If you love nature and some bit of adventure: Wanale is the No. 1 tourist attraction in Mbale. Of recent, Daan did the 500 meter climb of this steep ridge with incredible views. Find the highlights of a great half-day adventure in this blog!
Mbale is the gateway to Mount Elgon. On their way to Sipi Falls, people sometimes forget that Mbale is more than an ordinary town. Climbing Wanale ridge is a great way of getting a first glimpse of the beauty of Mount Elgon. Wanale ridge is located in Wanale sub-county, just a few minutes outside Mbale Town.
Wanale / Namatsyo Falls
The start of our hike goes through banana plantations and a Bagisu village. The Bagisu are Bantu speaking people and have a unique and well-known culture of circumcision called ‘Imbalu’. 2020 is a year of circumcision and yes, behind some houses, we find a group of young men performing a real Imbalu dance. After a comfortable, 25-minutes walk we reach the bottom of Wanale waterfalls. Our guide Gerald explains that - before it’s falling stage - the name of this impressive stream is Namatsyo.
Steep climb
From the bottom of the waterfalls, we take another route to the top of Wanale ridge. This climb turns out to be pretty steep. Fortunately I have lost some kilos during the Covid19 lockdown! On our way we meet some local tourists who are taking a deserved break along one of the other streams that flows down into the valley below. The total climb takes about 45 minutes, up to an incredible viewpoint at 1.749m. above sea level. On top of the ridge it is possible to refresh in a local pool. We decide to enjoy the views over Mbale Town and neighboring districts Sironko, Kumi and Bukedea!
Party paintings!
After enjoying the viewpoints we continue our hike to the nearby ‘Whakwhasi’ cave. This small cave was used as a learning institution in the early 1800s and before that as a home for cows and herds. While the boundary of Mount Elgon National Park is looming up on the horizon (the boundary is demarcated by a series of trees), I am amazed by some colorful paintings on the local Bagisu houses. As guide Gerald narrates, it turns out that the Bagisu have a tradition of painting holiday celebrations on their walls. One of the houses shows the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, while another house narrates an Easter celebration. Check out the following video for more information on how these paintings are made:
The name Wanale
Some believe it was Semei Kakungulu who baptised the ridge as Nkokonjeru, meaning 'white cock’ because of its sparkling beauty. A more common and accepted explanation is about a Bagisu man called Masaba, who was married to a Kalenjin woman, and thereafter adopted circumcision into the Bagisu culture. Masaba named the ridge after his first son Wanale. Wanale is believed to have lived in the ‘Khaukha’ cave, above the top edge of Wanale ridge, and now part of Mount Elgon National Park.
Spectacular descent
The descent is as steep as the climb up and presents us with a challenging and loose ladder, named ‘ladder of the brave’ by the locals. With some healthy dose of Ugandan stamina and calmness, we reach safely down!
Mbale has a zoo!
A major learning of the day is that Mbale has a zoo! The place is small, but with the presence of monkeys, snakes and camels, it is definitely worth a visit! An interesting place for children. At the moment of writing, the zoo is relocating and re organizing a playing area. And who knows we may see large savannah mammals here as Mbale zoo has a connection with Entebbe zoo.
Go to the explore page of our Run Kapchorwa initiative to book a Wanale tour.
This blog is written by Daan Oxener, a Dutch social entrepreneur who is based in Kapchorwa since 2016. Daan is the manager of Home of Friends Guesthouse. He is passionate about exploring Mount Elgon’s stunning nature and authentic culture. Through Run Kapchorwa he empowers youth with skilling & employment opportunities.