Kapchorwa: Hidden Gem of the Mount Elgon Region

Looking to go off the beaten track in Uganda? Want epic adventures and meaningful Ugandan cultural experiences? Well then, let us suggest a visit to Kapchorwa in Eastern Uganda. 

Nestled in the foothills of Mount Elgon and just around the corner from the famous Sipi Falls, Kapchorwa is one of Uganda’s hidden gems. With incredible hiking, mountain biking and running, there’s enough here to keep any adventure lover occupied for days.

And then there’s the Uganda cultural component: Kapchorwa is the home of the Sebei people and there’s a range of authentic Ugandan cultural activities you can participate in that will provide so much fulfilment to your stay.

Interested? We don’t blame you! Read on for our complete guide to Kapchorwa, the hidden gem of the Mount Elgon region. 

Our visit to Kapchorwa was supported by Home of Friends. As always, all opinions in this article are completely our own. 

Where is Kapchorwa?

Kapchorwa is in the Eastern region of Uganda, 65 km from Mbale and just down the road from Sipi Falls.

Kapchorwa sits at a relatively high altitude (around 1900m) and is essentially tucked into the side of Mount Elgon, providing it with a very pleasant climate and stunning mountain scenery. 

Read next: The Essential Guide to Trekking the Rwenzori Mountains

When to Visit Kapchorwa

You can really visit Kapchorwa at any time of year, but as with anywhere this close to the Equator, some times of the year will be wetter than others. 

The best time to visit Kapchorwa is between December and March, which are the driest months. That said, almost any time is great! 

April and May are the wettest months in the Mount Elgon region, so if visiting at this time, be prepared for some afternoon rain and bring a good rain jacket.

Where to Stay in Kapchorwa

Obviously, Home of Friends! We spent 9 nights at Home of Friends and couldn’t have been happier. 

The grounds at Home of Friends are absolutely gorgeous and provide a really relaxing space to hang out in after all those fun activities. There’s a hammock, a communal fire pit and lots of comfy tables and chairs. And finally, the restaurant is the talk of the town and gets a lot of visitors! 

Related: 7 Epic Camping Sites in Uganda + Essential Tips

Things to Do in Kapchorwa

There are so, so, so many things to do in Kapchorwa – so many, that you could easily spend a week in the area and be busy every day. (Trust us, we did). 

Kapchorwa really is an all-in-one destination in the Mount Elgon and Sipi Falls region. You can run, mountain bike, hike and do lots of fun Ugandan cultural activities, all from the comfy base of Home of Friends (who will also organise all these things to do in Kapchorwa for you too). 

We really loved Kapchorwa, and if you like getting off the beaten track and having awesome authentic travel experiences, then we think you will too. 

Run Kapchorwa

Kapchorwa is known as ‘The Land of Champions’, due to being the home of multiple world champion runners. This includes the current 5000m and 10000m men’s world record holder, current half-marathon world record holder and multiple Olympic gold medalists. It’s pretty impressive!

If you’re into running, Run Kapchorwa has a bunch of different programs to get involved in. You can do a residential running camp or just head for a casual run with a local guide. And if you’re lucky, maybe you’ll just spot a champion along the way. 

Bike Kapchorwa

Bike Kapchorwa is an initiative that has grown from Run Kapchorwa. Laying on the slopes of Mount Elgon, the land around Kapchorwa is hilly! Not only is it hilly, but there are tons of little-used dirt roads that only see the odd cow or two as traffic. 

What does this mean? Prime mountain biking territory! Through Bike Kapchorwa, you can rent a bike for a half or full day and head out to explore the Mount Elgon hills. If you’re looking for a sick route to try, we helped map out the Chemonges Toronto Loop and think it’s a pretty good one. You can find a map for it here. 

If you want a bit more guidance, then Bike Kapchorwa can take you out on a guided ride. 

A full-day bike rental costs $30 USD and a guided ride is $35 USD (inclusive of rental). 

Cooking with the Mamas

Now, this is a really fun one! This was probably our favourite activity during our time in Kapchorwa. If you only do one activity whilst in the Mount Elgon and Sipi Falls region, make it Cooking with the Mamas! It’s the ultimate Ugandan cultural experience.

The beauty of Cooking with the Mamas is that it’s both a cooking class and a Ugandan cultural activity, all at once. Yes, you get to learn how to make some traditional foods, but really what you’re doing is learning about the culture of the Sebei people.

The activity begins with walking to a farm to cut some matoke (i.e., green banana). As a fun twist, you get to cut it yourself and then, make a cushion from the leaves and carry it back on your head. This is Africa, baby! 

The class takes place in a nearby cave, which is the ancestral home of the Sebei people. Here, you’ll meet your teachers for the session.

Cooking with the Mamas is less hands-on than other cooking classes we’ve taken, but your guide will be explaining a ton of cultural context as everything is happening. It’s really fascinating and you’ll get to learn so much about the Sebei people.

The food is basic – mostly steamed motoke and vegetables, plus posho (a form of mashed millet) and avocado. The whole team eats communally, with their hands. We loved it! 

Cooking with the Mamas costs $20 pp.

Hiking Around Mount Elgon

There’s no better way to explore the Mount Elgon foothills than on foot and there are a number of trails you can set off on.

Side note: Home of Friends uses the best guides in the world. When we hiked the Kapchorwa-Benet Trail / Mosopisiek Trail, we were with Cephus, a true superstar. He is honestly one of the best guides we’ve ever had. 

Mosopisiek Trail

The Mosopisiek Trail (pronounced: mah-sow-bee-shock) is one of our favourite hikes in Africa. It’s a 2-3 day hike to a small community on the edges of the Mount Elgon National Park.

Mosopisiek means ‘people that have been left out’, because in 1993, the inhabitants of Mount Elgon were forcibly removed to make way for the national park. Now, they live in the surrounding areas and it is these communities that you visit on the hike. 

The Mosopisiek Trail can take anywhere from 3-6 hours on the first day, depending on your level of fitness and hiking experience. It is most commonly done by taking a boda-boda (motorcycle taxi) to the start of the trail, but, if you’re like us and you like a challenge, can be combined with the Kapchorwa-Benet Trail (see below) to make one big super trail! 

The Mosopisiek Trail winds its way through the Mount Elgon foothills, through remote villages. Overall, the trail undulates a lot, so expect to go up and down over a lot of hills and ridges. There are two particularly steep hills, but fortunately, they’re relatively short. 

The trail itself is super beautiful. Near the end, you skirt the edges of the Mount Elgon National Park and have great views of Mount Kadam, off in the Karamoja. 

Camp on the Mosopisiek Trail

On the Mosopisiek Trail, you spend the night in the village of Yatui, which is beautiful.

Camp is perched on the edge of the village, overlooking the Mount Elgon mountains and Mount Kadam.

There are a lot of little touches at camp to make your stay as comfortable as possible. Nice beds with lots of warm blankets (even pillows!), a private bathroom in the bedroom and hot water and a basin to have a shower – not to mention soap and a towel. If, like us, you’re used to pure wilderness camping, this is luxury. 

Once in Yatui, you can spend a day (or even two) undertaking a bunch of Ugandan cultural activities: basket-making, story-telling and fire-piercing are just some of the many on offer.

What we loved about the Mosopisiek Trail was that besides its natural beauty, hanging out in Yatui felt like such a genuine Ugandan cultural experience – which is so rare in East Africa.

Note: there is electricity for lights only at camp, so bring a power bank to keep your devices charged. And while there is decent mobile reception along the trail, there isn’t any at camp (unless you climb a hill). 

The Mosopisiek Trail: Good to Know

The Mosopisek Trail can be undertaken by anyone with a reasonable degree of fitness. 

Since your accommodation and food are provided, you don’t need any specialised camping or trekking gear, just good shoes and a daypack. Hiking poles, while not strictly necessary, are helpful. (If you don’t have hiking poles your guide can provide excellent quality walking sticks). 

We also recommend bringing warm clothes for camp – at around 2700m, it can get quite chilly!

Pro tip: to avoid bringing a ton of water on the Mosopisiek Trail, we recommend a Steripen. It’s a game-changer. 

The Mosopisiek Trail costs $39 pp/day and includes your guide, all meals and the fun cultural activities. Considering this is East Africa, it’s a real bargain! 

Kapchorwa-Benet Trail

The Kapchorwa-Benet Trail is an excellent day hike meandering around the Mount Elgon foothills and going through the friendliest communities in East Africa. In that sense, it reminded us of the Congo Nile Trail in Rwanda, only with much friendlier people. 

Think beautiful green hills along the Mount Elgon escarpment. It also has an insane amount of waterfalls en route (I lost track at 7), giving Sipi Falls a run for its money! Our personal favourites were the first, Kaptokwoi Waterfall, and the final, Mengia Waterfall. 

Be warned: the Kapchorwa-Benet Trail is not for the faint of heart. It’s long (22km) and gains an insane amount of elevation, 1400m. You’ll need to be fit and ready for a big day out. It’s so worth it though.

Be sure to stop for a cup of African tea at the end, Mengia. It’s a real treat after a long day of hiking. 

The Kapchorwa-Benet Trail costs $35 USD pp and includes transportation back to Home of Friends. 

Kapchorwa Nature Walk

If you’re not up for either of the big ones above, you can tailor-make a nature walk taking in some of the highlights of the area. This way, you still get to see the beauty of Kapchorwa and the Mount Elgon region, but don’t have to worry about getting 20+ km under your belt!

The nature trail costs $10 USD pp for up to 2 hours and $15 USD pp for 3 – 4 hours. 

Sipi Falls Hike 

When visiting the Mount Elgon region, a visit to Sipi Falls is a must!

Even if like us, you prefer to do things independently, it’s really best to arrange a guide to Sipi Falls, as accessing the waterfalls on your own is quite complicated. Plus, 100% of the price goes to the guide and the Sipi Falls Community. 

From Kapchorwa, it’s a pretty quick boda ride to the start of the hike to Sipi Falls. If you want to hike for 1-2 hours, it’s $10 USD pp and if you’re looking to get out longer (3-4 hours) then it’s $15 USD pp. 

Further Activities in Kapchorwa

In addition to these activities, there are heaps more you can do in Kapchorwa. This includes a coffee tour, cave experience and campfire story-telling.

Inquire at Home of Friends (or check their website) for more information. 

Is Kapchorwa Worth Visiting?

You might still be wondering whether Kapchorwa is worth visiting – there’s a lot to see and do in Uganda after all. All we can say is, absolutely! Kapchorwa is 100% worth visiting.

Kapchorwa has so much to offer – incredible nature, tons of exciting activities, authentic vibes, friendly locals, cultural experiences and all in an accessible and affordable package. Throughout our 3 months in Uganda, we couldn’t find this anywhere else.

At the moment, it’s still one of Uganda’s hidden gems, but we don’t think it will stay that way for long. So as they say, there’s no time like the present.

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