Tourist Activities

Dress code for White water rafting

• A t-shirt or a short sleeved top to protect your shoulders from the sun.

• Quick dry board shorts or a swimsuit. Though longer shorts offer better sun protection for the thighs, draw strings are preferable. Long trousers can become water logged and even a liability assuming you swim off the raft. Loose – fitting shorts should be avoided as you risk giving fellow rafters an expose.

• High factor sun screen protection should be in plenty. Desist from wearing it on your fore head as it will be washed into the eyes and cause irritation.

• Consider to raft while bare footed. Because the shoes get wet and you might end up losing them to the lake. May be if you have sandals with secure buckles.

• Carry along a towel and changing clothes for the end of the raft experience as all clothes which you go with to raft must come back wet.

• Desist from carrying cameras, jewelry, watches or other valuable items that you wouldn’t like to lose.

Rafting Companies like Adrift provide the following items;

• A helmet that will protect your head from other people pretending to paddle well in the rapids.
• A lifejacket which brings you surface and allows you have a safe swim through the rapids that you intend to raft.
• Paddles for the rafters that opt for the popular paddle raft option.
• A communal water-tight case where you can carry sun-cream and medical essentials like asthma inhalers, Cigarettes among others on the raft.
• International team of guides, rafts, safety kayakers, first-aid supplies and paddle jackets for inclement weather.

Rapid Grading

The International Scale of River Difficulty is used as a standard scale to rate the safety of the river stretch or an individual rapid. The grade simply demonstrates the technical difficulty and the skill level that is required for one to encounter that very river section.

The Rapid grading / Classification take on six levels and each is referred to as a Grade, Class and a number. For instance there can be hard grade twos, easy grade threes among others. The River grade may definitely change with the level of flow and usually a river or a rapid will be accorded a numerical grade and then followed by a plus (+) or minus (-) showing whether it falls in the higher or the lower end of the difficulty level. However also to note is that despite the river section getting overall grading, it may still contain sections above or below that grade.

Specific details can be seen below;

Class I – Easy

Here, a traveller can sit back in a relaxed mood and go with the flow. The waves are small, passages are clear and there are not serious obstacles.

Class II - Medium

This is a transition from the Class I. Class II involves practicing for big ones and rapids are moderately difficult while passages are clear.

Class III - Difficult

The Class III rapids have numerous waves which are high and irregular along with eddies, rocks with clear narrow passages.

Class IV - Very Difficult

These rapids like the former submerged Bujagali are long and waves are high, irregular along with dangerous rocks, boiling eddies while precise and powerful maneuvering is required. This class requires an expert boat man, excellent boat and equipment should be of better quality.

Class V - Extreme Difficult

These are long and violent following one another almost without a break with the river bed highly obstructed characterized by big drops, violent current and a great steep gradient.

Class VI – Unraftable

This class is extremely dangerous and is suitable for rafting. An example of this is Murchison Falls which is also the powerful waterfall in the whole world.

These are designed for children aged 7 – 12 years. The Kids quad on supervised circuits with a guide accompanying them all the time. The older children always go for 1 – 2 hour safaris and for the children who are still too young for themselves have got the option of riding with the guides or with a family member.

For All Terrain Adventure the Kids quad is $10 or $15

River Ride Safari

This involves a practice session and then followed by 1 hour safari. The encounter stretches to near the source of the Nile if there is limited time or young ones on the safari. The encounter goes for all ages.

For all Terrain Adventure the River Ride Safari $49.

Explorer ATV Safari

After the training session, this encounter takes about 2 hours. This is among the popular quad bike safaris offered at the site. The riders can opt for easy or more technical trail sections. The trail follows the river downstream to close to Bujagali dam passing through farmlands and rural forests of Uganda.

For All terrain Adventures the Explorer Safari goes for $79

Twilight Safari

The twilight safari is conducted late in the evening at around 4:30pm and come to an end at around 8:30pm. The ride takes you along the eastern bank of the Nile watching the sun set on the mystical Nile. Sometimes there is dinner prepared by the local family in the local community around.

Over lander Safari

After training and practice, there is a 3 hour ride and when the time is available you can go ahead faster and harder generating a challenging experience. The first hour of the encounter increases your confidence and prepares you for the challenging encounter ahead.

For All terrain Adventures the Overland Safari goes for $99

Trailblazer Safari

This starts like training and practice just like others and then followed with 4 hours of riding safari. The ride is along the trails in the Kyabirwa village downstream along the mystical Nile. The trip is long thus offering you an opportunity to visit the rarely encountered places.

For all terrain Adventures the Trailblazer Safari $119

Full Day Safari

The full day safari takes a full day encounter and the trails are best designed to offer ultimate experiences. The safari resents impressive photographic experiences in the rural landscapes of Uganda, along technical sections, views of the Nile River and extending to inner parts of the country side on your quad bikes.

For All terrain Adventures the Full-Day Safari goes for $195

Two Day Safari

The two days quad biking safari involves riding along the Nile and spending an overnight at Hairy Lemon Island. This safari encounter requires a considerable fitness level as some of the tracks might be quite challenging. For experienced riders, more difficult options are also challenging. For all terrain Adventures minimum numbers might be required and at least one week advance booking.

The grade five tandem Kayaking takes you to the hardest rapids having one of the challenging encounters in a single day. It can attempted by everyone whether with little or no experience Sitting in front of double seat kayaks provides you the power to maneuver through the waves. The guide in the back seat instructs you on when to invest more energy and steering to take you selves safely down the rapids.

Experiencing gigantic wave chains, crashing white water and strong hydraulics is a moment that you and the guide have to join together to overcome successfully. Ending on the wrong side of the crashing wave and getting flipped by the water is not the time for the bath. Not like rafting where one ends up in swimming on the rapids on his own after being flipped from the raft, the Kayak is fine in that if you can contain your breath for 3 – 5 seconds, the guide will definitely attempt to roll you back into right action.

The every rapid is followed by a mass of calm water which gives you a chance for the adrenaline to settle as you prepare for another hit. The calm water also offers a relaxed environment where you go to the rafts, regroup and share courageous stories with the entire fraternity. The relaxing moment also allows you to top up your sun screens.

The rapids on the Nile River are magnificent however the prominent ones include the Nile Special and the Bad Place. The Bad place is one of the single biggest features that would definitely take your boat through. Running right, left or straight amidst the monstrous hole, it is something that puts your heart in a pumping mode.

The Nile Special which is the second prominent rapid is not a disappointment to encounter. It contains the Club wave and the Bell’s hole above not forgetting the Nile Special wave of which the rapid is named after. The Nile Special encounter still fresh in your mind, you mark the day end downstream coming across an open well stocked bar with cold drinks and delicious buffet awaiting to welcome you from the life time adventure.

For Kayak the Nile Ltd the Tandem goes for 140 USD per person

The flat water Kayaking involves cruising to the source of the world’s longest river – the Nile preferably with a drink in your hand listening to the history of the Nile and its importance to the world. The birds in the shores and impressive calm waters offer ultimate memories for your kayak to the source of the Nile.

On this section of the River there are no crocodiles or Hippopotamus but the counts of fish eagles, cormorants, kingfishers, and storks not forgetting weaver birds can never allow you to cruise alone.

Exploring the symbolic location that was sought for dating back to the ancient Roman times and though its European discovery attempt was made in 1858, the source of the Nile is still a site of wonder even in the contemporary world. The River supports counts of fishermen and around160 million people are estimated to be living along its banks.

The Kayak to the source goes beyond the birds and the fishermen as there other features worth exploring. The Gandhi monument, the famous fig tree standing above the submerged Owen falls and the opening to entire water mass of the gigantic Lake Victoria is by no means an ordinary experience. The encounter tend to start at lakeside Jinja Sailing Club impressive for taking a cup of coffee before the trip and a cake and ends at the Bourbon Bar and Grill.

The white water Kayaking can be done on three forms namely; the introduction to white water kayaking, multi days white water kayaking, half day kayaking, free style coaching and Stand up paddle boarding.

Introduction to white water Kayaking:

The one day introductory encounter on the Nile will definitely reward you with remarkable memories. The day is well structured to enable you learn the skills as they are being imparted by the skilled guides.

The encounter has two sessions namely the calm water introduction and the afternoon river trip. The experience involves learning about the boat control, getting out of the boat if need be along basic techniques and strokes. The provision to extend to hard areas is also there and learning all that you can is up to your discretion.