Uganda and White Nile by Andrej Bijuklic

Right before New Year Filip Tomažič came out with the 4 month idea for kayaking and traveling around Uganda. It`s been almost a decade since I stopped playboating, but this time I couldn`t resist to the temptation of the Niles waves! My fellows Tomaž Čubej and Luka Štricelj bought a return ticket for three weeks and my girlfriend and I for 2 weeks.

We packed some short pants, few T-shirts and we were ready to go. Just 24 hours later we were in Entebbe airport under equator were our shuttle waited for as to go to Jinja. Filip came to Uganda one month earlier and he made a few very nice connections there. He arranged the best camp side on the bank of White Nile near Bubugo village. The place is 2 minutes from a “Super hall” and 2.5 minutes from a “Real deal” wave…very far indeed.

The vacation started. Eggs and chapatti in the morning, after that kayaking. Later like all Ugandans resting and chilling over the day. Right before sunset we had evening kayak sessions and showering in the Nile. For dinner we had cheap and nutritious chapatti Rolex-roled eggs. We fall down with the sun, because there is no electricity and with head lamp on we just got attacked by mosquitos and flays. The only real problem was how much sun screen to use not get sun burned.

White Nile is a real relaxing place, but you can still find places where you can push the limits and test yourself. That is why our kayaking journey didn`t stop under the camp side. The Bujagali – “Nile Special” wave section has everything: play waves, halls, drops, technical and scary rapids… There are no crocodiles nor hippos, just vegetarian lizards. At the and the most terrifying part of paddling down is “BodaBoda” motorbike shuttle. It is cheap, but fast and uncomfortable ride, thru the woods on the dusty red road, hehe!

After a relaxing week on the river Nile, Nika and I continued our journey around Uganda, from the  crowdy capital Kempala, to the Murchison falls National park in the Nord, but this is another story!

In comparison to Europe, in Uganda there is summer all year long. Next to the Nile bananas are falling from the trees, the drinking water is pulled out of the hole. Although people there have nothing they have no worries. They have big families and they laugh all the time. In “Muzungu” (white man) they see money and they would immediately exchange their relaxed life for materialism, that we can afford.

Text: Andrej Bijuklic