why visit jinja
If you are an adrenaline junkie this town has your name all over it. This white-water rafting is some of the best I’ve done, and it has a ton of other activities such as kayaking, biking, horseback riding, bungee jumping and more. If you are not as much into adrenaline no worries this town has so much to offer it will not disappoint. The biggest attraction for sure is going to the Source of the Nile. Since Jinja serves as home to many NGOs and volunteer organizations there is no shortage of expats and fellow travelers.
how to get to jinja
You will have to take a bus or car to Jinja from Kampala and that will take about 2-3 hours. You can take a local bus at the bus depot which will be the cheapest way to go but likely will be closer to 3-4 hours with all the stops. When we went to Jinja we were coming from Masaka and got dropped at the bus station and then found the minibus going to Jinja and were crammed in with a bunch of other people. On the journey there was a chicken underneath my seat that kept making noise and hitting the back of my legs. Comes to find out the chicken laid an egg underneath the seat where I was sitting- who knows if that is good luck or not. If you don’t want that type of experience you can take a shuttle from downtown or hire a driver. The Pineapple Express is a bus offering transfers to and from Kampala to Jinja. Also if you book a rafting company and just want to come for the day and the rafting trip you can arrange for transfer to and from your hostel as part of the rafting experience which is what I did the first time I went to Jinja.
https://www.entebbejinjashuttle.com/bus-schedule
what to do in jinja
Raft
You should totally check this out. On our tour we had a tutorial and they tested our swimming ability prior to going out on the water. They did things like flip the boat to show us how to react and what to do if that occurred with the rafting. I was like oh my what am I getting myself into…
Well, I have to say it was the wildest rafting I had been on with us getting tossed from the boat a number of times. It was me and a bunch of burly dudes and 2 of the guys elected to go to the safety boat halfway through the rafting. It was intense but insanely fun! Don’t expect to stay dry or casually paddle down mild rapids. This one is for the adrenaline junkies out that.
I have heard secondary to damming the intensity of the rapids has gone down but not sure that is a bad thing for most novice rafters.
Source of the Nile
There is no where else in the world to see the source of the longest river in Africa. Lake Victoria has commonly held the position of being the source of the Nile. Though discoveries have shown a number of rivers and reservoirs contribute to the Nile so it has been more up for debate it still serves as a beginning place for water that runs into the Nile. There is a small Gandhi monument. To get into the gardens and see the area it is 10,000 UGX. You can also do a boat tour from around 50,000 UGX to get up close with the source.
River Sunset Cruise
We did a sunset cruise from Nile River Camp where we stayed in a safari tent. The cost was $25 per person or the whole boat for $100 which included binoculars and a free drink. The boat cruise was between 90 minutes to 2 hours. You can see a lot of wildlife and it is incredible to be on the river for sunset. Also from this accommodation there are sweeping views of the river and the other night we watched just from the deck and were super impressed. This place is a little out of the town itself and you can get to it via private car or boda boda.
Other things to check out
- Horseback Riding
- Bicycle tours
- Bungee jumping
- Stand up Paddle boarding
where to eat in jinja
Black Lantern
A little bit out of town but an incredible atmosphere and selection of foods available.
Moti Mahal
Indian tasty food.
The Source Café
Coffee, baked goods and sandwiches.
The Rolex Joint
You can’t come to Uganda and not try a Rolex (chapati rolled up with egg +/- various meats/veggies) Super cheap and amazing!
Space Café
Rave reviews about coffee, drinks and the pizza!
All Friends Bar and Grill
Great reviews about food and friendly staff but may not always be the fastest on service (aka Africa time).
