Our 4 days Mountain Elgon climbing safari Uganda trip or Mountain Elgon hiking safari is the best four days Mout Elgon trekking Uganda tour that starts and ending in Kampala. This exciting, Uganda adventure safari tour takes you for the source of the Nile in Jinja & City tour−one of the most iconic places in Africa – the point at which the world’s longest river exits the world’s largest tropical freshwater lake to commence an epic 6,650km journey to the Mediterranean Sea via the deserts of Sudan and Egypt. Here, we will take a very relaxing boat cruise to the place where John Speke stood as the first European to discover the legendary source of River Nile.
After this exhilarating experience, we will proceed for a hike to the 99m-high Sipi Falls, the last in a series of three pretty waterfalls formed by the Sipi River as it cascades downhill from the upper slopes of Mount Elgon into the Kyoga Basin.
Finally, we will take a whole day hike on Mount Elgon, a magnificent extinct shield volcano featuring the fourth-highest point in East Africa (4321m). Mt Elgon also has the largest base of any of the world’s volcanically formed mountains and− with the largest volcanic mountain caldera at the top extending to 42km2.
This 4 days Mountain Elgon climbing/trekking safari Uganda tour also features a tour to Sezibwa falls one of Uganda’s hidden cultural treasure−a Buganda cultural tourist site rich with birds, folktales, and great scenery and the forest walk in the 306km2 Mabira Forest which offers excellent birding and monkey viewing.
If you’d like to customize this 4 days mountain Elgon trekking/hiking safari Uganda tour or have any special desires, please let us know. We’re here to make your Uganda Mountain hiking safari tour wishes come true.
A thrilling boat cruise to the source of the world’s longest river−the Nile
An adventurous hike to Mount Elgon, Uganda’s second highest mountain
A hike to the spectacular Sipi Falls
Visiting the Sezibwa Falls, Uganda’s hidden cultural treasure
Exciting forest walks in the magnificent Mabira forest
An educational tour to the reptile village in Jinja to explore counts of snakes and other reptiles
Day 1: Jinja−the source of the Nile
Day 2: Sipi Area−Sipi Falls
Day 3: Mount Elgon
Day 4: Transfer back to Kampala
Day 1: Transfer to Jinja, Visit the Sezibwa Falls, Mabira Forest, Reptile Village & boat cruise to the source of the Nile
Day 2: Transfer to Sipi Area & hike the Sipi Falls
Day 3: Undertake a whole day hike to Mount Elgon
Day 4: Transfer back to Kampala
After breakfast at around 6.30 am, we will transfer to Jinja driving 80km from Uganda’s capital city Kampala which takes about 2 hours. The drive takes you past the impressive landscapes of the city outskirts, towns, and markets where you will see people going on with their daily life. We will branch off to tour the Sezibwa Falls which lies on Sezibwa River, a notable beauty spot and significant cultural site of Buganda. Legend has it that, Sezibwa River is not a natural phenomenon, but the progeny of a pregnant woman called Nakkungu, who lived many centuries ago and belonged to the Kibe (fox) clan. She was expected to give birth to twin children, but instead what poured from her womb was a twin river.
We will continue on the drive to Mabira Forest for forest walks. Mabira is the largest remaining block of moist semi-deciduous forest in Central Uganda. The forest ranks as one of the most important birding sites in Uganda with a checklist of 315 species including the Great blue turaco, African grey parrot, three species of hornbills, forest wood-hoopoe, Africa pitta, Purple-throated cuckoo-shrike, Red-tailed leaflove, Wyn’s weaver, Nahan’s francolin. Primates include Red-tailed monkeys, and black-and-white colobus, not forgetting primates like the endemic Ugandan Mangabey.
We will proceed to Jinja where you will take a visit to the reptile village to explore counts of snakes and other reptiles and then connect to the afternoon connect to the source of the Nile: one of the most iconic places in Africa – the point at which the world’s longest river exit Africa’s largest freshwater lake to commence an epic 6,650km journey to the Mediterranean Sea. The boat cruise to the source of the Nile is a rewarding adventure as it exposes you to opportunities of exploring counts of birds including beautiful Kingfishers. Stepping the point where John Speke stood as the first European to discover the source of the River Nile takes you back to the ancient times when the mystical Nile River Source lured great men into the world of the unknown.
The highlight of the day: – A stunning boat cruise to the source of the Nile River.
Accommodation:-
Luxury/Upmarket: – Wild waters Lodge/ Haven Lodge Jinja
Mid-range/Moderate: – 2 Friends Hotel Jinja/Haven Lodge Jinja
Budget/Basic: – Source of the Smile Guesthouse
Meal Plan: Bed & Breakfast/Half board in a hotel in Jinja
Drive distance & time: Approx. 80km or 2-3 hours
Activities & Services of the day:-
Optional activities you can do on this day:-
After breakfast at around 6.30am, embark on175km (3-4hours) drive to Sipi falls in the east of Uganda. The drive takes you through the beautiful eastern Uganda landscapes featuring lovely wetlands and swamps before approaching the extensive rice plantations that have made this region the hub of Uganda’s rice. You drive through the Mbale area and proceed to Sipi for lunch.
In the afternoon, we embark on the Sipi Falls hike for a sightseeing experience. The 99m-high Sipi Falls is the last in a series of three pretty waterfalls formed by the Sipi River as it cascades downhill from the upper slopes of Mount Elgon into the Kyoga Basin. The walking trail to Sipi Falls, (only 20 minutes each) leads from behind the Sipi trading center to the base of the main waterfall. You will enjoy the impressive scenery as you hike to the falls including the sights of Elgon Mountain and the plains of Karamoja. The Sipi falls present a lovely flow of water and a good site for photography.
You can also continue another 20-30 minutes hike to reach a cluster of caves on the cliff above the river. It is also possible to take a hike from the main waterfall to the two more small waterfalls one of which has a tempting swimming pool at the base. Another interesting option is a coffee tour to local subsistence farms where you will learn about the coffee farming process from harvesting and drying the beans to roasting and grinding them for consumption.
Return from the activity and connect to the lodge for relaxation and overnight
The highlight of the day: – An exciting hike to the Sipi falls on the slopes of Mount Elgon.
Accommodation:-
Luxury/Upmarket: – Sipi River Lodge
Mid-range/Moderate: – Mbale Resort Hotel
Budget/Basic: – Sipi River Lodge/ Kapkwai Forest Cottages
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive distance & time: – Approx. 175km or 3-4 hours
Activities & Services:-
Meal Plan: – Bed & Breakfast / Half board
Activities & Services of the day:-
Optional activities you can do this day:-
After breakfast at around 6.30 am, connect to Kapkwai Forest Exploration Center (only 3km east of Sipi) on Mount Elgon. The free standing Mt Elgon is an extinct shield volcano. At 4321m, it is the second-highest massif in Uganda and it boasts the largest base of an extinct volcano in the world. This massive extinct volcano is topped by an immense collapsed caldera, which is the largest Moutain caldera in the whole world.
Kapkwai Center is situated at an altitude of 2050m, immediately inside Mount Elgon National Park. There is a network of trails that runs through the exploration centre offers access to the surrounding Afro-montane forest and the opportunity to see associated monkeys such as black-and-white colobus, blue monkeys as well as birds such as cinnamon chested bee-eater, Doherty’s bush-shrike, golden-winged sunbird, Hartlaub’s turacos, Bar-tailed trogon, Grey-throated Barbet, Montane Oriole, Moutain greenbul, and Black-collared Apalis.
The hike also offers you impressive views of the mountain flora including the groundsel and giant lobelia, the panoramic views of Bagisu settlement and farmlands, Mbale town, Karamoja plains, and Kenya. You have a picnic lunch on the mountain and retreat back to the starting point in the evening to connect to the lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
The highlight of the day: – An adventurous whole day hike to Mount Elgon.
Accommodation:-
Luxury/Upmarket: – Sipi River Lodge
Mid-range/Moderate: – Mbale Resort Hotel
Budget/Basic: – Sipi River Lodge/ Kapkwai Forest Cottages
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Picnic lunch & Dinner
Activities & Services of the day:-
Optional activities you can do on this day:-
After a relaxed breakfast at around 7.30 am, embark on the transfer back to Kampala passing through the impressive swamps of Eastern Uganda along with the views of extensive rice and sugar plantations. Arrive in Kampala in the afternoon.
Meal Plan: – Breakfast & Lunch
Drive distance & time: – Approx. 255km or 5-6 hours
Activities & Services of the day:-
End of the 4 Days Mountain Elgon Climbing Safari ∣ 4 Days Mountain Elgon Hiking/Uganda Trekking Tour
Cate
Samuel
Robert
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