2 days Sipi fall hike and Jinja day tour

Sezibwa falls nature and cultural walk

Pick-up for this trip is at exactly 6.30am so that you avoid the morning traffic jam in the city and be able to do all the day’s activities in time without rushing. Drive out of the city heading eastwards along the Kampala – Jinja highway, and after roughly 45 minutes you shall reach the turn-off to the Sezibwa Falls. Upon arrival at Sezibwa, you are welcomed by a local guide that will take you on a 1-hire trek around. The grounds are very serene and cool, and the atmosphere is filled with the singing of birds. Enjoy the crystal-clear waterfalls, and the surrounding lush green which has some wildlife such as monkeys, birds and beautiful butterflies. At this site you will also see shrines and other strange items which are used in traditional worship and this is because the Sezibwa is also a cultural heritage site of Buganda. The guide will narrate interesting myths about the Sezibwa which traditionalists believe in and bring them here for traditional activities.

Mabira forest nature walk

From Sezibwa Falls you will return to the road and after a short drive of about 20 minutes you will get to Mabira forest. Transfer to the visitors’ reception center, meet a site guide and set off for a 2-hour trek into the forest, following a network of well maintained trails under the cool canopies. Mabira is the largest forest in central Uganda spanning 306 square kilometers. It supports plenty of life including 312 species of trees and shrubs, of which some have been found to be unique to the forest. There are over 316 species of birds, 219 moths and 35 species of small animals such as Duikers, Bushbuck, Squirrels, Red-tailed Monkeys, and Uganda Mangabeys which are a species of monkeys only found in Uganda.

Optional activity: Zip lining in Mabira forest – you can do the thrilling Canopy Super Skyway zip line in Mabira forest as an extra to the nature walk. Cruising through the top of the trees offers quite an adrenaline rush. The zipline also gives access to the wildlife in the tree canopy such as monkeys and birds which are not easy to see from the ground. However note that if you choose to do the zip line adventure you have to forego the visit to the Sezibwa Falls due to limited time.

Boat trip to the Source of the River Nile

When you get back from the forest, return to the road and drive to Jinja, have lunch in town and thereafter transfer to the Nile for a one hour boat ride to the Source of the Nile and Lake Victoria. Visit the exact spot where 30% of the water which makes the Nile bubbles up from underground before mixing with the flow from Lake Victoria to flow northwards.  Explore the beautiful sights across the lake and the adjacent peninsula, and also see plenty of water birds such as Herons, Pelicans, Kingfishers, Egrets and more.

Return and travel to Sipi, arriving in the evening. Check in at your accommodation for dinner and overnight.

Journey time – Kampala to Jinja: 2 hours

Journey time – Jinja to Sipi Falls: 3 hours

Accommodation: Sipi Falls Resort (midrange), Rafiki Safari Lodge Sipi (budget)

Meal plan: Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast you meet a local guide and start off the hike to visit all the three Sipi waterfalls. You follow a trail that is 7 to 8km long that goes through the local communities and their farmlands of tea and banana plantations, which are the main crops grown in this area. Between visiting each waterfall you are treated to breathtaking landscape scenery, from the green slopes of Mountain Elgon to the distant flat plains of Karamoja in the distance. Each waterfall offers an experience different from another, from the plunge, beautiful views, caves, to rainbows. The entire hike will take from 3 to 4 hours, visiting the first waterfall from the top and descending down to the second and finally to the third at the end of the trail which is the biggest and main one. It is has a large whirlpool which you can dive in for a swim in the cold water.

At the end of the fun, you will have lunch in Sipi after which you travel back to Kampala arriving in the evening.

Optional tour activity:

Abseiling on Sipi falls: You can do the thrilling abseiling on the biggest waterfall which you visit last on the hiking trail. Abseiling along the gushing waterfalls plunging 100 meters from the top into the pool below is quite sensational!

Journey time – Sipi – Kampala: 5 hours

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch