“An Island on the Nile”

I mean, sure, who among us can’t lay claim to an island on the Nile river? Our friend, driver and local guide, Denis, is among that group. He has a small island below the first major set of whitewater below the official source of river at Lake Victoria.

Fun fact: Did you know that the Nile is one of the few major rivers in the world that flows to the north?

From Jinja, we headed north along the east bank of the river, and then descended to a river access point. The further from the main road we got, the simpler the villages and plots of land became. The road eventually became a one-lane dirt road and then we pulled off and hoofed it the rest of the way.

As we approached the shore, our next mode of transport appeared. Everything had been prearranged by one of Denis’ friends that we’d met the evening before. He was Denis’ local guy in Jinja, his “fixer”. Our fixer’s fixer!

It was only a ten minute canoe ride. The canoes were bespoke productions, but sturdy. They were a bit leaky, but bailing apparatus was available if needed.

On the island, Denis showed us around. His plan is to put 6-7 small permanent tents on the island and then ferry people out for overnight stays. The island would be a good launching point for a downstream paddle or destination for a rafting expedition from upstream. Solar power would supply light and water purification capabilities.

The main roadblock preventing this idea taking off is permitting from the Ugandan government. Oh, I suppose making sure there is sufficient infrastructure on the island and shoreline area to support these tourist operations would also be a bit of a snag. But if anyone can figure that out, Denis can!

After seeing all there was to see, exploring all the trails and taking all the pictures, we headed back across the river.

We returned south to the bridge at Jinja and went back north on the other side of the river to a small place overlooking the area where Denis’ island is, a couple hours of driving. It’s there, trust me!

After a light lunch and coffee and/or tea, we dragged ourselves the rest of the way to Kampala. We stopped a few times from roadside stands to pick up local fruits and veggies.

Jeff and Tim were going to spend the next three nights at the Sheraton in Kamapala, but Liz and I were in for a treat because we would be staying with Denis and his family at their home on the north side of the city.