Jinja & the Source of the Nile
Stand where the world's longest river begins, then take to the water: white-water rafting, kayaking, or a gentle family float, at Uganda's adventure capital, an easy two hours from Kampala.
- Duration
- 2 Days / 1 Night
- Group size
- 2-12 people
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Best time
- Year-round
- Ideal for
- Adventure seekers & active families
- Destination
- Jinja - Source of the Nile
Your Journey, Day by Day
- 1Day 1 of 2
Kampala to Jinja
Drive east about 2.5 hours through sugarcane country, with the option of a zip-line strung through the Mabira rainforest canopy on the way. After lunch you are on the water. The rafted section runs below the source through a chain of big-volume Grade 5 rapids with names the guides deliver deadpan: Overtime, Nile Special, and Itanda, which most crews portage rather than run. Full-day and half-day options both put you in a raft with a certified guide and a safety kayaker per boat; a gentler Grade 3 family float covers the same river without the carnage. A riverside sundowner afterwards, with the swifts working the gorge.
Mabira Forest zip-line (optional)White-water rafting or family floatRiverside sundownerMeals:Lunch, DinnerOvernight:Jinja riverside lodge - 2Day 2 of 2
Source of the Nile & Return
A morning boat out to the Source of the Nile, the point where the river leaves Lake Victoria and begins a 6,700km run to the Mediterranean, the spot John Hanning Speke reached in 1862 and, correctly as it turned out, claimed as the answer to a question that had occupied geographers for two thousand years. There is a marker, a line of flags, and a genuinely strange sense of scale. Then an optional add-on if you want one: kayaking, tubing, quad biking, or the 44-metre bungee off the platform over the river, before the drive back to Kampala.
Source of the Nile boat tripOptional kayaking / bungeeReturn to KampalaMeals:Breakfast, LunchOvernight:Departure
What's Included
- Transport from/to Kampala
- Rafting with certified guides & safety gear
- Riverside accommodation (1 night)
- Source of the Nile boat trip
- Meals as specified & bottled water
Not Included
- Bungee jump, quad-bike & zip-line fees (optional)
- Tips
- Drinks
- Personal expenses
