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1600km across Uganda on a village bike, but why?

Uganda cycling trail. Interview with Alexander Bongers

Cycling and mountain biking have taken off in Uganda over the last few years – indeed the Uganda Cycling Trail gets a mention in CNN Travel’s Where to travel in 2023: The best destinations to visit! During lockdown, there was a worldwide surge in bike riding too. There is no doubt about it, Uganda is a superb place to cycle! The great weather and endless, marvellous scenery make for a stunning combination.

Alexander ‘Lex’ Bongers is one of Uganda’s passionate Dutch expat cyclists. I was amazed when he told me he was planning to cycle from one corner of the country to another with his colleague Lawrence Kakande. It’s pretty nuts to hear they did this on a local bicycle without gears! Read their story below and keep following Diary of a Muzungu for more brilliant cycling stories.

Diary of a Muzungu: Lex, cycling from Kisoro to Kidepo sure sounds like a big adventure! But it must also have been physically challenging. How is your body feeling now? 

Not that bad actually, which surprises me as well! Lawrence hurt his knee on one of the last days, but personally I feel fitter than ever! 

Diary of a Muzungu: You are and your friend Lawrence are probably the first people to ever ride this journey, certainly on a village bicycle. How did you ever come up with this crazy plan? 

I am the coordinator of Adventure Tourism Uganda, wherein we aim to further develop the adventure tourism sector in Uganda. If there is one kind of tourism that has a lot of untapped potential throughout the country (and has a lot of social, economic and environmental benefits) it’s adventure tourism. 

Thies Timmermans of Red Dirt Uganda has developed the Uganda Cycling Trail, a cycling route that links the extreme southwest of the country to Uganda’s extreme northeast. The idea is that these routes can be used by any cyclist. Testing this route on a village bicycle started off as a joke to be honest: we wondered whether it was actually possible to complete it on a village bicycle, so that you don’t need a fancy bicycle with a hundred gears. To prepare for our trip, we simply bought two steel roadmaster bicycles (the ones you see throughout the countryside). These bicycles have no gears, no suspension and are pretty heavy. They even have a sticker on them that reads “extra heavy.” Despite all that, they ride quite nicely.

Diary of a Muzungu: The fact that I am now able to talk to you, with you having a bright smile on your face, shows that it was possible… You guys made it!

Exactly! I am quite proud that we were able to finish the journey of about 1,600 km in 24 days (with an additional 5 days of rest mid-way). The only motorized vehicle we used between Kisoro and Kidepo was the ferry to the Ssese Islands as well as a stretch between Moroto and Kotido where cycling was currently not advised. But we entered Kenya to compensate for that! 

Diary of a Muzungu: What about Uganda’s mountains? Were you able to cycle up Mt Elgon or the Kigezi hills without gears?

Not in the slightest. I don’t think anybody would. But the thing is, you become very humble: you know your limits and just walk. On a previous occasion, I cycled up to Sipi on Mt. Elgon on a mountain bike, and it was quite tough. But on this trip, Lawrence and I just walked and it wasn’t too difficult. Sometimes however, I felt like a Nepalese sherpa, with my bicycle a yak carrying my bags. There was something oddly satisfying about it.

Diary of a Muzungu: So are you saying your marathon trip wasn’t difficult at all?

Oh no, don’t get me wrong, sometimes it was challenging, but generally it was doable!

The last six days were part of the Tour of Karamoja, organized by Kara-Tunga Tours. It was exactly the type of epic final we hoped for.

The longest day comprised a 133 km journey from Lake Turkwel in Kenya to Moroto in Uganda. At only halfway through that day, my bum was causing me so much pain that I felt we would have to amputate the whole of my lower body. To add further misery, we cycled through a whole day of thunderstorms and pouring rain between Kaabong and Kidepo. I even fell into a big pool of muddy water. In an attempt to keep my phone dry, I had wrapped it in a plastic cavera bag. Sadly, my “phone-in-cavera” died in that muddy pool. But when we finally reached Nakaba gate in Kidepo Valley National Park, the sky cleared and we had a incredible ride through Kidepo; everyone who visits Kidepo says it’s Uganda’s most beautiful park.

Diary of a Muzungu: Any other highlights of your trip? 

Lake Mutanda and Lake Bunyonyi in southwestern Uganda are of course very beautiful, and their shores are great for cycling and so is the far side of Murchison Bay, just opposite Gaba in Kampala.

Mt Elgon was fantastic as well, particularly a tricky downhill section just beyond Kapchorwa.

A personal highlight was to cycle to Malaba, at the Kenyan border. I lived there for half a year in 2014 and I hadn’t told anyone I would pass by on a village bike. The fact that I could tell my friends that no, I wasn’t cycling from nearby Tororo but from Kisoro, several hundred kilometres away, was something I spent weeks looking forward to! My old friends absolutely loved my story (but also had difficulties believing it!) But still, none of these highlights could compete with the sheer adventure and beauty of Karamoja.

Diary of a Muzungu: Did you have a lot of punctures along the way?

No, not at all! The only real modification we made to the bicycle was to make it tubeless. To do this, we removed the tube and replaced it with sealant. This reduced the chances of punctures. Actually, I don’t know how to explain it well, as I do not know anything at all about bike mechanics: I just know how to ride them. I really, really owe everything to Lawrence as without him I would probably still be in Kisoro, trying to figure out how to secure my bag to the bicycle!

Diary of a Muzungu: What are you going to do now? Are you planning to do something similar again soon?

I am not sure yet. I am thinking of cycling to West Nile next year, or participating in the Kyaninga Ride the Rift Race on this very bike, outcompeting all the gravel bikes. (I might also just grow fat and start living on past glories, like those retired football players). Time will tell. But I will definitely keep on spreading the gospel of the Uganda Cycling Trail and promoting cycling in Uganda generally, as it is simply fantastic!

Diary of a Muzungu: And what about your bike?

For now, the bike will get a break. He deserves it…

Out of my element: climbing Mount Elgon

Do you love a physical challenge? In this week’s Guest Post, Jean Byamugisha, CEO of the ‎Uganda Hotel Owners Association swaps her self-confessed boujee lifestyle for walking boots and a tent!

Sleeping in a tent up a mountain – for several days in a row – is not for the faint-hearted, especially when it is your first time camping! Add a rainstorm, heavy walking boots, difficult terrain (and no hot showers for two days) and you start to get a picture of how demanding a hike can be. Jean shares a personal account of the demanding climb of Mount Elgon in eastern Uganda, a hiking adventure that led her on a journey of many personal firsts. Congratulations on this huge endeavour Jean – and thanks for sharing your story!

Going beyond my comfort zone

On Good Friday 2021, Adolfo and I set off on what I deemed to be the craziest holiday I’ve ever taken – conquering the mighty Mount Elgon. I say it was crazy because it was so out of my element. My idea of a holiday is – and has always been – a 5 star hotel, with a 7×7 wide bed and 500 thread count Egyptian cotton bed sheets. A swimming pool and spa don’t hurt either. For all intents and purposes, I am a girl that loves a ‘boujee’ holiday.

Adolfo organised our hiking trip after I lost a bet. He wanted to get me out of my comfort zone and also take a ‘bite’ of his world. As an experienced mountain climber, who has even scaled – what looks impossible to me – Mount Rwenzori and all the Virunga volcanoes, he was very much looking forward to climbing Mount Elgon. For me, on the other hand, it was a different story.

Climbing with experienced climbers has both its advantages and disadvantages: my biggest fear was not being in shape and holding back the team so my first order of business was getting in shape. For the most part, I do some simple exercises and eat clean but to climb Mount Elgon, I had to up the ante; I had to go to the gym. I took on a personal trainer and worked out six days a week, from 5.30 – 8.30 am in preparation for our trip.

We arrived in eastern Uganda late and spent the eve of our hike at the Uganda Wildlife Authority banda accommodation in Kapchorwa on the edge of Mount Elgon National Park. Adolfo – or “Alfie” as I like to call him – had estimated that we could climb Mount Elgon in three days, spending two nights in the bush. However, after discussing the route options with the UWA guides, we were advised to spend an extra night at the top as the distance would be too tough for an inexperienced climber like myself. This, we agreed to. After making all the payments with UWA, we entered Mount Elgon National Park via Kapkwata Gate setting off a bit late (10 am). Our team of seven climbers were me (Jean Byamugisha), “Alfie” Adolfo, two UWA rangers, two porters and a cook.

“When I look at the videos of my Mount Elgon hike now, I can see my state of mind change: when I started the hike, I was full of beans; when I finally came down the mountain … I looked and felt so ratchet!!!”

Jean Byamugisha is all smiles as she sets off on day one of her Mount Elgon hike

Day 1 on Mount Elgon – a shock to the system! Overnight at Pichwa Camp

For a novice, the walk up was fair. Compared to all other routes, our route was by far the most gentle of them all. However, the hike was a shock to my system despite all the work I had done in the gym.

By the time we reached Pichwa Camp, an eight-hour walk later, I had sweated beyond what I ever thought possible. However, I was still strong and felt no aches.

After a quick meal and relaxation, I felt like ‘myself’ once again. I managed to take a hot bathe and eat a heavy dinner. Alfie and I even mastered the strength to walk around the camp and visit some local communities in the evening.

This was the first time I was sleeping in a tent. It was quite comfortable thanks to Adolfo’s advice; he had made sure I came equipped with the right gear. Previously, I had no idea about the different types of sleeping bag, mattresses and waterproof tents that would be invaluable in keeping me warm during the night.

Pichwa Camp was the last place with telephone network; after checking in with home and making sure all our loved ones were ok, we set our phones to airplane mode and braced ourselves for what was to be an excruciating day two.

Day 2 on Mount Elgon – higher and colder at Hunters Cave

We woke up at 6:30 am on day two. The cook and UWA staff had breakfast ready and we set off a few minutes before 8 o’clock since day two was going to be a much longer hike.

Day two was much harder on me than day one. The hike was longer, the climb steeper and the weather hotter. Although I had managed to keep up with the team on day one, by day two I was starting to fall a few minutes behind. The higher we went, the thinner the air got, making the climb more difficult with each step.

On the flip side, the vegetation changed at different altitudes and the views from the top of Mount Elgon were simply breath-taking. Being a small team, we had the whole mountain to ourselves; this made it even more special and – dare I say – romantic. Adolfo took on the difficult task of documenting the entire trip. For a girl who loves selfies and pictures, this was amazing (not so much for Adolfo who had to keep at it for the whole trip!)

Mount Elgon National Park hike. Jean Byamugisha.
Mount Elgon National Park hike. Jean Byamugisha.

“While the gym tests your fitness levels, the hike up a mountain tests your endurance levels and many times this is beyond anything the gym can prepare you for.”

Jean Byamugisha

Day two really knocked my body off balance. We arrived at our second stop, Hunters Cave, 12 hours after leaving Pichwa Camp. I was exhausted but – thanks again to the gym sessions – I didn’t have any aches or muscle pulls of any kind.

Hunters Cave was a completely different experience from Pichwa Camp. We were completely in the bush: no bathroom facility, no kitchen and no rooms. Worse yet, it was a much higher altitude and a lot colder than the previous nights. It felt like negative degrees centigrade at this point. For a ‘boujee’ girl like myself this was a complete nightmare. I had to use the bush for all private activities like taking a shower – and worse – going to the toilet. Most shockingly, I enjoyed this experience, mainly because Adolfo made it fun. Actually, without him, I’d never have dreamed of taking on such a challenge in the first place. He carried his favourite speaker and always played music in the camp which cheered everyone and made us forget about the tough hours we had spent walking up the mountain.

Jean Byamugisha. Mount Elgon hike Uganda
Jean Byamugisha. Mount Elgon hike Uganda

We had a lovely dinner of local chicken and rice at Hunters Cave; this was a very welcome delicacy at this point. Taking on such a humongous challenge requires a lot of energy which means that one needs to eat a lot of food. This was a struggle for me who is used to only eating one solid meal a day. Adolfo had articulated the importance of eating a lot on this trip but it’s not something I took seriously; I soon paid for my stubbornness.

Adolfo pitched our tent while I sat with the rest of the guys near the fire as they made dinner. The weather was extremely cold at this altitude and it rained a lot during the course of the night. Once again, it was agreed that we would leave the camp by 8 am as day three was going to be a longer day. I literally passed out when my head hit the sleeping bag. My body was beginning to show signs of fatigue and dehydration.

Day 3 on Mount Elgon – altitude sickness at Mudde Camp

We woke up again early on day three. I still had no aches at this point and felt fit enough to continue the climb, only wishing I had a few more hours of sleep. Waking up in the mornings is hard for me and ordinarily, I am a late riser. This was worsened by sleeping in the bush and being dead tired after walking over 12 hours each day.

“I started off our third day on Mount Elgon feeling like I was running on empty. I felt weak, fatigued and sleep deprived. This was the point at which I started wondering… what in the world made me crazy enough to take on a challenge like this?”

My pace fell several minutes behind the team and I felt extremely weak. I suffered from altitude sickness and at one point I felt like I was about to faint. Adolfo had warned me about not eating enough and this was the day his warning came to pass. The team organised a few breaks where we stopped to eat some pineapples for energy. Adolfo had also packed some high sugar sweets to give one energy in such instances. These helped but day three still felt like a bad dream.

Beyond the physical effort of climbing Mount Elgon, it was an incredible experience to take in Elgon’s beautiful caldera, which I came to know as the second largest caldera in the world. It was also amazing to see the stunning vegetation at this altitude; it looked like something out of an alien movie.

At the lunch stop, I managed to take in enough food to give me the energy needed to complete this leg of the hike. Day three was by far the toughest part of the Elgon hike up to this point. It was made worse by torrential rain which we had no choice but walk through to make sure we reached the next camp before nightfall.

The last night before we started our descent was by far the toughest of the entire hiking trip. Once again, I was lucky not to have any body or leg aches but at this point my body was beaten to a pulp with fatigue. Having almost fainted the day before, I was weak and completely worn out. I dreamt of taking a long hot shower and sleeping in a warm comfy bed. This was also one of the coldest nights of the trip. Despite all this however, I was excited that this was the last night on the mountain.

For the most part, climbing Mt Elgon was fun and – other than the fatigue of walking 12 hours a day – my body was strong.

Day 4 on Mount Elgon – my biggest fear becomes a reality

The last day of the hike was filled with so much hope and excitement. I was excited to finally be returning to civilisation but, most importantly, I was excited that I would count hiking Mount Elgon as one of my greatest achievements. This experience was definitely one for my books. However, I didn’t take into account what an overwhelming feat it was going to be to climb down the mountain. I was informed that it usually takes 8 hours to get to the bottom (and I thought maybe I would do it in 6 hours). This was not to be.

We set off after a sumptuous breakfast of the Uganda delicacy, rolex. I had learned my lesson from the previous day and started day four with a pretty heavy breakfast. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and Adolfo and I even signed our names on the camp door before we left. After taking the obligatory final picture with the rest of the team, off I went, literally hopping down the mountain.

The guides did warn me that climbing down Mount Elgon was in many cases more challenging than actually walking up but I didn’t believe them; it seemed a lot easier to start with, until my boots started hurting my toes. Mountain climbing boots are unlike any other kind of ladies shoes (especially high heels, my shoe of choice for most of my daily chores). Mountain boots are tougher and heavier, and can make your feet more sore when it rains. The weather on the mountain changes from hour to hour. Very soon, the warm bright sun gave way to a dark cloud that turned into heavy rain. This made the descent almost impossible and a lot slower than I had tuned my mind to tolerate. I fell hours behind the rest of the team, especially when my boots started squeezing my toes as I tried to prevent myself from falling in the mud.

My biggest fear became a reality: I was holding the team back. Adolfo would wait for me at different stops but it soon became clear that I needed to descend at my own pace because my legs could not carry me as fast as the rest of team. If I tried to keep up with them, I’d hurt myself even more. The worst was yet to come: due to the pressure of the constant downward incline, I hurt one of my knees. The pain was excruciating. My guide, Justin, sympathised with me and remained by my side the whole way down. Adolfo kept encouraging me; for him I made sure I powered through without complaining because I could see everyone doing their best to make it easy on me. It took almost 12 hours of a very slow, very painful slope to reach the team (who waited almost two hours for me to reach them at the rendez-vous spot).

Lessons learned from my first Ugandan hiking adventure

Jean Byamugisha. Mount Elgon mountain hike Uganda
Still smiling! Jean Byamugisha takes on Mount Elgon, eastern Uganda

Climbing Mount Elgon was by far one of the best and most exciting holidays of my life. It took me out of my comfort zone and made me realise I am a lot stronger than I ever gave myself credit for. Crazy as it felt, I’m sure I’d do it again… although not for at least the next 6 months!

“One of my biggest regrets is not making it to the peak of Wagagai. We were just four hours away from the summit but were advised that for safety reasons, we should start to descend since we had a 12-hour hike ahead of us. This was the right decision because it ended up being a very exhausting day.”

Tips for climbing Mount Elgon

Through my experience hiking Mount Elgon, I learned some lessons that I feel every new climber should consider before attempting such an activity:

1. Climb with someone you love and care about (better if they have experience hiking mountains). The only person I could ever have done this with is Alfie. Enough said on this one 😊

2. Get in shape before attempting to go hiking. The mountain tests every muscle in your body. Even if I had gone to the gym for almost a month to prepare, I was not ready for how hard it was at times. However, my muscles were very grateful for my weeks of training and it took just a couple of days after I got back to start wearing my beloved heels once again.

3. Invest in the right gear for the mountain. Hiking can be an expensive sport. The right gear is quite pricy but once you are on the mountain you realise that it was worth every penny. Most importantly, ask an experienced climber to guide on the right gear to buy before you make the investment. Alfie went shopping with me and his advice was invaluable.

4. Get the right snacks and food. Biggest lesson learned is that when you go hiking you cannot eat as you normally do. You need high energy foods to get the right calories to take you up – and down – the mountain. Every climber should invest wisely in the right snacks to ensure they successfully complete their climb. Pack enough water because you need more than you originally think while hiking.

5. Most of all, have fun! This is a once in a lifetime experience, not one that’s easy to forget. Choose to make the memories fun. I look back on the videos and pictures we took and they always bring a smile to my face.

The Muzungu adds: I hiked Mt Elgon once and I can feel Jean’s pain! Read my blog “Climbing Mount Elgon – with a girl named Kevin.”

If you enjoy reading inspirational stories by Uganda’s tourism heroines, read Lilly Ajarova’s account of “The euphoric Rwenzori Mountains.” 

Mount Elgon National Park

Mount Elgon National Park – need some head space? Go climb Wagagai!

Hiking through the Giant Lobelia, climbing Mount Elgon, Uganda

Hiking through the Giant Lobelia, climbing Mount Elgon, Uganda. PHOTO Nicola Swann

Mount Elgon National Park straddles Uganda’s eastern border with Kenya. One Mount Elgon National Park is in Uganda; Kenya has a (separately managed) Mount Elgon National Park on the eastern side of the same caldera.

On our five-day hike to the summit of Wagagai, we only encountered two other groups of hikers. Climbing Mount Elgon’s Wagagai Peak felt like a real wilderness experience to us.
Often hot during the day, it could be very cold at night, especially after the rains. We trekked in May and we camped (well, everyone camps!)

porters Mount Elgon cave

Kevin – one of our UWA guides – made tea for the porters as we took shelter in a cave on day one of climbing Mount Elgon

Our (obligatory) Uganda Wildlife Authority Ranger guides were fantastic. The porters said very few words to their bazungu clients. God they were tough: they carried our packs all day long, some of them walked barefoot, and huddled around the campfire, sleeping together in a big heap every night.

At 4,321 metres, Mount Elgon is the fourth highest mountain in East Africa. It is the eighth highest peak in Africa. It is the second largest volcanic base in the world. Elgon offers great hiking and trekking, huge caves to explore and a diversity of funky montane flora.

boys collecting firewood on Mount Elgon

Local boys collecting firewood on Mount Elgon. They raced up and down the hillside as we walked – and slid – tentatively downwards. PHOTO Nicola Swann

Climbing Mount Elgon is one of my favourite Uganda travel experiences. The sore knee and blisters are long forgotten, and I’m ready to scale the summit again. You’re unlikely to see much wildlife while you’re climbing Mt. Elgon, but there is abundant birdlife. In 2013, the Uganda Wildlife Authority team won the annual Big Birding Day event by notching up a record sighting of 400 species in one 24 hour period.

Hiking Mount Elgon is worth it for the scenery alone. We passed through seven different types of vegetation, many I’d never seen before.

Bagisu children Mount Elgon

The largest tribe around Mount Elgon are the Bagisu

Generally, people overnight at Sipi Falls before climbing Mount Elgon. Indeed, the magnificent 100 metre high Sipi Falls are an adventure in themselves. There are three waterfalls in all. Here you can go mountain biking, hiking, abseiling, rock-climbing and fly fishing.

Need some headspace? Go climb Wagagai! Mount Elgon


A girl called Kevin: climbing Mount Elgon, Uganda

A girl called Kevin: climbing Mount Elgon, Uganda

climbing Mount Elgon, hiking, Uganda
Mount Elgon straddles the Uganda / Kenya border. Here we looked north through the Giant Lobelia into Kenya and northern Uganda
A few stats about climbing Mount Elgon
  • Four days on foot
  • 48 km covered
  • A 3,000 metre climb
  • Summit of Wagagai 4,321 m (14,177 ft) the 17th highest mountain in Africa
  • First recorded ascent: 1911
  • First recorded ascenders: Robert Stigler, Rudolf Kmunke
  • – and a damaged knee ligament on day one!

Today I’m exhausted but elated after climbing Mount Elgon: one of the highest peaks in Uganda, with views – above the clouds – across to Kenya and northern Uganda. It really was breathtaking.

climbing Mount Elgon, hiking, Uganda. Mount Elgon climb
On day three, fresh water lakes peppered the terrain amongst Giant Lobelia

According to Wikipedia, Mount Elgon is an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya, north of Kisumu and west of Kitale. The mountain’s highest point, named “Wagagai”, is located entirely within the country of Uganda.

climbing Mount Elgon, rock, hiking, Uganda
Definitely a wilderness experience. We only met two other groups on our five day hike of Mount Elgon

During our five day trek, we passed through numerous contrasting habitats: forest, bamboo, savannah, moorland, strange and eerie ‘moonscapes’ – Mount Elgon was once higher than Kilimanjaro – then back down a steep 1000 metre drop looking out onto valleys that reminded me of the foothills of the Alps …

This evening I received a lovely text from my special VSO volunteer friend Isla that sums it all up:

“Hope all went well at hospital. Will forever be impressed by your resilience. You are hard core. So glad we did it. I loved it.”

climbing Mount Elgon, hiking, Uganda
Sleepy trekkers…. Isla and Patrick catch forty winks at the summit of Wagagai. Climbing Mount Elgon Uganda

AHEM.

Hospital, yes.

Ultrasound treatment for the torn knee ligament (I can’t Hash or do aerobics for six weeks) and antibiotics for two small toes that look like they want to explode.

Actually I feel fine (I’m sitting down!) although I will have to go easy on the bananas and Waragi (local gin) for next six weeks.

What a bore.

climbing Mount Elgon, hiking, Uganda
We stayed overnight in this very basic structure and woke to find ice outside. Frankly, camping might have been warmer! Three of the seven porters who nimbly scaled Mount Elgon

Yet, it’s amazing how quickly you can forget the truly awful times isn’t it?!

I can even find myself saying I’d climb Mount Elgon all over again, despite the terrible, miserable cold and lack of sleep for two of the nights (we were camping);  the 6 am wake-up call every day; the times (hours!) when you just have to focus on putting one foot in front of the other and the sheer yucky squelchiness of it all!

muddy roads Kapchorwa Elgon
It was wet and muddy even before we started hiking! It took several people to push our cars up the muddy roads around Kapchorwa

Perhaps we shouldn’t have climbed during the rainy season?! Hmmm!

cave, climbing Mount Elgon, hiking, Uganda
First stop on our hike of Wagagai: the porters made us tea as we sheltered from the rain in a cave

My first afternoon and evening were hell.

Climbing Mount Elgon was easy enough but going downhill – the terrain undulates all the way – was agony and I finished day one with tears streaming down my face, so far behind everyone else that Patrick (the UWA ranger) and I limped to camp, just the two of us walking in total darkness on the mountain for the last hour.

Cutting bamboo walking sticks. climbing Mount Elgon, hiking, Uganda
Patrick cutting bamboo walking sticks. climbing Mount Elgon, hiking, Uganda

Patrick led me down the hillside a step at a time, moving forward three steps then stopping to turn around and shine the torch at the ground in front of me, so I could ease myself downhill.

“Step here – then here – then here,” he guided me. “Mpola mpola,” he said. Slowly by slowly… what a lovely gentle man he was.

If you’re offered bamboo walking sticks – TAKE THEM!

climbing Mount Elgon, hiking, Uganda
Sometimes it is easier going UP! climbing Mount Elgon – Tail End Charlie follows at the back of our group…
Steep muddy descent after climbing Mount Elgon. I chose to slide down on my kabina! PHOTO Nicola Swann
Steep muddy descent after climbing Mount Elgon. I chose to slide down on my kabina! PHOTO Nicola Swann

It was another UWA ranger – Bernard’s – turn to accompany me hobbling down from the summit. Walking was easier thanks to two bamboo sticks cut down for us on the ascent; regular leg massages from one of my male friends (every cloud has a silver lining …) and walking with my left leg stuck out at an awkward straight angle, as if I was wearing a plaster cast.

I developed altitude sickness (nausea and a headache) on the way back down from the summit of Wagagai, and got sunburned. We all did. I think we were all so relieved to dry off after all that soggy weather that we stupid Bazungu forgot to protect ourselves from the high altitude sunshine.

Bernard fashioned some protection for my sunburned hands from big green plant fronds so I walked (limped!) into camp on the last day looking like an extra from Dr. Who!

climbing Mount Elgon, hiking, Uganda, UWA ranger
A girl called Kevin: climbing Mount Elgon, led by the beautiful UWA ranger Kevin

Kevin held her own effortlessly amongst 9 men (7 of them porters) for four days (they all huddled close and slept round an open fire every night). What a great role model she is. Kevin works for UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority), and is the youngest of 24 children! (Did her parents run out of girl’s names perhaps?)

Mount Elgon hiking Uganda Salticrax biscuits
An appropriately named snack for our Mount Elgon hike! Showering facilities were non-existent
climbing Mount Elgon, hiking, Uganda, children
Bududa and the area around Mount Elgon has the highest population density in Uganda – and big families! This puts a huge pressure on Mount Elgon National Park, as recent mudslides – result of deforestation – demonstrate

If you’re in the area, allow another day or two to explore Sipi Falls, a series of waterfalls. This is the most dramatic waterfall.

Sipi Falls waterfall Eastern Uganda
Sipi Falls waterfall Eastern Uganda
view across plains from Sipi Falls Eastern Uganda
Turn in the other direction from the above waterfall and you’re rewarded with this amazing view. Photo taken from Lacam Lodge
Sipi Falls boys Eastern Uganda
Sipi Falls boys Eastern Uganda

Back home in Kampala, I just had time to unload the car before the power went off. After five days waiting for a hot shower, it was a cold shower by candlelight for me!

Climbing Mount Elgon is a terrific experience.

You will bump into few other hikers; I loved the challenge and I loved being away from it all (the knee injury on day one was just bad luck!) As we passed through the forest on the climb uphill, we watched Hornbills and Dusky Blue Flycatchers; in fact some visitors visit Elgon’s foothills just for the birdlife. In 2013, the birders from Mt. Elgon National Park won the annual Big Birding Day 24-hour competition.

To climb Mount Elgon you will need to pay park entry fees for Mount Elgon National Park. This will include two (or possibly more) rangers. Click here to download the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s Tariff (price list) 2020 – 2022 which contains all Uganda’s National Park and Wildlife Reserve fees; hiking; gorilla, chimpanzee and golden monkey tracking permits; birdwatching, boat cruises; nature walks and more.

This was filmed in 2020 and gives you a sense of Mount Elgon’s gorgeous landscapes

P.S. If you’re a runner, there is a new initiative to boost running and outdoor tourism in Kapchorwa. Visit the Run Kapchorwa website for more details.

Feel free to contact the Muzungu for more information about climbing Mount Elgon. Who knows? – maybe I will even come with you! A return climb is definitely overdue…