Mt. Wanale and Sipi Falls
The Mbale District in Eastern Uganda is a beautiful place. Home to the Mount Elgon National Park, it’s a lush mountainous area with incredible hiking and diverse wildlife. While Elgon is unfortunately not dog friendly, the surrounding hikes at Mt. Wanale and Sipi Falls are.
Getting There
Getting to Mbale is no quick trip. Due to traffic and poor road conditions it’s about a 4 hour drive north-east of Jinja, which is where I was living, making it a 8-10 hour drive from Kampala. Don’t be fooled by what Google Maps tells you. I suggest doubling the time for a more accurate estimate of your arrival.
Public transport is available, mini-busses leave from all major towns and cities. You can definitely cram your dog in one if you want, but I wouldn’t’ recommend it. While public transport is reliable in the sense that it will arrive, there is no guarantee how long that will take. For the sake of Milo (and my own personal sanity) I rented a car and drove myself, a more enjoyable experience for all.
As you approach the city of Mbale you can see Mt. Wanale clearly. Sipi Falls, which is located in Kapchorwa, is another hour drive north. Most people like to combine these hikes in one visit, however Milo and I did them in two.
Mt. Wanale
Hiking Mt. Wanale is one of my favorite experiences from living in Uganda. I do wish we hadn’t tried to make the trip in one day though. My friends and I thought we could drive up from Jinja, complete the hike and make it back before the sun went down. We were not successful and I highly advise to never drive in Uganda at night unless you have a death wish.
Driving up we knew there was major road work so we took what would normally be a slightly longer route through Tororo.
There is no parking at the base of Wanale so most people park in Mbale town. You can then take a boda boda (motor bike taxi) to the base. Otherwise it would be a 6 kilometer walk. While I have seen people holding dogs on bodas, there was no way I was going to get Milo on without him trying to bite someone. So we parked at Endiro Coffee and walked the 6 kilometers to the base.
All of these hikes require hiring a guide. Not only is it a nice way to help employ locals, but nothing is labeled so you would never figure it out on your own anyway. We didn’t really think through the logistics and went in with the attitude that we would figure it out as we go. Walking from Mbale to the base meant walking through the villages so it was easy to ask around for a guide. Through various conversations we ended up with three village kids as our guides to the top.
The beginning of the hike is deceptively easy, you weave through small huts seemingly hidden around the base of the mountain. The main hike itself is quite challenging as its steep, muddy and slippery. With my friend Allie in the lead, a marathon athlete using this as an opportunity for endurance training, she seemed to be skipping to the top with Milo right behind her. The rest of us just tried our best to keep up. The hike from the base to the top is about a mile and a half and we managed to reach the top in under an hour.
The view from the top is absolutely stunning, you can see all of Mbale. There is amazingly a small village here where people seem to manage living at the top of this very steep mountain. This is important to remember if you plan on doing this hike with your dog. I was not aware there would be people living at the top and much to everyone’s distress Milo ended up terrorizing their chickens chasing them around the village. Alternatively, to everyone’s satisfaction he chased some young guys up a tree. They had been harassing us for money. Dogs really are intuitive.
We made the trek down successfully, much to the credit of our little guides. Things got confusing when we parted ways. We had to make our way back to the car on our own. We ended up getting a bit lost which set us back. This is how we ended up driving back to Jinja in the dark. As stressful as the drive was the hike was well worth it and Milo had the best time.
Sipi Falls
Having learned from the Wanale experience, I made sure to schedule 2 nights and 3 days for our trip to Sipi Falls. I rented a car and drove up with my husband (then boyfriend), my sister, her friend and Milo.
We stayed at the Sipi River Lodge which is conveniently located next to one of the falls. It is also dog friendly. The lodge has two dogs of their own, so your dog must be good with other dogs if you want to stay here.
I love that it’s eco-friendly and breakfast, lunch and dinner are included in the price. It’s considered the high end option compared to other places in the area. We chose it because it was dog friendly and because our friend is a co-owner. Sipi is also famous for their coffee and the lodge does a complimentary coffee hour which is perfect if you are a coffee addict like Brett or myself.
There are three waterfalls that make up the full Sipi Falls hike. As I already mentioned you need to hire a guide to take you to the falls. If you try to go on your own you will probably get lost. Even if you find your way you will be harassed by people wanting to be hired as your guide. My advice is to hire someone associated with one of the lodges or backpackers in the area. Sipi River Lodge organized a guide for us which was very convenient.
During certain points of the hike you will walk along the main road, so be sure to leash your dog. Drivers are fast and erratic so it’s best to play it safe even if your dog is well behaved. I let Milo run free once we were off the road and in the banana plantation. Then he could run all the way down to the bottom of the falls and back. I recommend wearing a swimming suit in case you want to go for a dip in one of the pools.
Hiking to all three of the waterfalls is just under five miles. We made the mistake of not starting early enough in the morning so by the time we got to the third waterfall is was crazy hot, but still well worth it.
I would consider it medium level in difficulty. The waterfalls are quite big with the longest drop at 328 feet. Unless you specifically ask not to, your guide will take you all the way to the bottom of the falls meaning you have to hike back up. If you are fit it’s no problem but it’s something to keep in mind if you are with someone who is not as strong.
There is also a bit of walking in between waterfalls and most people avoid this by taking a boda boda. Since I had Milo this wasn’t an option. I enjoyed walking everywhere which for us was great since we wanted exercise. We started the hike at 8:00 am and made it back before lunch at 1:00 pm. It was a good 4-5 hour outing.
The fall situated right next to the lodge is the only one that is easy to do on your own. You can hike halfway to the cave or go all the way up to the top.
Like at Wanale, situated at the top of this waterfall is a small village which I was not expecting. I had some trouble when Milo and one of the lodge puppies chased a piglet around for a while. While everything ended well, in Uganda be prepared for there to be a village absolutely everywhere. So leash your dog if it likes to chase livestock like mine does.
There is also excellent mounting biking in Sipi, and Sipi River Lodge will sometimes have bikes available for rent. If not, places in Jinja have multi-day bike rentals which will allow you to bring your own bike up to Sipi. You will have to ride on the main road to get to the mountain trails so I don’t recommend bringing your dog.
Mt. Elgon
If you are an avid hiker and don’t have a dog then I highly suggest hiking Mt. Elgon. Traditionally a three day hike but I know people who have done it in two. With a unique landscape and spectacular views it’s well worth it. Between working and trying to find someone to look after Milo I never got the chance to hike it, but it’s on my list of things to do next time I go for a visit.
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