What to do and Where to Stay in Jinja and on the Nile

Extraordinary Africa>Uganda>Jinja and the Nile

White-water rafting might not be the first thing you’d think of in association with Uganda, but it’s one of the main reasons to visit this area of Uganda. Jinja’s is Uganda’s second largest city, and Speke identified it as the source of the Nile over 150 years ago. Successive hydro-electric projects have moved the ballpark considerably, but for the moment at least, some impressive rapids remain and there is some excellent birding in the area. This is a great place for those who want to be a little more active- try quad biking or horse riding through the farms and countryside along the river, watch traditional weaving, or take a gentler approach to the river and canoe along the Nile’s more peaceful stretches.

Unusually for somewhere with so much to do, we can also really see the appeal of coming to some of Jinja’s riverside lodges for a few days of R&R at the start or finish of a Uganda trip. Spending a contented few days pottering beside the river with a pair of binos and a book is utterly blissful.

In terms of where to stay, it is possible to stay in town, however we’d usually recommend some of the more tranquil lodges out on the river bank.