Mbale District

Mbale district is one of the districts along the eastern tourism trails in Uganda, it is found in the eastern region of Uganda. The largest city in Mbale district, it is called Mbale, and this is the attribute to the district itself. Mbale town is the central business area of the whole Mbale; it is the main administrative and commercial area in the mablae sub-region. Mable district is girded by sironko district in the north, bududa district to the north eastern side, manafwa district to the south, Butaleja district in the south west, pallisa and kumi district in the North West, and bukada districts in the west of Mbale district. Mbale town is located in about 245 kilometers from Kampala, the capital city of Uganda and also the largest city in Uganda, by road. Mbale initially was joined with bududa, manafwa and sironko, which are now districts themselves.

Mbale district is estimated to be with a population of about 441300, and a population growth rate of about 2.5%, also the biggest population of Mbale is rural, about 92%. The major ethnic group in Mbale is the Gishu, also known as the famous masaba people of mountain elgon, and also the commonest language used in Mbale district is lugishu, this is used for business and normal conversations, and however, English is the official language used in school and corporate offices. The bagishu or the masaba people are mainly agriculturalists, and the major economic activity of Mbale is agriculture. The major crops grown in Mbale district include, Arabic coffee which is grown on the alluvial slopes of mountain elgon, beans, matooke, maize, onions, potatoes, vegetables like carrots, spinach, and Irish potatoes are grow in a market gardening way. The staple food for the people living in Mbale is dried bamboo shoots, also known as malewa in the local lugishu language.

Mbale district is a civil area with a number of banks and other modern city facilities, and money transaction facilities, hospitals, schools, universities among others. The banks in Mbale include, stanbic bank Uganda limited, standard chartered bank Uganda limited, centenary bank, bank of baroda, and equity bank among others. Mbale district has over 351 primary schools of which 303 schools are government owned, and the others are registered private owned primary schools. Mable district has about 64 secondary schools, of which 25 are government owned, 27 secondary schools in Mbale district are privately owned, and about 12 secondary schools are owned by the community, they are community schools.

Health wise, Mbale district is well established with hospitals, dispensaries, clinics and pharmacies, where you can easily run and find medical first aid and treatment. Mbale district has about 12 government owned dispensaries, 4 privately owned NGO hospitals, and other small clinics and pharmacies, however, there is no bog hospital in Mbale district. However, the nearest referral hospital to Mbale district is bududa referral hospital. Despite, the city health centers and dispensaries are the only ones you can trust with treatment, the rural clinics and hospitals luck enough equipment and medicine, also some clinics in the deep villages might be having unprofessional nurses working in them. Therefore, to be on a safe side when in Mbale district, is to carry your first aid treatment, like the anti-malarias, pain killers and all the others that can help in case of emergencies.

Travelling to Mbale district

Mbale district, and mbale town, is one of the safe cities in Uganda and also a tourist town of the eastern travel trail of the pearl of Africa. Mbale town streets are very much workable, during the day and at night, however, just like any other urban area, there can be pick pocketers, thugs among other criminals, therefore you have to be really careful while walking in mabe town. Mable city is relatively a clean city in Uganda with a lot of fun you can enjoy during the day such as cycling in the town, visiting the market places among others. The nights in Mbale town are also very full of fun, the night clubs, and bars are cool places you can go and unwind your stay in the east. During the day, mbale town is has enough eating places such as restaurants, hotels and first food hubs on the road sides and main streets in the city center. To note, the best services in Mbale district are located within the city Centre.

The places you should visit in Mbale district

There are places that you should not miss out to visit when you travel to the east or to the Mbale district. They might not be the most places in the area, but small things matter, and visiting these places in bale district might change your life and revamp your African city tours.

Wanale Mountain is one of the places you should not miss out when you visit Mbale district. wanale mountain is located about 3 kilometers from the main town, which is Mbale town. Wanale ton give you a chance to see the panoramic view of Mbale town, it is also where you will find the historical caves of kawuka. The kawuka caves hold strong cultural beliefs for the bamasaba tribe; the gishu people believe that the kawuka caves have a spirit which cures infertility in women.

Sisiyi falls they are interesting falls, despite the fact that a few people know them, and almost not known by travellers to Uganda. The sisiyo falls form a zig zag pattern of rain rainbow due to the mist from the flowing water; this is one of the most attractive scenes of sisiyi falls in Mbale. sisiyi falls are also associated with a lot of plant species, and very peculiar animal species, and the jackson’s pool is favorite for the travellers who would love to swim.

Bamutoto cultural site is another place which you should visit when in Mbale district. bamutoto cultural sites is where the gishu peoples perform male circumcision for the young boys and the older youths who missed it when growing. The imbalu ceremony is also launched from the Bamutoto cultural site from where it spreads all through the country. The imbalu dance is one of the most interesting cultures of Uganda, you will love to groove along the kadoodi music as you dance the imbalu dance with the local people during one of the ceremonies.

Sipi falls is another attraction in Mbale district; make sure that you do not miss out on visiting the sipi falls when you travel to Mbale. Sipi falls is actually not located in Mbale, but it is near to Mbale town and it is also referred to as the pride of the bagishu in Uganda. The falls offer stunning sights of the undulating hills of kapchorwa, and the scenery around the falls is worth a million photo shoots.

Things to do in Mbale

Sipi falls hike,
Bullfighting bonanza,
Mountain Elgon national park hike and nature walks,
Scenic viewing and cultural tours

Accommodation in Mbale

Protea hotel Mbale,
Mbale resort hotel,
Sunrise inn,
And other small lodges and motels.