Uganda's Mighty White Nile

By Colin Irvine

Once feared as the dark river of the dark continent, the White Nile has transformed itself into an almost mainstream kayaking destination. The many myths that surround it have evaporated and a variety of paddlers of all abilities now make the journey to Uganda’s jewel of a river.

I first made the trip in 2002, spending 6 weeks soaking up the hot sun and no-stress river culture. My most recent visit was over Christmas 2004 where I found a river where much had changed… and much had remained the same. For mainstream destination or not, Africa is Africa and nothing changes that fast!

Here’s some advice on travelling to the river, inspired by the countless phone calls and emails looking for the low-down on this African gem.


The river
The “source of the Nile”, that elusive trophy of great nineteenth century explorers such as Speke and Burton, was eventually determined to be Lake Victoria, close to Uganda’s capital Kampala. Out of this great expanse of warm water flows the White Nile. The river is simply enormous in volume, and kicks up colossal white water as it falls over gently sloping shelves of rock, and splits into many channels.

Of interest to the whitewater junkie is a stretch of about 50 kilometres, starting at the Owen Falls Dam at the lake itself. Numerous rapids, ranging from grade 3-6 litter this section and offer whitewater challenge for all standards of boater.


Logistics
There is no doubting that Uganda is a third world country. However, the kayaking logistics are so straightforward that even the tamest of travellers will have no problems. Hardened adventurers beware, you might just find this too easy. Okay here goes:

1) Contact www.kayakthenile.com and arrange an airport pick-up
2) Fly direct to Entebbe from London Heathrow with B.A.
3) Meet your driver and make the 2 hour drive to the river
4) That’s it.

Genuinely, once at the river everything can be arranged for minimum cost and with maximum ease. Food, drink, lodging, shuttles, internet, telephone… all organised from the campsite.


Where is the campsite?
You’re going to a town called Jinja, on the road to Nairobi, and you’re staying at one of the tourist campsites at Bujagali falls. It takes about 20 minutes to get there from Jinja on a boda-boda (motorbike) but don’t worry, all will become clear once you get there. The campsites are Nile River Explorers or Speke Camp, both of which have rafting companies attached. Either pitch a tent or take a dorm room and ask around to find out what’s going on.

How to get to the put in:
Now listen carefully, this is a tough one. Get out of bed, walk to your boat, check it for spiders, pull on a sprayskirt, lifejacket and helmet. Put on some sunscreen, and walk down the steps. You’re there!


Getting a shuttle back:
Now this is more complicated, and depends on what you want to do that day. Bear with me…
To shuttle back from running any of the Bujagali channels (there are about 6), or from surfing back-wave, Speke-wave or 50-50… just walk back. It will take about 10 minutes.

To shuttle back from the ½ day run to Silverback – take a boda-boda. This needs to be arranged with a driver first and it demands some concentration to keep yourself, your kayak and your paddle balanced on the back of a scooter going off-road at speed… but it’s great craic.

To shuttle back from the full day run to Itanda, go with a rafting company. Arrange this at the bar.

To shuttle to or from the 2nd day section, hire a vehicle and driver. Arrange this at the bar also. To save the hassle, bring a tent and stay at the hairy lemon campsite. Situated on a tiny island, this place is the answer to all your worries in life. Eat, sleep, boat or simply feel justified in doing absolutely nothing in idyllic surroundings. How do you get there? – ask at the bar!


What to expect on the river:
Anything and everything! Big friendly wave trains, holes of doom, snakes, dragons, crocs (if you’re lucky), dense jungle, dugout canoes, 6 foot fish, naked children, crowds of onlookers, enormous spiders, mud huts, technical rapids, driftwood rapids, play waves, death waves, warm water… sunsets you thought only existed in the brochures, pains in muscles you didn’t think you had.

The style of paddling is BIG volume – you will need a solid roll and a good set of lungs. You will need to paddle dynamically and put a bit of welly into every stroke. Most of the standard rapids are grade 3-4 and fairly straightforward. If you want to up the tempo there are a host of hard class 5 channels to take on. Scouting channels is next to impossible, due to the trees that sweep right down into the water.

A playboat is mandatory. For the freestyle paddler there are a range of features to progress your skills. The biggest, most dynamic ones are on the second day section – hence the attraction of the Hairy Lemon. Every move ever invented is possible on this river.

How good do you have to be?
To really enjoy the river you need to be solid enough on grade 4, and with absolutely no doubts in your ability to roll, get knocked over, roll again, get knocked over again… Some concerns have been expressed by local guides regarding the low standard of kayaker now arriving at the river. If your skills are weak and experience limited, you can still make the trip… but beware that no matter how fluffy and warm the water is, you still can’t breath it. Bring a good buoyancy aid and take it slow.

How much does it all cost?
Search for the cheapest flight to Entebbe. Buy your travel insurance policy (make sure it covers rafting/kayaking). Pay for your vaccinations and malaria medication. Then add about $20 per day for absolute flexibility or $15 a day for a good time or just $10 a day to get by. Now add about $200 for random expenses. That’s my formula and I usually still have US dollars in my pocket on the flight home.

Am I going to die of a horrible tropical infection?
Probably not, but you might contract one. A trip to the Tropical Medical Bureau is highly recommended before travelling. Above all, TAKE MALARIA SERIOUSLY. For most short-term visitors this means taking anti-malaria pills. There are a few options available – get advice from your doctor. However, the pills won’t stop you getting infected. For this you need to avoid mosquito bites. Wear long sleeves and leggings at night. Sleep under a net. Bring a good first aid kit and seek local advice if you become ill. Bear in mind that about 1 in 3 East Africans is HIV positive so be careful with open wounds and try not to fall in love over there.

Time of year:
The icing on the cake – any damn time you like. The river is dam controlled.

What about the new dam:
Yes, plans are well underway to build a new dam which will ruin much of the first day’s kayaking, and no doubt alter the picturesque surroundings. This is Africa though and the “when” is anybody’s guess. It will happen though so get there sooner rather than later.

Can I only fly to Entebbe?
If you screw up booking flights and can only get to Nairobi then don’t worry. It is about a 12 hour bus journey from Jinja, on the main Kampala/Nairobi road. Some airlines fly between the 2 cities also.

What else is there to do?
You are in Eastern Africa, perfectly located to take off on a few weeks backpacking. Travelling around Africa is fantastic, cheap but time consuming. Leave your boating gear at the bar, pack a small bag, grab a lonely planet and go explore. For a shorter trip, consider the spectacular Murchison Falls National Park up north. You can do a 3 day safari for cheap cash with Red Chilli backpackers hostel in Kampala.

I think that’s most of the questions covered. I will add to the article as new queries come in. The most important thing to know is that staying at Bujagali falls is one of the most incredible experiences available to the modern day kayaker. If at all possible, make the small effort to get out there and discover this for yourself.

I know of no-one who has failed to be seduced by its African charm. For some, it hits them as they bust their biggest ever air on Nile Special or thread the crashing holes on widow-maker. For others, the realisation comes to them after a long day on the river, perched on the back of a truck, bouncing from side to side on a dirt road while children come racing out of huts cheering “Jambo”, goats on ropes keep walking the wrong way around the banana tree, a man walks by with a table and 6 chairs all strapped on a bicycle… and the burning red African sunset heralds the perfect end to the perfect day.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about then you have to go. It’s that simple!







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