I gripped my board tightly and raised my left arm firmly fighting a little resistance from the water. The board continued to bounce like a dolphin on the wave and all I could see was white. My mouth was sealed to avoid swallowing more of the Nile and in a fraction of the second the board dropped like an elevator catching me unaware.
I went with it and soon could breathe! We thumped on the green face of the wave gently, leapt forward and then started oscillating gently to the rhythm of the racing water. A feeling of total exhilaration overwhelmed me and I gently straightened my arm to turn the board on the face of the huge wave.
Just to my right a wall of whitewater avalanched forward onto the green raceway and I carved away again anxious not to be claimed by the maelstrom of churning water. Above the swish sound of water escaping from beneath my board and the crash of whitewater that blanketed my feet and fins, I could hear wolf whistles and excited yelps from the bank. The gathering crowd was clearly enjoying the show.
After spending a beautiful night on the river camping mid-stream on Kadogo Island you could wake to the spirited sound of the Great Blue Turaco or the loud cry of the magnificent Black and White Casqued Hornbill. After a hearty breakfast and the second day the Nile brings more adrenaline pumping rafting rapids and the chance to try river surfing. Equipped with a set of fins on your feet, confidence from the instruction of our expert guides and the support of our safety kayakers, you can ride the surf on the Nile.
The light-weight boogie boards will allow you an incredible thrill on the waves of Nile Special or Malalu where fresh water waves roll upstream every day of the year. There is no need to drive for miles on deserted roads in search of your favourite break or hope for the big swell on your days off, we can offer you a surf ride 24/7.
If you have the time, we highly recommend the 2-day trip and the chance to spend a little more time in the Nile, to sit back between the rapids, to relax and to watch the world go by. Watch local waragi (banana gin) being brewed in crude distilleries alongside the river, fisherman pull remarkable looking catches from the deep green river or tiny rock pratencol dance over the rapids.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
To whom it may concern,
I am taking a bus from Bukoba in Tanzania to Kampala tomorrow (arriving at approximately 1pm). What is the best way of reaching your campsite from there?
I have tandem kayaked and rafted the Nile a couple of years back with NRE. I would would like to do some riverboarding this time round and have spoken with NRE. What is the difference between riverboarding and the river surfing that you offer on your 2 day trip?
I will only have access to email today so a prompt reply will be greatly appreciated.
Regards
Phill Dromgool
Hi Phill,
Hope you are well and good. The bus arrives in Kampala and you can then go to the old taxi park and take a coaster bus to Jinja(28 seater). It takes an hour and a half drive then you ask the crew to drop you off on the road to Bujagali falls which is a left turn after the dam at the round about. Bike costs shs.2000 to get to our camp which is next to the Jinja Nile Resort Hotel. The river boarding/surfing we offer can be done on the 1 day trip or the 2 day section and we use inflatable boards here with guides,fins,jackets and helmets but on the one day section, we can only do half a day as the river is relatively flat in the afternoon.
Hear from you soon.
Regards,
Kabunga Yasin