Activities at Sipi Falls
Activities at Sipi Falls: Sipi Falls is a chain of water falls siting on the foothills of Mt Elgon, one of the famous mountains in Eastern Uganda. The falls have three levels with two small falls on the lower level and the main one that stands at 95mm high. Visitors to these falls normally take a hike up this fall which is a spectacular adventure with beautiful sceneries along the way and on top of the falls itself.
Most people visit the falls to just take the hike up the falls but there are a lot of other things you can do while you visit these exquisite falls. Below we detail the other activities you can do while at the Sipi Falls.
Hike the Sipi Falls
This is the main activity that is done at the falls. Visitors to the falls hike up to 7 to 8km of muddy road networks to the three different falls with the highest being 95mm above. The routes to these falls are different and most people opt to hike to the highest falls which take about 3 hours to get the top depending on your speed, some instances it takes more than 3 hours. The hike up allows you to enjoy the beautiful sceneries of the Mount Elgon slopes and the surrounding as you enjoy the cool breeze of the mountain. All the hikes up the different falls are guided by guides that will explain the different features along the trails and tell you historic and traditional stories about the falls and the cultures surrounding the falls. When you get up the falls you will enjoy the beauty of the waters and the beautiful scenery from the top. This experience is just amazingly beautiful.
Touring the Coffee Plantations
The Sipi falls are surrounded by coffee farms on the Elgon slopes that you can visit to experience the Arabica coffee process in Eastern Uganda. You can actually take part in coffee picking to shelling them and grinding them with a traditional mortar and pestle. You then go on to watch the roasting in open air and then the final fine coffee that is brewed into your cup. Arabica Coffee is one of the main cash crops in this region of Uganda and most of the coffee processed here is actually exported.
This is a very refreshing experience and also an opportunity to connect with the local people of the communities.
Community Tours
You can also explore the different communities around the Sipi Falls especially the Sabiny people. In these communities you get to engage in the different activities of these communities like dances, songs, storytelling, food preparation and several other tradition activities. These tours will help to appreciate the Sabiny tradition and practices.
Birding
The Mount Elgon slopes are home to different bird species that live in the unique vegetation on the slopes. For persons who love birds, a visit to the Sipi falls can be an opportunity for you to take a birding spree to explore the different birds on the Elgon slopes. Birding can be done as you hike up to the falls or separately on an individual birding spree.
Rock Climbing and Mountain Biking
Because the Sipi Falls area is surrounded with mountainous rocks, you can choose to take up adventurous rock activities such as rock climbing or mountain biking to release some adrenaline. These activities are not commonly done by anyone and are usually not done by faint hearted people; they are done by risk takers and they are quite thrilling and exciting.
Explore the Sipi River
You can on top of hiking the three Sipi falls, take a walk to explore the sipi river after which the falls get their name. The River is a scenic view of clam flowing waters and unique vegetation along the river banks. The river actually has a rare and nice looking vegetation called “sep plant” from where Sipi is derived. The Sep plant is used by the locals to treat fevers, measles and several other diseases.
Nature Walks
The other activity you can do at these falls is to take nature walks on the local trails some that are even used by locals for day to day activities. The walks are designed to help you further appreciate the flora round the Sipi falls and the rocky features. The most famous walking trail is the one downhill to the bottom of the falls to the cave like rock structures.
