Sipi Falls & Coffee Trail
Hike the three tiers of the Sipi Falls on the foothills of Mount Elgon, learn Arabica coffee from cherry to cup with a local farming family, and take in some of the finest views in eastern Uganda.
- Duration
- 3 Days / 2 Nights
- Group size
- 2-10 people
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Best time
- Jun-Aug & Dec-Feb (drier trails)
- Ideal for
- Hikers & coffee lovers
- Destination
- Sipi Falls
Your Journey, Day by Day
- 1Day 1 of 3
Kampala to Sipi Falls
East past Jinja and Mbale, 5-6 hours, then up onto the shoulder of Mount Elgon, an extinct volcano with the largest base of any in the world and a caldera some 40km across, straddling the Kenyan border. The last climb to Sipi is steep and worth it: the lodges here sit on the escarpment edge, looking out over the Karamoja plains falling away for a hundred kilometres, with the main falls dropping off the cliff beside you. Arrive in time for it at sunset.
Scenic eastern driveMount Elgon escarpmentViews across the Karamoja plainsSunset over the fallsMeals:Lunch, DinnerOvernight:Sipi Falls lodge - 2Day 2 of 3
Three-Waterfall Hike & Coffee Trail
A community-guided hike linking all three of the Sipi falls, which are not one waterfall but three separate drops on the same stream, spread across the escarpment and connected by paths that run through smallholdings, banana stands and villages; you walk past people's front doors, and the guides are from those houses. The largest drop is around 100 metres and you can get behind the curtain of it. In the afternoon, an Arabica coffee experience with a local family: Bugisu coffee grows on these slopes at altitude, and you follow it from cherry picking through pulping, drying and roasting in a pan to the cup at the end. Uganda mostly exports Robusta; this is the other side of the industry.
Three-tier waterfall hikeVillage & farmland trailsCoffee from cherry to cupMeals:Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerOvernight:Sipi Falls lodge - 3Day 3 of 3
Abseiling / Mount Elgon & Return
A choice for the last morning: an abseil down the cliff face beside the main 100-metre falls, going over the lip with the water beside you, or something quieter, the Kapkwai forest trail on the lower slopes of Mount Elgon, which reaches caves once used to shelter livestock and turns up Elgon-slope birds and colobus along the way. Then the return drive west to Kampala, arriving in the evening.
Optional abseilingMount Elgon nature trailReturn driveMeals:Breakfast, LunchOvernight:Departure
What's Included
- Transport from/to Kampala
- Local hiking & coffee-trail guides
- Lodge accommodation (2 nights)
- Three-waterfall hike & coffee experience
- Meals as specified & bottled water
Not Included
- Abseiling fee (optional)
- Mount Elgon park fees (optional)
- Tips
- Drinks & personal expenses
