Jinja- the source of the Nile

Today, we're searching for the source of the mighty river Nile. Which, fortunately, has already been discovered, and is a short bus ride from Entebbe.

The source of the Nile holds an evocative allure- the mysterious point in the heart of Africa that feeds the world's longest river (the Amazon has nothing on the Nile). Chris grew up reading a book which had a section on Africa, detailing the Nile river and the efforts to find the source of it, so it's incredible to come here and view it ourselves.

It turns out that the source of the Nile is not really set in stone, but rather a hotly debated topic: Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC all claim to contain the real source of the Nile. However, as far as we're concerned, it's in Uganda, and it's here, next to a small town called Jinja.

We're staying at a White Water Rafting company which is sat about the town itself. Jinja is famous for its rafting, but at over $100 per person per trip, it's a little above our budget. Instead, we hire out Stand Up Paddleboards, and head down to the river. We've never tried this before, but it's pretty easy- the boards are large and bouyant, so fortunately we don't fall in. And in no time, we're able to paddle around and explore the source of this mighty river. We navigate down the river for a while before turning back and heading around a small island. There are large birds everywhere, nesting in every nook and cranny, and it's times like this that we wish we had more knowledge about birds. As it is, we can barely tell a crow from a blackbird (we don't think there's an actual difference, let's be real).

As we head back to shore, we see a long green snake SWIM across the surface of the water, gliding just a few inches past the front of our boards. It then jumps onto a low hanging branch and slithers up a tree, just below our campsite. We're happy that we've managed to figure out this Stand Up Paddleboarding lark, so that we're not falling into snake-infested waters which also contain Bilharzia (more on that frighteningly awful parasite in a later entry).

We spend a couple of days here, lazing by the river and enjoying the amazing sunsets, before heading back to Kampala. We had planned to hop around Uganda by bus, but the bus networks don't seem as reliable as they were in Kenya. Instead, we decide to hire a cheap 4x4, so we head back to the capital to pick it up.

The owner of the 4x4 rental agency is a bit of a strange chap, who insists on sending us indecipherable voicenotes over whatsapp, but we eventually sort out the exchange. We pick up the car without issue, and hit the road. We're a bit nervous about driving in Uganda, and with good reason. The traffic is unlike anything we're used to. Cars and Boda Bodas (motorcycle taxis) come from every direction, requiring constant 360 degree awareness in order to make it out of the city unscathed.

We stop off at a shop to buy camping supplies, and buy a small cooker. It requires liquid kerosene to run, so Chris heads out to source some. At the petrol station, they tell him that they've run out, so to check the market instead. Chris heads deep into the market and eventually finds a kerosene seller, who asks if Chris has a bottle to fill up. He doesn't. Instead, the kerosene is poured into a plastic bag, reminiscent of those containing goldfish at funfairs, and hands it over. Holding a bag of highly flammable kerosene, Chris heads back to the car.

We navigate out of the city, and hit the road.

(A couple of weeks later, at the end of our road trip, we would head back into Kampala. The roads leading into the city are intensely busy, but fortunately, Google Maps has a trick up its sleeve. Rather than taking us into the line of traffic, it tells us to turn left into a construction site. Not realising our mistake until too late, we head down the unconstructed highway, which runs parallel to the kilometres-long line of traffic. At the end, we navigate between some construction barriers, and reach the front of the queue, feeling incredibly guilty.)Read more