Sipi Falls

Today we set off for Sipi falls, Mt. Elgon, in the eastern part of Uganda. Stunning scenery! Our accomodations at Crows Nest Lodge is on top of the slopes of Mt. Elgon and while sleeping in a hut, shed, whatever it is, on the edge of rocky cliffs is definitely awesome..it can be a little sketchy at night, when you have to make your way to the latrine with flashlight in hand and dodge spiders waiting to attack you in the darkness of the night (don't laugh its true, I hate spiders.
Either way, the view here is incredible, with Sipi falls off in the distance you hear the falls clearly in the night while staring up at the starry night. I wish you could see our bunk beds - six people in a tiny room with mosquito nets so thick u get tangled in them! It worried me, however, when the employees of the lodge said that the nets weren't for mosquitos since the climate is colder up here in the mountains, but that the nets were for other bugs....hmmmm...



We spent the day hiking to all three parts of Sipi falls.
This five and a half hour hike I think was even better than the safari! We trekked on steep slopes, through villages and their farms of coffee bean trees, maize, cabbage, matooke, and beans high up in the hills. Absolutely fantastic!


I even explored some caves near the falls but freaked out when I heard some bats screeching. It didn't help that my friends were shining lights on them causing them to fly around our heads...HELLO PEOPLE! RABIES! (I passed on the rabies shots this year too! Ugh!)



Its interesting how we were all using hiking sticks, while the little children and their mothers carried massive bundles of beans on their heads and over their shoulders up the narrow terraces, barefooted nonetheless!

They put us to shame, we must look pathetic with our runners and bamboo shoot walking sticks, even having little kids escort us around some of the steeper parts... hey- it was pretty treacherous at some points!

I learned quite a bit about the people here, their land and sustainable farming. On the east side of Mt.Elgon are the Sabiny people who are of Ethiopian descent, and on the western slopes of the mountain are the Bagisu people, descendents of Cameroon. Our guide explained how Arabica coffee is the main commodity exported from this region and he explained the planting, harvesting, and processing of the coffee bean "business" here.



As I mentioned earlier, we had little kids help us near the end of the hike. Martin, my 10 year old little guide made sure he took my hand and helped me over some slippery rocks
and even when I almost took him out with my walking stick he apologized to ME as is the typical Ugandan way- he could have been 5 km away from me as I tripped and he would have still apologized to me.LOL.


Its pretty neat when you can get real close to the falls yourself. There are no barriers here as there are in Niagara Falls.