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Jinja ATTRACTIVELY LUSH, ADRENALINE RUSH PETER HOLTHUSEN
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ess than 17 years ago, tourism activity on the Nile north of Jinja was limited to a peaceful and rather obscure picnic site at the Bujagali Falls – a series of impressive rapids about 10km (6 miles) downriver of the source of the Nile – visited by a handful of travellers annually. Today, the eastern bank of the Nile between Jinja and Bujagali has developed into a world-class adventure-tourism centre, serviced by four bustling backpacker facilities, and an upmarket tented camp and hotel. This is because the 50km (31-mile) stretch of the Nile north of Jinja is now a mecca for white water rafting, river surfing, kayaking, bungee jumping, jet boat riding and quad biking. All the rapids at the Bujagali Falls are named to heighten the anticipation, for instance: Total Gunga, Silverback, Rib Cage and Surf City. Jinja would probably be a fairly nondescript town if it were not for its location. It is at the head of the Napoleon Gulf, on the northern edge of Lake Victoria, and lies on the east bank
of the Victoria Nile. The town is perhaps best known for being the source of the Nile. Even as it leaves the lake, it is a surprisingly large river and it is a bit spooky to think of it wandering north for 4,000 miles until it reaches the Mediterranean Sea. Jinja lies in south-eastern Uganda, approximately 87km (54 miles) by road, east of Kampala, the capital. An informal European settlement was founded there in 1900, when the rocky waterfall was selected as the most suitable place for the telegraph line to Kampala to cross the Nile. Before 1900, Jinja was a small fishing village that benefited from being located on the long-distance trade routes. Jinja’s rapid emergence as a pivotal commercial centre and international transport hub was encouraged by the completion of the railway line from Mombasa, 1,400km (900 miles) away, to the Kenyan lake port of Kisumu, and the introduction of a connecting ferry service. Cotton packing, nearby sugar estates, and railway access all enabled Jinja to grow in size.
The Bujagali Falls, which lies downstream of the source of the Nile, is the launching point for a commercial white water rafting route that ranks as one of the most thrilling and safest in the world.
JULY 2020 OX MAGAZINE
