THE CROW’S NEST

Don’t book your tours here! Having read the previous reviews about the tours being overpriced, I thought they might have learned from it. However, he was still asking for $35 for the full Sipi falls hike and $35 for the coffee tour. If you book it elsewhere it will be only $15-$20 each. It really feels like a scam. So I would highly recommend to book your tours somewhere else!

The accommodation itself was fine though. The staff at the house itself were super friendly, the food was very tasty, the view was just amazing. The rooms were okay, there was no sink and no light in the bathroom which was a bit weird. But you might expect that for only €15 per night.

We just spent two days and nights at the Crows Nest in Sipi. The Location is really wonderful. You will enjoy a straight view at the biggest of the Sipi Falls. The Staff is very welcoming and friendly. The food is also very tasty. We could book a guided hike to the Sipi Falls with one of the staff members, which was very nice.
The prices are very affordable. The rooms are plain, but very clean and all provided with mosquito nets.
A wonderful place to just hang out and relax or enjoy some adventure. I can highly recommend this hostel.

Nice lodge for the location but be aware - activities are heavily overcharged!

Ivan is a very hospitable host but watch out!! He heavily overcharges for all the activities, for our case the local sipi fall hikes and mount elgon national park hikes. Local price for SIPI falls hike is 12 dollars, Ivan charged us 35. Local official price for the 1-day nature walk in Mount Elgon National park is 30 dollars, Ivan charged us 75 pp!!! We found after the hike when we checked the prices at the board of the UWA office. In the end we had to cancel a payment to make sure we were not overpaying, but it was a stressfull experience and we would have liked to receive more transparency on the prices upfront. A service fee for organization is fair, but not more than double. We were aware that the same happened to a spanish group which was there while we were there. He charged them 190 dollars for Pian Upe 1 day safari, in the end they checked the local prices with a tourist information office in Sipi town and they got the same activity for 100 dollars.

The lodge for the rest is a nice place, good food, with nice views on the falls and ok facilities. The prices on the lodge themselves are fair. But please skip the activities and communicate directly with locals offering tourist activities if you want to do things in the area, as they will offer a fairer price.

Me and my friend are both reviewing the same experience from the 20th to 22nd of October 2023 and I will be straight forward:

On Saturday, when we paid the 35USD/person for the Sipi Falls Hike, we were literally on a rush. We came back by boda because innitially, we were also doing the Coffee Tour (quoted 45USD for 2h). Then we start feeling something was not alright. Since the National Park was quoted on 75USD/person we decided to book it and cancel the Coffee Tour. He insisted on us going because he already arranged, but we refused due to lack of budget and he had to accept it.

Afterwards, we met someone on the surroundings and she already warned us that Ivan was making big profit by overpricing the activities he booked. She told us that the Sipi Falls Hike was 12EUR/person and also that Ivan was not contributing to the local communities as we thought he was doing.

On Sunday, we were not scammed by Ivan because I could cancel on time the transfer via Wise App. He really made us think that he was doing us a favour by charging 75USD/person for visiting the Mount Elgon National Park and the bad people was the UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority) by charging those prices. But when we finished our tour we saw the real price on a board and the people in the office told us that no matter what we pay, Ivan will only pay them the 30USD/person.

We called him afterwards and he said sorry and hanged up, we believe because he has such a huge profit marging getting more money than the National Park (75USD=30USD entry + 45USD profit) that he doesn't care two people not being scammed. It wasn't until he read the previous comment that he decided to call back and request us to delete the comment.

We don't (and might never) know the personal circumstances that lead Ivan to behave like that. Maybe the business model crow´s nest has been always like that or maybe unfortunate events made the bussiness take this direction. All we intend with this comments is to improve the service he offers. We will be happy paying some extra money for the connection to the local guides or the national park to support him or the community if he ever belongs to. But from our side, what is unacceptable is that he is not transparent and he disproportionatelly profits from us and has no consequences.

For anyone looking for great value and an amazing view, Crow's Nest is the place to stay on a trip to the Sipi Falls. Accomodation is clean, simple and comfortable, with a spacious bed and mosquito net in the cabins. The bathroom facilities are also fine, with clean running water and a sit down toilet, plus a shower which you can have cold or ask for some boiling water to warm it up a bit! Hospitality and the location are the star of the show, with warm and welcoming staff who are happy to help and assist you. With Cheka Tours Sipi you can go on a short hike to the larger waterfall, a long hike to all 3 falls, abseiling, a coffee plantation tour and other activities! If you have the time (~3/4h), I would highly recommend the long hike as it is a fun route to walk and has stunning scenery. Ivan the guide is so knowledgeable and friendly and can answer any questions you may have, as well as being able to organise transport and activities. Anyone going to Sipi falls on a budget should 100% stay here as they will not be disappointed! Also the hillside location has a prime view of the falls which cannot be missed, especially at sunrise or sunset.