The revenge of the waterfall

Since the Roman Empire geographers wondered where the Nile originates. This remained a mystery for centuries, until a number of adventurous English were fed up with it. With no more information then a vague map, on basis of third hand stories from Arab traders, Richard Burton and John Speke hit the road in 1858. They walked from Bagamoyo (coastal town in modern Tanzania) to the west, and were the first white people to ever see Lake Tanganyika. Or, at least who where able to tell about it. While Burton was bedridden with high fevers, Speke walked on. In the same year he reached Lake Victoria. Five years later he returned there, again on his own, to discover the source of the Nile in the northern part of this enormous lake. Nowadays a town called Jinja is found on the same spot. Burton, once recovered from his illness, detests the fact that he didn't witness the discovery of his old friend and disputes it. Just before a public debate between the two of them Speke dies of a shotwound. A new mystery is born: suicide or 'accidentally' shot by his jealous rival? In any case, twelve years later Speke's discovery is confirmed by Stanley. Yes, the one of "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"
Posthumous rehabilitation, for what it's worth.

Why this story?

Well, because we're standing on the exact spot Speke stood exactly 130 years ago. Unfortunately we won't be mentioned in any history books for being the 8.756.419st Europeans that discover the source of the Nile. No eternal fame for these plodders. Sniff.

David, an Australian we met in Nairobi two months ago, invited us to visit him at the Bujagali Falls, eight kilometres north from Jinja. He works for Equator Rafts, an organisation that executes rafting trips. At the foot of the violent Bujagali-falls the company owns a piece of land where a campsite and a restaurant are constructed with a fantastic view on three of the seven falls. We've never rafted before, after discussing it with David, we get a nice discount when we write about our experiences on our website.
For those of you who enjoy to go out boating on water that's really wild, pay attention! The rafting and kayaking takes place on a 27 kilometre stretch of the Nile and starts at the Bujagali Falls. There are over ten smaller and bigger falls in this part. Not only are the falls very special because of their beauty, but also because of their safety. The absence of rocks in the river make sure the only thing you hit when you fall out of the boat is water, so injuries are almost non-existing. A few years ago the government developed plans to build a huge dam some kilometres down the river, to supply Uganda and her neighbours of hydro-electric currency. A major project, that's written about in the papers almost daily. Despite the recent withdrawal of a American contractor the Worldbank wants to stand surety for new contractors and financiers. Within a couple of years the building will start. The waterfalls as they exist now will change for good into stagnant water. It seems like the falls are aware of this; they whirl and roar like never before and seem to want to take their surroundings with them in their destructive stream. So, if you love rafting, don't wait to long to buy a return ticket Uganda (or single if you love rafting very much).

Monday August 4th our time has come. Our tent is standing in the noise and in view of the Bujagali Falls. The imposing waterfalls are a series of rapids that divide the Nile in seven different streams. The water starts it's 6.500 kilometre journey through Uganda, Sudan and Egypt, before it will reach the Mediterranean Sea three months later. The Nile is full of crocodiles and mainly fish (Tilapia) that is a welcome prey for the hundreds of storks, cormorants, ibis, darters, great white herons and fish eagles. Unfortunately hippopotamus don't live here anymore, since the Tanzanian army used them for food when they chased the dictatorial regime of Idi Amin. We write June 1979. The hippos refused to ever return on this so incredibly beautiful spot. We lock away our precious possessions in a vault at the bar. Ben, our guide, gives us a flash course in the theory of rafting and leads the group consisting of Sandra (Columbia), Ed (England) and us two to the boat. Here we are taught the ins and outs of rafting, in very still water. Probably the most important items are holding on very tight to the boat and diving into the boat on time without hitting any of the others with your peddle. Skills we are about to practice a lot the next hours. Waterfalls are distinguished by level of danger: a combination of height drop, flowing speed, the amount of rocks under water and the amount of time you stay under water without oxygen when you fly out of the boat. Grade 1 is an river that flows quite calmly. Grade 2 and 3 know more height drops and waves where the nose of the boat dives into. It's an art to stay in the boat and not to capsize, unless you like capsizing very much of course. Grade 4 is even worse, and grade 5 is the maximum fall you can raft on. Unless you're suicidal. Then we'd like to direct you to the Niagara-waterfalls, a bit more to the south.

Today we raft through or over four times a grade 5, once a grade 2 and the rest grade 3 and 4. All falls do have a (raft)name. Our first fall is a grade 4: the Bujagali-falls themselves. As expected we completely loose control over the boat, but when we've crossed the turbulent waters. The first grade 5 is called Total Gunga and shows all its strength. We roll back an forth viciously, from left to right and on the same time up and down until we get a huge blow on to the right side of the boat. Ed and I fly out of the boat with an elegant curve. Ed's immediately out of sight, I manage too hold on to the cord. A few kilometres further we meet 'Big Brother', a grade 5 that consists of four big waves. We manage to keep the nose right in the waves, which causes the greatest effect. In the fourth and last wave it's so hectic that only Peter and Ben manage to stay in the boat. They do a good deed and save the others, together with the saving-boys in the kayak and the escort-boat.

After a delicious lunch on land it's time for the most difficult falls. The third grade 5 unfortunately isn't passable now because the water is too high. Via a narrow rock-passage we end up in a more quiet part of the fall; even this part is rough enough to cause a high adrenaline-level.
Having passed a few smaller falls, that are almost somnolent, the waterway is far more quiet. While peddling there is a lot to be seen: otters, fish eagles that try to steal a cormorant's fish, a big monitor-lizard on the grassy bank, a green mamba that tries to enter the boat. Since this is the most dangerous snake in the world, we peddle our level best for a while.
The 'Bubugo' is 'only' a grade 4, but because of the violent waves the boat ends diagonal in the water. The waterfall takes her revenge and on the last and most violent wave we are catapulted into the air: boat and all. Everybody is swept away by the rough water, thanks to the life-jackets we're floating again. Rafting is more fun then you can imagine in advance!
Then we approach the biggest and fiercest of them all: 'the Bad Place' .This fall is situated in a bend of the river and is about 300 metres long. From the bank we see how destructive the first part of the fall is. It's so dangerous that people don't raft here, even the most experienced rafters and kayaks don't do it. A bit further the boat is launched in the water again, after which our biggest trial starts. We peddle as hard as we can away from the bank, to be dragged along by the churning water. After two fierce waves we've positioned the boat just right: nose to the front. Right in front of us we see a big hole, in the distance we see the river again. My God, are we going in there? Is this really a grade 5? With a lot of speed we near the depth and dive into the boat, hands firmly on the cord. The boat starts leaning over when we are above the hole, then we fall down with enormous speed. Because of the blow, the nose of the boat dives into the water: we are lifted in the air boat and all, and for a moment the boat stands exactly vertically in the air.

It seems like I hear the waterfall laugh, when everybody around me tumbles out of the boat, yelling and screaming. Then everything is quiet again. The boat lies horizontal again, Peter is the only one still in it. All around him he sees paddles and struggling peoples. We survived! Soaking wet he pulls one after the other into the boat, while the kayak-boys collect the paddles. What a great waterfall. It's very hard to imagine that this might be history in a few years time.
While we're sitting at the fish-barbecue at night we start doubting for the first time between cycling or rafting…

Do you want to raft at one of the most beautiful spots in the world as well?
www.equatorrafts.com