Abseiling besides Sipi Falls
Sep 26, 2008
THERE are a number of ways to dare the devil of the Ugandan waters. You could bungee jump and deep your head right into the source of the Nile, raft down the mighty Bujagali falls or taunt him by abseiling alongside the Sipi Falls. In the latter, with a rope tied to your waist, you step off the clif
By Lydia Namubiru
THERE are a number of ways to dare the devil of the Ugandan waters. You could bungee jump and deep your head right into the source of the Nile, raft down the mighty Bujagali falls or taunt him by abseiling alongside the Sipi Falls. In the latter, with a rope tied to your waist, you step off the cliff just 5 metres away from the falls and slide down the rope to where the falls pour, some 100m below.
Ironically, I did not feel like such a dare devil when I first said that I would abseil. It has been a rather dull year and a bit of thrill was welcome. Also, the Sipi Falls, do not look like a wild beast with the heart of a devil. I would liken them more to an innocent maiden dressed in a gracefully flowing delicate white chiffon. The prospect of swinging on a rope besides her was actually flattering.
Then the moment of truth came when I was walked backwards to the cliff’s edge. “Step off the edge onto the pipe below you,†Baxton Chemoiba, the head of the crew gently said. I cast my eyes down to see the pipe and there below me was 100m of death waiting to devour me. Still I took the step. Then, there were no other pipe to step onto. “Pull me back up. I cannot do this. I do not want to do this,†I cried.
“You can do it. Just stretch your legs out,†Chemoiba gently encouraged.
“No, I do not want to stretch my legs. Just pull me back,†I begged.
Patiently he continued to urge me on until I gained the confidence to stretch and legs and take steps further down the rock.. Above me, the others instructors cheered, “Go, Lydia!â€
And go I went.
Soon my feet could no longer touch the rock face. I was flying like a bird. Oh! I was feeling like one too and seeing things only birds are lucky to see. Every now and then the rope would swing through 360 degrees, forcing me to hold my breath at the lush green valley below.
In the distance, stood my party of friends watching with almost as much excitement as I had myself. Mark, who happens to be very reserved and guarded was frantically waving at me while Chris captured every moment on camera. Locals in the party stared at me too. God, I felt like a footballer watching the back of the net shake. I had scored and given everyone one mighty thrill!
“It was a personal triumph for each one of us,†Chris later told me.
Besides me, the falls roared like a torrent of rain. It is enigmatic that they roar so fiercely and yet tumble down so gracefully even at a view so close. Far below, they poured down into a rock lined bowel with a considerable amount of the water bouncing back at me. Whether it is with awe or just plain fear, this sight is going to make you say more ‘Oh my Gods’ that you ever have. The further down you go, the thicker the cloud of mist coming back at you becomes and the more awe-striking it gets.
There is something awry about how the rock face impassively stares back at you, totally unimpressed by the beauty around. Hey, the mighty too can be conquered. At the very bottom, the rock is covered by a lush green carpet of weeds.
Someone should have told Jesus that if the seeds land on a rock, you just water then with the Sipi Falls and they will grow just fine.
Eventually, my feet touched the ground. I had not anticipated I would be that close to the where the falls pour. The roar and torrent of water coming at me was as exciting as it was scary. I lost all diction save for ohs and ahs. Like a knight in shining armour, one of the abseiling crew members run out of the bushes to me, freed me from the rope and led me away from the falls.
Not even the long slippery walk back to where my party stood was enough allowance for me to find my tongue again. Even when I joined them, I could only oh and ah.
It truly was the most intense and exhilarating experience of my life and I would do it again and again. It was a present for my 25th birthday. I will be turning 26 next year (hint, hint).
Is anyone paying?
If you don’t, I will.
What is abseiling?
Abseiling, from the German word “abseilen†meaning “to rope down,†is the process of sliding down a rope under controlled conditions. Known as rappelling in the United States, abseiling is used in rock climbing, caving, and mountaineering to descend slopes or cliffs that are too steep to simply hike down. In recent years, however, abseiling has become a popular sport in its own right.
Sipi Falls is the only sight in Uganda, where the sport is offered. Five years ago, Baxton Chemoibo who was a tour guide with Crow’s Nest, a tour hostel in Sipi was introduced to the sport by a group of Italian tourists he was guiding.
“They asked me if I was interested in rock climbing and abseiling and I told them I was although I did not quite understand what it was.†The tourists explained it to him and advised him to write a proposal to the North Alpine Rock Climbing Association.
“We sat down at the Crow’s Nest and wrote a small proposal and in about three months, two young men came with the equipment and set is up.†Chemoibo hints that his Italian benefactors are looking for another suitable site for the sport.
The equipment is surprising simple. Supports for the ropes at drilled into the rock and that is about it. The rest are the extra strong ropes and a seat belt that are tied to the abseilor before they are rappelled off the cliff. The system uses a pulley mechanism where the abseilor pulls at one end of the rope to lower him or herself down.
Chemoibo was the first to test the equipment just after it had been installed in Sipi. “I tell you, I went for susu about three times before they sent me down,†he recalls. Like many other abseilors, he soon realised that his fears were a little unfounded and today he goes down just as often as he feels like.
To abseil besides Sipi Falls, one pays sh50,000. According to Chemoibo who now solely runs and owns the business, un to 50 people abseil at the site in a week.
“Some tourists come and abseil in the morning, go back to the lodge and come back to abseil in the afternoon. Then, they do the same the following day. Some come so often that we even give them discounts,†Chemoibo says. For safety purposes, Chemoibo says he replaces all his ropes and seat belts annually.
THERE are a number of ways to dare the devil of the Ugandan waters. You could bungee jump and deep your head right into the source of the Nile, raft down the mighty Bujagali falls or taunt him by abseiling alongside the Sipi Falls. In the latter, with a rope tied to your waist, you step off the cliff just 5 metres away from the falls and slide down the rope to where the falls pour, some 100m below.
Ironically, I did not feel like such a dare devil when I first said that I would abseil. It has been a rather dull year and a bit of thrill was welcome. Also, the Sipi Falls, do not look like a wild beast with the heart of a devil. I would liken them more to an innocent maiden dressed in a gracefully flowing delicate white chiffon. The prospect of swinging on a rope besides her was actually flattering.
Then the moment of truth came when I was walked backwards to the cliff’s edge. “Step off the edge onto the pipe below you,†Baxton Chemoiba, the head of the crew gently said. I cast my eyes down to see the pipe and there below me was 100m of death waiting to devour me. Still I took the step. Then, there were no other pipe to step onto. “Pull me back up. I cannot do this. I do not want to do this,†I cried.
“You can do it. Just stretch your legs out,†Chemoiba gently encouraged.
“No, I do not want to stretch my legs. Just pull me back,†I begged.
Patiently he continued to urge me on until I gained the confidence to stretch and legs and take steps further down the rock.. Above me, the others instructors cheered, “Go, Lydia!â€
And go I went.
Soon my feet could no longer touch the rock face. I was flying like a bird. Oh! I was feeling like one too and seeing things only birds are lucky to see. Every now and then the rope would swing through 360 degrees, forcing me to hold my breath at the lush green valley below.
In the distance, stood my party of friends watching with almost as much excitement as I had myself. Mark, who happens to be very reserved and guarded was frantically waving at me while Chris captured every moment on camera. Locals in the party stared at me too. God, I felt like a footballer watching the back of the net shake. I had scored and given everyone one mighty thrill!
“It was a personal triumph for each one of us,†Chris later told me.
Besides me, the falls roared like a torrent of rain. It is enigmatic that they roar so fiercely and yet tumble down so gracefully even at a view so close. Far below, they poured down into a rock lined bowel with a considerable amount of the water bouncing back at me. Whether it is with awe or just plain fear, this sight is going to make you say more ‘Oh my Gods’ that you ever have. The further down you go, the thicker the cloud of mist coming back at you becomes and the more awe-striking it gets.
There is something awry about how the rock face impassively stares back at you, totally unimpressed by the beauty around. Hey, the mighty too can be conquered. At the very bottom, the rock is covered by a lush green carpet of weeds.
Someone should have told Jesus that if the seeds land on a rock, you just water then with the Sipi Falls and they will grow just fine.
Eventually, my feet touched the ground. I had not anticipated I would be that close to the where the falls pour. The roar and torrent of water coming at me was as exciting as it was scary. I lost all diction save for ohs and ahs. Like a knight in shining armour, one of the abseiling crew members run out of the bushes to me, freed me from the rope and led me away from the falls.
Not even the long slippery walk back to where my party stood was enough allowance for me to find my tongue again. Even when I joined them, I could only oh and ah.
It truly was the most intense and exhilarating experience of my life and I would do it again and again. It was a present for my 25th birthday. I will be turning 26 next year (hint, hint).
Is anyone paying?
If you don’t, I will.
What is abseiling?
Abseiling, from the German word “abseilen†meaning “to rope down,†is the process of sliding down a rope under controlled conditions. Known as rappelling in the United States, abseiling is used in rock climbing, caving, and mountaineering to descend slopes or cliffs that are too steep to simply hike down. In recent years, however, abseiling has become a popular sport in its own right.
Sipi Falls is the only sight in Uganda, where the sport is offered. Five years ago, Baxton Chemoibo who was a tour guide with Crow’s Nest, a tour hostel in Sipi was introduced to the sport by a group of Italian tourists he was guiding.
“They asked me if I was interested in rock climbing and abseiling and I told them I was although I did not quite understand what it was.†The tourists explained it to him and advised him to write a proposal to the North Alpine Rock Climbing Association.
“We sat down at the Crow’s Nest and wrote a small proposal and in about three months, two young men came with the equipment and set is up.†Chemoibo hints that his Italian benefactors are looking for another suitable site for the sport.
The equipment is surprising simple. Supports for the ropes at drilled into the rock and that is about it. The rest are the extra strong ropes and a seat belt that are tied to the abseilor before they are rappelled off the cliff. The system uses a pulley mechanism where the abseilor pulls at one end of the rope to lower him or herself down.
Chemoibo was the first to test the equipment just after it had been installed in Sipi. “I tell you, I went for susu about three times before they sent me down,†he recalls. Like many other abseilors, he soon realised that his fears were a little unfounded and today he goes down just as often as he feels like.
To abseil besides Sipi Falls, one pays sh50,000. According to Chemoibo who now solely runs and owns the business, un to 50 people abseil at the site in a week.
“Some tourists come and abseil in the morning, go back to the lodge and come back to abseil in the afternoon. Then, they do the same the following day. Some come so often that we even give them discounts,†Chemoibo says. For safety purposes, Chemoibo says he replaces all his ropes and seat belts annually.