How to Cross Mount Elgon from Uganda to Kenya
It's possible to cross the Uganda-Kenya border in the caldera of Mount Elgon. However, there's a lot of missing information on the subject and the Ugandan Wildlife Authority (UWA) provided essentially no information when asked.
I looked for a blog post on the subject, but couldn't find anything. So, here's the post I would have liked to find online! This is current as of April 2018.
Pre-arrangements
What you need to know before making calls
You will need to choose which trail to use to ascend the mountain from the Uganda side. Sasa (cross on the third day) and Sipi (cross on the fourth day) are the two most popular. Sipi has you camp in a giant cave of bats; Sasa has a cool section of staircases up a cliff (they are referred to as "ladders", but they are definitely stairs).
It is up to you to know at what time the border crossing "handover" will occur. Your best bet is to calculate backwards: if you want to get your passport stamped on the day you cross, you should estimate 3-5 hours hiking on the Kenyan side (9 kilometers with a few step hills and no particular trail before the descent). After that is a ride in a 4WD military vehicle down to the KWS (Kenya Wildlife Service) park office– about an hour, and maybe another hour of paperwork. Add another two hours for transit to the border and back, which they can arrange from the office.
The border closes at 5pm, so if you make the handover after 9am, you may already be too late.
If you don't mind a night in the park on the Kenya side ($40 for a 3-person banda with kitchenette and theoretical hot showers), a handover time of noon is fine.
Call the Kenyan side before talking to the Ugandan side so that you can give the UWA official the phone number of the person who is arranging your Kenyan guide. You want your Ugandan guide and your Kenyan guide to be in phone contact. Make sure this contact occurs before you hike out of phone service on the first day.
Kenya-side arrangements
Call the KWS and let them know your plans. They will give you the phone number for someone who can arrange guides and porters for you.
Unlike the Ugandan side, the guide is not included in the park fee. You don't have to have one per person. But you will be met by "security"– I'm not sure if they are deployed one per person or in teams of two, but we were surprised to be met by three people when we thought we would be meeting our one guide. You can also arrange a porter with the same person.
Prices for the Kenya side:
- Guide - 3000 Ksh/day. Pay directly to the guide in cash with tip when you get to the car.
- Security - 3015 Ksh/each/day. Pay this at the park headquarters; if you give the soldiers cash, they will assume it is a tip.
- Porter - 1500 Ksh/each/day. Pay directly.
- Vehicle and driver - 15000 Ksh to the park headquarters, or 18000 Ksh also including a ride to the border at Suam and into Kitale. Pay at the park headquarters.
- Park fees - $26/person/day at the park headquarters
- Banda accommodation - $40/3 people/night at the park headquarters
- Tips are expected by every person who spends time with you.
Uganda-side arrangements
Park fees are $75 per person per day you are in the park. This includes a guide for each person. You will also need to pay 20,000 Ugandan shillings for each night of camping. So for us on the Sasa Trail, that's three days and two nights per person.
Because this comes out to over a million shillings, it's probably best to pay with visa. You can pay by card at the UWA office in Mbale and take a receipt to the trailhead, or (for Sasa at least) at the park office by the trailhead in Budadiri.
You can pay for camping and park fees by card, but you must pay the park office in cash for porter services and for the boda-bodas the park service will arrange for you and your guides to get to the trailhead.
Uganda-side prices
- Park fees - $75/person/day including a guide, payable by card at the park office
- Camping - 20,000 USh/person/day, payable by card at the park office
- Porters - 17,500 Ush/porter/day, payable in cash at the park office
- Transport from Budadiri to the trailhead - 7,000 Ush/person/boda-boda. Double the person count because you have to pay for your guide's ride as well. You don't have to pay for a ride for your porter.
- Tips, in cash, for guides and porters.
Packing list
- Enough Ugandan cash to cover all your expenses including tips
- Enough Kenyan cash to cover all your expenses including tips (we picked some up as we transferred through the Nairobi airport)
- Head to toe waterproof coverage
- Full change of clothes to sleep dry
- Very warm sleeping bag
- Technically you don't need a tent, but you might appreciate the extra insulation
- Food including salty food for electrolytes. Soup mixes and a bowl/spork are a good idea; your guides will let you have hot water
- Water filter or other such solution. There is running water at the campsite
- Toilet paper
- Flashlight
Hiking
If you are hiking Sasa, your major climb is the first day. You will lunch at the Sasa River campsite and continue on to camp at Mude Cave Camp.
Day two is a summit at Wagagai (about 17km round trip) or a hike to the falls– specify your intent to the guide. You will sleep again at Mude Cave Camp.
Day three is the handover. You will hike 12km into the caldera and across it, which is fairly gentle. You'll see the hot springs at the entrance to Suam Gorge, but it's an extra side trip to descend to them. It's not the swimming kind anyway.
The handoff is at the river that marks the border. Plan on standing around for at least half an hour as guides exchange greetings and paperwork.
The Kenya side begins with two successive steep uphills, then a gradual uphill until you're to the right of the peak cliffs (4km from the river). Then it's a gentle 4km down to the end of the KWS service road.
Settling up with Kenya and getting your passport stamped
You will pay your guide and porter at the end of the road, as well as any tips. Anything else is paid at the park office.
The drive time is dependent on conditions. When we went, it was very slippery and took an hour. They will take you to the park office.
At the park office, you can arrange transport to and from Suam border, but this is not standard, so you may need to explain. We had the driver take us to the border and then to Kitale. It is also possible to take a long boda-boda ride, the park office suggested to us.
The road to Suam is very dicey if it has rained (2 hours) or 45 minutes if conditions are good. We were told that by the end of 2018 the road would be paved.
You will arrive at the border from the Kenya side. Go in and explain that you've hiked across the mountain and need to get a Ugandan exit stamp. You can then walk across the bridge to the Uganda side, get your exit stamp, walk back, get your Kenya entry stamp.
Congratulations! You’re now legal. I recommend catching a ride to the Safaricom shop in Kitale so you can get a SIM and tell all your friends you survived.
