Jinja, Uganda - Source of the Nile

---

The moment we landed in Entebbe, the main airport in Uganda, we realized that we were in a tropical country. The landscape is so verdant, with plenty of banana and sugar plantations everywhere.

The first morning, we took a matuta ride - a local shared minivan, into the city centre. We realized our ATM cards don't work here and our US 100 bills are not accepted ! Apparently, only $100 bills dated 2000 and above are accepted - to reduce conterfeit money. Bottom line: We had to scamper to get money using cash advances on our credit card...

After a long day, we had some excellent Indian food at Haandi. As many of you know, there is a sizeable Indian community that has come back after Idi Amin had kicked them out in the 1970s. Most of the Indians are in business and doing pretty well.

The next day, we drove up to Jinja, which is the source of the mighty Nile river. All along the drive, on both sides of the road we saw banana and sugar cane plantations. The Nile river starts in Lake Victoria and makes its way through Uganda, Sudan , Egypt and ending in the Mediterrean. Adrift Expedititions pioneered white water rafting at the source of the Nile, where are numerous Class V and IV rapids. I joined a group of rafters that was led by Lorenzo, a crazy Italian raft guide who has rafted in the mighty rivers of Europe, Central and South America. I was very impressed with the safety standards, as we practised different rowing instructions, including rescue when one is overboard. When we practised maneuvers in the case of raft capsizing, I was impressed by their safety concerns.

Our full day white water raft trip started at Adrift's Nile High Camp, which is perched on a cliff on the Nile with spectacular views of the mighty river. Alison spent the day relaxing at the high camp, while I decided to get an adrenaline rush.

After a couple of Class III and IV rapids, we hit couple of giant Class V rapids called Bujagali Falls and Big Brother. One of the other rafts overturned, throwing everyone overboard. We were lucky, we survived these rapids. After a long 2.5 hours rafting, we stopped on an deserted Island on the Nile for Lunch. We began rafting again, after a sumptous lunch during which we devoured pineapple, bananas, watermelon and cold sandwiches.

After hitting couple of rapids, it was time for another Class V rapid, Retrospect. Despite all precautions, our raft went sideways into the rapids and the entire raft was smashed by 10 foot waves and in a split second the raft capsized and we were thrown overboard. Couple of us found ourselves underneath the overturned raft , and the safety instructions instantly flashed through my mind and I quickly got out from under the raft and out of the water before being picked up the rescue boat. Talk about Adrenaline rush !

Next, while we were rowing in the calmer section of the Nile, Out of the blue, a tropical thunderstorm hit us. The downpour was so hard that we jumped overboard and hid by the side of the boat. The warm water of the Nile was better than the hard hitting rain. After 15 minutes, we started rowing again to get to our next destination - Itanda Falls. Itanda Falls, Class VI rapids (un raftable), is a set of rapids that are 800 metres long and considered one of the longest continuous rapids in the world. We pulled our the rafts out of the water before Itanda Falls and walked 500 metres and it was time to make a decision.

The last part of the Itanda Falls is called "The Bad Place" and is a Class V rapids. The raft members were given couple of options - Skip the Bad place and get picked up after the rapids, go for the left rapids with a 50% chance of capsizing or go right into the middle with a 99% chance of overturning. Couple of adrenaline freaks shouted out "RIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE". We were consoled that the water was deep and fast - hence no need to worry about crocodiles or rocks hitting you !

So, we jumped into our rapids and followed our Italian Guide's instructions to catch the right location of the rapids. In a matter of seconds, we were smashed by couple of large waves. We managed to survive those, before we were hit by couple of giant waves that literally threw the raft into the air. We were thrown out of the raft like toys and landed into the river. The next several moments felt like an eternity and I felt like I was inside a washing machine. You lose complete control as the river turns and twists your body before spitting you out 50 metres down ready to be rescued by the safety kayakers.

Yes, I did ask for an adrenaline rush for my $90 - but, this was more than I bargained for ;-) . It was time to get out of the river and get those free beers on the ride back to the hotel. Overall, it was an exhilirating, intense but tiring experience. After a dinner at an ISKCON temple restaurant, we took boda-bodas (mopeds with driver) back to the hotel for a good long sleep.

After a day rest, we are heading out to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Southwestern Uganda. It is home to the famous Moutain Gorillas. We have received permits for tracking these gorillas in the thick jungle. There are only 300 mountain gorillas in the world - with half of them in Uganda. Wish us good luck in finding the mountain gorillas !

---