Things to do
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Bujagali Falls
Rapids below the old falls carry the commercial rafting trips, most of them full day runs with grade five water and calmer floats for beginners. The dam drowned the original cataract in 2011, and the put in shifted downstream. Trips leave in the morning, and lunch and transfers are usually included.
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Itanda Falls
Further downriver, a broad set of cataracts thunders through black rock with no road noise and few visitors. Viewing platforms on the bank sit close enough for spray. Rafting trips portage the worst of it and run the lower channel. A boda or a hired car covers the track from town in under an hour.
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Jinja Main Street
Shopfronts built by Indian traders in the early twentieth century still line the broad main street, some restored as cafes and craft shops, others faded and shuttered. The grid makes for an easy walking hour. Markets and fish stalls sit a few blocks south towards the river, and Saturday mornings are the busiest.
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Mabira Forest
Between Jinja and Kampala stands one of the largest surviving blocks of rainforest in Uganda, cut by walking trails, a zip line course and a mountain bike track. Red tailed monkeys and the grey cheeked mangabey are common sightings. Guides meet visitors at the Najjembe centre, and half a day covers the main loop.
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Source of the Nile
A garden park and jetty mark the point where the longest river in Africa drains out of Lake Victoria, a spot John Hanning Speke reached in 1862. Boats run out to a marker buoy over the spring. Late afternoon light suits the water, and the site is ticketed with a separate charge for the boat.
