Wanale Ridge

Wanale is the escarpment that rises straight out of the plain behind Mbale, a spur of Mount Elgon with a sheer face several hundred metres high standing over the town. In the rains a waterfall, Nabuyonga, drops over the lip and is visible from Mbale. The top is farmed and gives a view over the whole plain towards Lake Kyoga, and the cliff has become the country's main paragliding launch site.

The landscape

• The escarpment face - a sheer wall rising several hundred metres above the plain.
• The seasonal waterfall - Nabuyonga falling over the lip in the rainy months.
• The plain view - the country towards Lake Kyoga from the ridge top.
• The paragliding - launches from the cliff, the main site in the country.

When to go

June to August and December to March are driest for the road up. The waterfall only runs in the rains. Mornings are clearest before haze builds.

What to expect

The waterfall is seasonal and absent for much of the year. The road up is rough and steep. Paragliding operates only when instructors are in the country, which is intermittent.

Nearby

Mbale is below, and Sipi Falls is north.