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Page Type:
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Trip Report |
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Lat/Lon:
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1.13000°N / 34.55000°E |
Date Climbed/Hiked:
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Dec 13, 1997 |
Just getting to the trailhead was rather adventurous. It was a long "matatu" ride from Nairobi. We crossed the Uganda-Kenya border at night, which is rather creepy. We took a night bus to Mbale where we wandered around to find a place to sleep. The next moring we rode the rather too fast and scary matatu to Budadiri.
Budadiri was the friendliest town I've ever visited in my life. After Nairobi, we were afraid of being inundated by beggars. When arriving in Budadiri many of the town's children flocked around us. "Here we go again" we though to ourselves. We were surprised that all the children wanted to shake our hand and say "how are you". The whole time we were in Budadiri, we were treated like royalty. We also hoped to leave a good impression on the town and were very friendly and bought local goods and services and we spent time to talk with the children.
We planned on taking six days for the trip, but ended up taking five. We used porters and a guide because we think they could use the money. We would have done fine without, but it was a nice experience.
We hiked up the terraced villages and through the "Wall of Death" to Sasa River Camp. Some Blue and Colobus monkeys were seen along the way and it rained a bit. That night, my wife dropped our only flashlight (torch) in the outhouse. It stuck and was shining straight up through the hole.
The next day was a rather easy hike to Mude River Camp, but we hiked in constant rain. The next day was spent hiking to the crater hotsprings and past a nice waterfall. Again we had constant rain (El Nino year). The next day was rainy and we made the summit of Elgon. It even snowed, which is a rare occasion. The porters turned back because the bad weather, but the guide went to the summit with us. That afternoon we visited a nice waterfall near Mude River Camp. We saw a glow-in-the-dark slug that night.
The next day was spent hiking down to Mude River Camp. The flashlight was still shining very dimly up through the hole. I wonder if anyone thought the outhouse was haunted. We saw more monkeys on the way down.
The next few days were spent at Sipi Falls. This is one of the most beautiful areas in the world, so don't miss it.
Budadiri was the friendliest town I've ever visited in my life. After Nairobi, we were afraid of being inundated by beggars. When arriving in Budadiri many of the town's children flocked around us. "Here we go again" we though to ourselves. We were surprised that all the children wanted to shake our hand and say "how are you". The whole time we were in Budadiri, we were treated like royalty. We also hoped to leave a good impression on the town and were very friendly and bought local goods and services and we spent time to talk with the children.
We planned on taking six days for the trip, but ended up taking five. We used porters and a guide because we think they could use the money. We would have done fine without, but it was a nice experience.
We hiked up the terraced villages and through the "Wall of Death" to Sasa River Camp. Some Blue and Colobus monkeys were seen along the way and it rained a bit. That night, my wife dropped our only flashlight (torch) in the outhouse. It stuck and was shining straight up through the hole.
The next day was a rather easy hike to Mude River Camp, but we hiked in constant rain. The next day was spent hiking to the crater hotsprings and past a nice waterfall. Again we had constant rain (El Nino year). The next day was rainy and we made the summit of Elgon. It even snowed, which is a rare occasion. The porters turned back because the bad weather, but the guide went to the summit with us. That afternoon we visited a nice waterfall near Mude River Camp. We saw a glow-in-the-dark slug that night.
The next day was spent hiking down to Mude River Camp. The flashlight was still shining very dimly up through the hole. I wonder if anyone thought the outhouse was haunted. We saw more monkeys on the way down.
The next few days were spent at Sipi Falls. This is one of the most beautiful areas in the world, so don't miss it.