Tourist attractions in the wider Elgon region
Our prime focus as Home of Friends is on experiential Community tours on the Ugandan side of Mount Elgon. But there are more interesting tourist attractions to discover in the wider Elgon region.
Five of our favorite attractions, all within a 2,5 hours drive from our Guesthouse:
1. Nyero Rock Paintings (near Kumi Town)
It is a UNESCO heritage site, 10 kilometers off the Mbale-Soroti highway in Kumi Town. Since 2021, there is a special museum attached to these ancient rock paintings. In one-hour time a guide can show you the six major rock arts and give you insights into its meaning. One of the rock paintings is displayed on the one-thousand Uganda Shillings note:
One of the six major rock paintings @ Nyero. Photo taken during a visit with a friend in October 2021
2. Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve (along the Mbale - Moroto highway)
Rumors in tourism land suggest that the Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve will soon be upgraded to a National Park. And true, there are several promising developments going on in Uganda’s second largest protected area:
A recently opened new airstrip
Structural investments in park management and wildlife conservation
Increasing numbers of (distinctive) wildlife
Earlier this year we visited Pian Upe for a team building activity. Unfortunately, the grass on the savannah was too high to see high numbers of wildlife, but we were still able to spot some interesting animals: Jackson’s Hartebeests, ostriches and warthogs. Pian Upe is also home to roam antelope, greater kudu and dik-dik.
Team Home of Friends in August 2023 during a briefing before the Pian Upe game drive
For a higher chance of spotting wildlife, it is best to visit Pian Upe between January and March when the grasses are low. Pian Upe is a paradise for bird lovers too.
This video of the Uganda Wildlife Authority gives a good impression of the sceneries and wildlife in Pian Upe:
3. Kitum Cave (Mount Elgon, Kenya)
National Geographic made a famous documentary about the only place in the world where elephants move inside a cave. This is the Kitum Cave, just across the Ugandan-Kenyan border, a 2 hours’ drive from our Guesthouse. The walls of Kitum Cave contain a lot of salt. Elephants, but also buffalo and hyena, have gone deep into the cave in search of it. With their tusks elephants break off parts of the caves’ walls. Then they chew and swallow it. This has made the cave to expand over time.
Watch the elephants in Kitum cave in this wonderful short documentary of Terra Mater:
4. Wanale Falls (Mbale Town)
It is the spectacular ridge you can already see from far when approaching Mbale Town. Wanale Falls offers a steep but beautiful hike and ultimately view over the Bagisu lowlands. In August 2020 I climbed Wanale and also learned about the ritual of painting houses. Read our dedicated blog here.
5. Bushiyi Trail (southern side of Mount Elgon)
Bushiyi Trail has recently been developed by our local partner Massif Montane Expedition in conjunction with the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). This trail goes truly off-the-beaten track and leads all the way to Wagagai peak. It starts from a village in Bududa District, on the southern side of Mount Elgon. You move through a variety of attractive landscapes such as montane forests, open moorlands and rocky slopes. For more information, check out Massif Montane Expedition’s dedicated page.
Views from the Bushiyi Trail. Photo by Juma of Massif Montane Expedition (July 2023)
Please let me know what you think of this blog by leaving a comment below🙏🏼
This blog is written by Daan Oxener, a Dutch social entrepreneur who is based in Kapchorwa since 2016. Daan manages Home of Friends Guesthouse, together with his fiancé Eliza. He is passionate about documenting Mount Elgon’s beautiful nature and remarkable culture. Daan is also engaged in Community & youth empowerment through adventure tourism.
