Sipi Falls
UGANDA
A Great Introduction to Uganda
By AARON
Saturday, March 12, 2011
As we switched from matatu to matatu after leaving Kakamega (probably about 4 in total), one couldn’t help but wonder if it was all worth it- going north to Mbale and Sipi Falls instead of taking the easier route straight to Jinja. We would soon find out that it was.
After what many would call a successful trip to Kenya, we headed in to Uganda, land of Mountain Gorilla Trekking, Lake Victoria and rafting the Nile. Deciding to take a quick side trip, Lyndi and I first headed northeast to the small town of Sipi Falls, which is home to “the most beautiful waterfall in Uganda”.
After a quick stint in Mbale, the main town just outside of Sipi Falls, we took yet another matatu about an hour north to our lodging at Moses’ Campsite. Greeted promptly by Julius as we wrenched our bags from under the back seat, we were escorted to the main reception area and were greeted by stunning views of the 3rd and most famous of the three waterfalls here in Sipi.
The town itself is tiny, what you might call a “one horse/ stoplight town” where all the residents know each other by name, and all their kids play together on a nightly basis. Resting on an elevated plain thanks to nearby Mt Elgon National Park, the town offers stunning views of the valley below (where Mbale rests) and if you plan your accommodation right, amazing views of the waterfall as well.
Since we arrived around 10am, we decided that we could do the waterfall tour that day, and then head out to Jinja the next, providing us with ample time to see the rest of Uganda, while still being able to take in some of the “small town feel” that Sipi Falls offered. We agreed on a price with Julius (16,000Ush/pp) for the 3 ½ hour tour and took off at noon.
As we headed uphill to the first waterfall, we encountered a bit of rain, and by “a bit of rain” I mean a torrential downpour, where we were forced to rip off some huge banana tree leaves as makeshift umbrellas as we trudged uphill in the rain. As the rain continued to get worse, we took a break outside a local house where three kids were standing as well. Not knowing a lick of Lugandan (the local dialect) and only basic Swahili, the three kids and I entertained ourselves in other ways via “peek-a-boo” and “here’s my crappy watch, see how it lights up”.
Once the rain subsided, we said our farewells and headed to the first waterfall. I must say, even at the end of the dry season, the first two waterfalls were stunning. Nothing huge as far as quantities of water, but very beautiful background and scenery as both were surrounded by lush, green rolling landscape and millions of banana trees strewn throughout.
Another bonus of the tour was that you were literally walking through the locals’ fields and back yards, and were constantly greeted by the kids with the only English they had learned up to this point. So as we headed back amidst the numerous and continuous “Hello!”, “Hello!”, “Hello!”, “How are you?” from all of the half-dressed or either fully naked little kids running around, we couldn’t help but feel that we definitely got our money’s worth, not just from the sights of the waterfalls, but experiencing the local life as well.
Julius then took us into the “center of town” (literally about one square block) and hooked us up with a nice dinner for later that night for about 1/5 the price of what our campsite was offering. We then headed back to Moses’ Campsite where we were told that we shouldn’t have used Julius as he wasn’t a guide for that establishment and therefore took their money from them**
(** Side Note: Julius was with us in their campsite for about 45 minutes and not once did the staff do anything to remove him. This of course, made us think that he was part of the campsite as he originally told us. Regardless, as we found out from later patrons of Moses’ Campsite, their fees for the same exact tour are 25,000Ush/pp, waaaaay more than Julius. So in closing- the campsite is great- amazing views and nice staff- just don’t use their guides.) After talking to the owners about Julius and telling them they should then do a bit more to enforce local guides from infiltrating their campsite, we decided to head into town early for a couple of beers before dinner.
After sitting on an old wooden bench outside a small minimart, drinking warm Nile Special beer while the locals pass by, I will say this- the people of Sipi Falls rock! Instead of the expected “small talk for 10 seconds followed by ‘give me money’” conversations, we were instead greeted with genuine interest and curiosity and never once did anyone ask us for anything other than our names. Chock it up to small town pride or what have you, but the locals in Sipi Falls are happy, content and just the simple fact that you took a small detour off the travelers trail seems to be sufficient enough for them.
Amidst meeting all the locals, we met John, a local who invited us to his house up the street after we were done eating dinner. So after a great dinner we figured what the hell? Let’s go see John!
We headed up the dark dirt road and after asking for John, were directed to his home where he and a bunch of his relatives were enjoying the “local brew”, which is basically a fermented corn drink (a lot like chicha for those of you who have read our South America blogs). The next hour was spent hanging out with John, meeting his family, drinking local brew and showing the kids our photos from our cameras. After saying our goodbyes, John walked us back to the “town center” and as thanks for the beer we bought him some Coke and Fanta to take back to the kids.
Is Sipi Falls the best town ever? No. Are the waterfalls the best we’ve ever seen? Of course not. But if you find yourself near that area and want to meet Ugandans and see how some of them live on a day to day basis, you will not be disappointed by either the friendliness of the people, or the hospitality that they show you, that seems to stem from a certain pride of their community. If the rest of Uganda is anything like Sipi Falls, we’re in for a great week or two up ahead.
