TOURISM | SIPI FALLS | ABSEILING 

KAPCHORWA - At the edge of Mt. Elgon national park in Kapchorwa district, eastern Uganda, are a series of three waterfalls known as Sipi Falls. 

According to Job Soyekwo, a tour guide working with Mulima Mountain Adventures, the three waterfalls lie at an altitude of 1,179 metres above sea level. 

"One of the falls lies at 65 metres with a man-made cave, another at 85 metres and the third one at 110 metres high, from where abseiling is usually carried out," explained Soyekwo.

With a cold climate that comes with high altitude, the Sipi area is a place to unwind, relax and chill off the bustle of noisy towns and cities. 

The milky falls are a stunning phenomenon, to which every tourist who visits the area, can't help but gaze in awe. 

Flowing from the Elgon mountain and joined by other tributaries, the falls cover the Sipi area with vapour-like mist. 

Peter Hogel, a travel photographer descends beside the Sipi falls during the Caravan tour around Uganda. (All Photos by Julius Luwemba)

Plunging on the rocks beneath the cliffs, the waterfalls splash widely, keeping the nearby vegetation moist and green through-out the year.

Continuing with the 12-day trip around Uganda which was named the Big Boys/Girls Caravan, Kapchorwa was the next destination after the White water rafting on river Nile. 

We could make several stopovers along the way to have all the sensible photo moments as a return ticket to what would later be a memory. 

Part of the plan for making stopovers was to enable the team to map and locate some places on google maps.

Abseiling

Also known as rappelling, abseiling is a controlled descent off a vertical drop, such as a rock face, using a rope. 

This is the main tourism activity synonymous with Sipi Falls, in this part of the country. 

Adjacent to one of the falls is Rob's rolling rock- a local outfit trained by Italian climbers, to offer abseiling along the side of the main 110metre Sipi waterfalls. Introduced in Uganda in early 2003 abseiling is a freaky tourism activity but worth doing.

One end of the rope is buckled around a person's waist and the other part is tied onto a firmly welded metal that is stuck into a rock. 

Abseiling is a fun tourism activity that cannot be dared by the faint-hearted. 

Whereas it was my second time doing it, I could feel my body produce more litres of adrenaline with every passing second. Watching the waterfall hitting rocks lying beneath the cliff at such a height of over 110meters, and plunging in all directions, clearly explained what could befall anyone whose luck could have run out while swinging on the rope.

One by one, we were each gently lowered down with all the assuring statements from Soyekwo, Shariff and their team who were managing the ropes on the upper cliff. 'Just stand straight, lean back and breathe calmly,' were the frequent statements from the guides. 

Alongside the roaring waterfall, we were each lowered, hanging our lives onto the rope. It was mind-boggling, scary, freaky, petrifying and spine-chilling.

Being lowered down the rock cliff by the side of the waterfalls, one is not able to clearly see any world around them due to the splashing waters catalysed by the whirling winds blowing into all directions. 

However, the view becomes clearer as the descent continues. Opening my eyes to the very beautiful flora around the waterfall, suppressed all the fears and I could hear my heartbeat again. The vegetation beneath the white stream, the hilly topography and beautiful rocks that earlier looked like a death sentence, struck another feeling of life, beauty, and love for mother nature.

We remained mesmerised by Uganda's breathtaking beauty as we planned for our next stop to Pian Upe game reserve.