Our travels through Africa….Part 2

So we left Bwindi and traveled back to Kampala where we were met by a shuttle that drove us to Jinja and the Nile River. Our plan: White Water Rafting on the Nile!

Yikes and away!

Another early start had us arriving in the city of Jinja. There we met at a backpackers’ lodge where the excitement began. After a simple breakfast we were ushered to the lawn for an overview of the day and our “safety and security” talk. We were given our life jackets and helmets and then herded onto trucks that would take us to the starting location. The trip took us through small villages where children waved and shouted as we passed.

Finally we reached the water’s edge. The rafts were unloaded and we began to jump on board. Four rafts of adventurers went out that day along with one “safety” raft which carried supplies, and 4 kayakers who were with us to help “if” any of the rafts should tip. (Let me just say that the kayakers were very busy that day!)

Our first 15 minutes in the water had us practicing: paddling forward and back, ducking down in the raft to prepare for the rapids, tipping – just to practice holding on. Then we were off. In the distance we could hear the roughness of the water. We sat on the edge of the raft, poised and ready to follow our guide’s instructions, “Paddle forward!”
We began to paddle then he shouted, “Down!” The current took us, turned our raft sideways, and flipped the raft. We all went down the river (without the raft). The men in the kayaks were ready and waiting for us at the bottom of the rapids. They scooped us up and plopped us back into our raft. Not a good start to the day.

Rapids: 1 Us: 0

The next rapid was bigger. But we were ready for it. We had already tipped and we knew how to prevent that from happening again. (or so I thought) We paddled to the start of the rapid; we were then instructed to squat down, grab on and enjoy the ride. And we did…. until one of the waves came on board swept me up and threw me over board. (no one else!) Luckily I popped up and found the guide’s oar within my reach. I was pulled on board. Safe and sound! (No more sitting in the front of the boat for me!)

The next set of rapids kept us on our toes. Again the rapids were winning. But we had fun trying to stay in the raft. Our group became very good at holding on when the raft tipped.
We then had a long stretch of calm waters where we ate a light snack of pineapple and biscuits (cookies). Many rafters jumped overboard to enjoy a swim in the Nile. NICE!

Then “the big one”, we were going over a 12 foot waterfall. Again our guide prepped us for the ride and what we should do to prepare for the class 5 rapid. We paddled right, we paddled left then we ducked down and held on. Over the falls we went, crashing at the bottom, but still upright. We made it!!! What a rush!

We still had several more rapids to face before the day was done! In the end we tipped a total of 5 times but had the time of our lives. Another fantastic adventure!