The One Day Sasa Trail Trek – The best option is to spend the night in Mbale town before the trek, but you can also stay at a lodge near Sipi Falls. It is about 52 km from Mbale town to the Uganda Wildlife Authority office in Budadiri, which takes about one hour by car.
To start early, be at the UWA office by 8:00 am. Park entrance fees are $35 per 24 hours for foreign non-residents, $25 per 24 hours for foreign residents, and UGX 15,000 for East Africans. The trek begins just above Bugiboni Village at the base camp.
The one-day trek has two options:
Option 1:
This route gives you a community experience as you pass by homes, gardens, and Arabica coffee plantations. After entering the park, you walk below the cliffs to Nabanyifu Falls, where the Dirigana River drops 61 metres into the valley. A bridge directly below the falls gives you a chance to take memorable photos. After crossing, you continue to the end of the cliff face and climb along the trail above the falls. The switchbacks make the climb easier, and you enjoy views of the community far below. The trek continues under the hanging cliffs, through montane forest with giant Podocarpus trees and vines. You then stop for lunch at a rest shelter near the river before returning.
Option 2:
This route also gives you a mix of community and forest experiences. The trek starts at Elgon Trekkers Base Camp and passes through coffee plantations to the Gasawa steel ladders above Bugiboni Village. After some steep sections, the trail flattens and passes through farmland where people grow coffee, onions, potatoes, and maize.
If the weather is dry, you may take a boda boda up to 2,070 metres to save energy and start your hike closer to the park boundary. From here, the trail steadily climbs below Dirigana Falls, which drop 61 metres between cliffs. Switchbacks make the climb easier, and this new trail opens areas that were never accessible to tourists before. Along the way is a large rock shelter for rest in case of rain. At the base of the falls, you can take photos before continuing to the top of the escarpment for wide views across the valley.
The trail then crosses above the falls and enters the montane forest with tall Podocarpus trees and thick vegetation. About two kilometres from the top, a bridge crosses the Dirigana River, with a small shelter nearby that makes a good lunch spot.
Lunch includes a roll with chicken and cheese or ham and cheese, fruit, juice, and a hot cup of tea or coffee before you return to Base Camp.
