African Boils - Nile White Water

The Nile was full of life, fishing, dredging
and transporting all manner of things

Last year Nors, a friend from Australia, dropped in on her way to Uganda for some kayaking on the Nile.  We went out and hit the white water park at Al Ain as a warm up for her before she caught an onward flight. Nors had a great time and  recommended that I should try to get to Jinja in Uganda to paddle the remaining sections before it further sections of the river were dammed.

Warming up on day 1 and familiarizing ourselves to small boats and
large boil lines

The Nile had enjoyed a period in the late 2000's when massive numbers of kayakers congregated at Jinja to test themselves on the the hard, big volume rapids. The construction of a second dam on the river flooded a number of famous rapids and reduced the attraction.  Now a third dam which is under construction will flood much of what remains.

A load of cooking charcoal and old bikes being moved across the river

I had been in Joburg for work and Kate and Ada flew down for a safari at Pilanesberg Park.  Due to change in the schedule at work, I had to cancel a planned ski mountaineering trip to Ladakh and work had gone quiet.  As Entebbe airport in Uganda is in essence on the flight path back to Dubai, it was a great chance to follow Nors' advice.

David in Superhole

After a week of receiving various injections, I was freshly vaccinated, does on mephoqiuin and ready for deepest, darkest central Africa.  I was surprise by the cool weather of Kampala and the slow but pleasant drive to the Nile River Expeditions camp at Jinja.

Villages on the road that parallels the Nile 

I had hired a kayak and a guide, David, through Kayak the Nile based on Nors' sage advice.  David was excellent. His great skills were combined with the ability of all good instructors/ coaches to identify single area of technique that will make the greatest difference to the outcome. This was good for me as the combination of big volume water, a small playboat and may declining skill levels had me out of my comfort zone.

Ugandan seem very religious.  They are all turned out in their Sunday best
for a trip to the church which is the most impressive structure in any village

The first couple day were spent working on the Day 1 section from the NRE Camp to Superhole (which really is super!). Much of this time was spend coming to terms with the big boil lines and David's efforts to improve my roll so it would work better in the confused and powerful water.

David training for the World Freestyle Championships in Argentina

It is amazing how you develop some bad habits based on limiting yourself to certain environments. My roll had been serving me well in India and the while water park in Al Ain but it became a little hit and miss in the dastardly boil lines.  David reworked it over a couple of days, along with getting me to focus on flattening the hull in the boils and practicing plugging through the waves. I even got my back deck roll working!

Launching near Hypoxia on the last day

The river was a centre for all kinds of day to day activity, fishing for Nile perch, washing, excavating for sand and the transport of good across the river all went on around the foreigners with nothing better to do with their time than float around in plastic bathtubs. You certainly developed an understanding of the rhythm of local life.

My dinner companions enjoying 75% cacao paleo chocolate
that Kate picked up in Joburg

It was quiet season at the end of monsoon, before the tourists arrive at the start of European summer holidays. NRE camp was a good place to stay in the village of Bujagali.  It had a lively bar where you met all kinds of interesting people, from travelers, western NGO's and charming Ugandans who were really making a difference to their local community.

Esther, the hostess and head chef of the Nile Star Restaurant in Bujagali

That said, it was good to get outside the Camp for some local food. David's sister had a little restaurant in a hut and I had two great meals made up of Ugandan staples.  I was particular fond of the boiled green banana with peanut sauce.

Itanda Falls

The last couple of days saw us move down river and paddle between Superhole and Nile River Special.  The volume in this section increase and the river was running at high levels as the lake was full.  Needless to say, I was thankful for the work that David had put on my roll. The grade 5 and 6 rapids in this section were beyond my ability but you look at them and only feel impressed by the ability of those who are capable paddling such big and challenging water.  The remaining Grade 4 rapids were fun and it felt good to feel my skills and confidence grow.

Nile Special

We were staying at the Hairy Lemon, an eco-camp on an Island below the Nile Special, a famous play wave on the river.  It is known to be peaceful place, made more so by the lack of other guests. The Lemon like many of the rapids on the river will be flooded in the next two years so, if you get the chance, get you vaccinations and spend some time in the big boiling water of the Nile while you still can.

David training for the World Champs