Mount Elgon National Park

Mount Elgon is an extinct shield volcano straddling the Kenyan border, with a caldera some 40km across, the largest surface area of any volcanic caldera in the world. Wagagai, the high point, stands at 4,321 metres.

The trekking here is the friendlier alternative to the Rwenzoris: three to five days, no technical sections, no permits queue, and a walk-up summit. Trails climb through montane forest and bamboo into open moorland studded with giant groundsel.

Most travellers come for Sipi Falls, on the north-western foothills, with three waterfalls in sequence, the largest dropping around 100 metres, walked in a half day. The slopes around Sipi grow some of Uganda's best Arabica, and a farm-to-cup coffee tour is the natural pairing.

Highlights

• The Sipi Falls three-waterfall trail
• Wagagai Peak, 4,321m (a non-technical summit trek)
• Arabica coffee farm tours around Sipi
• Tutum and Kitum caves, visited at night by elephants
• Abseiling the main Sipi waterfall

Best time to visit

June–August and December–March for the trek. Sipi Falls is spectacular year-round and at its fullest right after the rains.

Getting there

Five to six hours by road from Kampala via Jinja and Mbale, which makes it an easy pairing with the Source of the Nile.