40 Eastern and Northern Uganda
in quick succession over three lofty waterfalls. If these gems are not sufficient incentive, the Sipi valley’s elevated location affords fabulous sunset panoramas over the vast plains and lakes at the base of the mountain. ACCOMMODATION: Mount Elgon National Park offers basic cottages at Kapkwai while midrange lodges, backpacker cottages and campsites surround Sipi village. At the foot of the mountain, below the towering Wanale Cliffs, Mbale town contains several good hotels and is a good base for exploring the region. TRAVEL: Mbale is 230 km (four hours’ drive) from Kampala on good tarmac roads and Sipi another 50 km (one hour’s drive). KIDEPO VALLEY NATIONAL PARK – THE ULTIMATE WILDERNESS: Located on the Sudan border in the farthest corner of wild Karamoja district, Kidepo is one of Africa’s most magnificent wildernesses. Big game favourites – elephant, giraffe, zebra, eland, hartebeest, lion, hyena and cheetah, and perhaps Africa’s largest single herd of buffalo – roam rolling grasslands that extend in all directions towards distant mountain ranges. Wildlife also includes species that are rare or absent from other Ugandan protected areas such as aardwolf, bat-eared fox, cheetah, striped hyena and ostrich. Its isolation means that Kidepo is little visited and visitors can expect to enjoy a high degree of solitude.
ACCOMMODATION: includes an upmarket lodge, basic cottages and wilderness campsites. TRAVEL: Until recently, most visitors flew to Kidepo. However, since the end of a long-running rebellion in northern Uganda, and following improvements to roads in the region, tourists commonly travel overland to Kidepo from Kampala and Murchison Falls. OTHER ATTRACTIONS: Nyero Rock paintings near Kumi.