or Entebbe International Airport
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1 to 6 per vehicle; larger groups use more vehicles
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English; other languages by agreement
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Level 3: Moderate
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Two nights in a mid-range lodge near Sipi trading centre, with views of the falls
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Full board from lunch on day 1 to lunch on day 3
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Hired 4x4 safari vehicle with driver-guide
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No permit needed; local guide and trail fees included
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June to August and December to March; April to May and September to November bring heavy rain and slippery paths
Why you will love this trip
Sipi Falls is a set of three waterfalls on the green slopes of Mount Elgon, an old volcano on Uganda’s border with Kenya. The highest fall drops close to 100 metres, and on clear days the view stretches far across the plains to the north. The air is cool, the paths are lined with small farms and banana gardens, and the people are friendly.
On this trip you hike to all three falls with a local guide, walking through farms, along cliff paths and down to the pools, about 4 to 6 hours with steep steps. It is a real walk, but not a mountain climb.
Sipi is home to the Sebei (Sabiny) people, and Arabica coffee from Mount Elgon is a key livelihood here. One afternoon is spent with a coffee-farming family: you pound the dried coffee to remove the husks, sort the beans by hand, roast them over a fire and taste a fresh cup. Two Servants has run this experience with guests before, and it is often the moment they remember most. The family hosts you and the visit is included in your trip, so what you pay goes to them.
You travel in a hired 4×4 safari vehicle with an experienced driver-guide and stay two nights in a mid-range lodge near the falls.
Highlights
- Hike to all three Sipi Falls with a local guide
- Pound, sort and roast coffee with a Sebei farming family, then taste your own cup
- Big views from the cliffs across the plains below Mount Elgon
- Cool mountain air, farms and banana gardens along every path
- A stop at the Source of the Nile in Jinja on the drive east
- Optional abseiling beside the main falls with a specialist operator
