Coffee is Uganda’s top earning export crop. The main Arabica coffee-growing region is in the hills on the slopes of Mount Elgon, in the south-east of the country. It’s a beautiful area, hilly and incredibly green and lush. There’s a long, windy dramatic road up to the Kapchorwa district from the plains below, and because of the altitude (1,900 meters/6,200 feet) the temperature is mild and the air is fresh. The sun is hot and harsh in the middle of the day, but it’s cool in the mornings and later afternoons which makes it perfect for coffee production. And walking.

Kapchorwa district is the hub of Arabica coffee production in Uganda, and I saw a lot of the region on foot. I based myself in the village of Sipi and wandered around for a few days along the ochre colored dirt roads. I had a little trouble finding a place to stay when I arrived in Sipi; there were only a couple of guest houses, and both were wildly overpriced to my way of thinking. Standing in the middle of the road scratching my head wondering what to do next I was befriended by Thomas, a young local man. Like almost all of the other unemployed young men in the area, Thomas provided guiding services, which essentially just means he’ll lug you around the area, arrange transportation and answer your questions.

Ugandans are generally terrible at the hustle. They’re too calm and friendly and easy going to really put the screws to any tourists that happen their way. Compared with Indians, for example. they all come off as shy school boys; as a result it’s easy to get rid of them, or just say no if you don’t want their help. Thomas was helpful though, and pleasant and interesting so I asked for him for assistance.

He helped me find a place to stay in an empty storeroom at the back of some shops at the south end of the small main street in Sipi. It was much more comfortable than it sounds, and proved to be an excellent place to base myself. There was a comfy bed and a shower in the little compound behind the store room. The mattress, as a matter of fact, was brand new and had never been slept on, and I had to persuade the owner – a man named Alexander – to remove the protective plastic, promising I would sleep lightly. The room had two large windows facing the forest and a sweeping green field.

I hired Thomas for a coffee tour. He agreed to take me to his small coffee farm and show me how coffee was grown and made ready for consumption. We settled on a price (around 8 dollars, but I gave him a tip to make it an even 10) and headed out the next afternoon. This proved to be an excellent day.

We first had to walk through the fields and a dirt road north up and out of town a few kilometers to get to his small farm. He showed me the dozen or so coffee trees he’d cultivated and explained the growth and harvest cycles of the coffee fruit and bean. Then we “hulled” the beans to remove the protective outer layer, pounded them, roasted them, ground them and drank coffee! It was very interesting, and Thomas proved to an excellent lecturer, very knowledgeable and articulate. It also gave me the chance to see the small mud and stick hut where he lived, and to meet some of the people in his village. And the coffee was excellent!

I met some fellow travelers in Sipi, which was a treat after the dearth of westerners in Ghana and Ivory Coast. Nick, a young Australian teacher on holiday in East Africa, and Aran, from Israel, in the region to scale some of the high mountains (Kilimanjaro and Mt. Kenya). We three found a small bar in Sipi after dark and drank several bottles of warm Nile Special beer under a million stars, and listened to music play from a portable player. There was no electricity in town – some places had generators, but there was no government supply – so the night was dark and exotic. I stumbled with a flashlight back to my storeroom and went to sleep dreaming of coffee and the thick green forests of Kapchorwa.

The kids in the region were extremely interested in me. They were very vocal (speaking good to excellent English) and were delighted to have their photo taken. One local fruit seller invited me to take a bunch of pictures of his kids, which I did. He then proceeded to invite his neighbors over (all of whom I’m sure had seen his kids a million times) and scrolled through the pictures on my camera over and over, laughing and pointing at the screen, tickled.

After several days in the Kapchorwa region I headed back down the hill to Mbale, the largest town and main center in the district of the same name. I really liked Mbale, and was in and out a couple of times while traveling in the area. There’s nothing special about it, but it’s a perfectly normal Ugandan town with a decent selection of local restaurants (including a good Indian place), friendly and helpful locals, good bars, and a fantastic little hotel.

I met Frank, a traveler from London, and the two of us teamed up for a few legs of our respective journeys heading north enjoying good conversation and some laughs.

Next time in and out of Mbale and the road north.

Stay tuned!