The hook
Where the world's longest river begins, the point at which the White Nile flows out of Lake Victoria to start its 6,000-kilometre journey to the Mediterranean, and one of Africa's best white-water rafting rivers.
01Why it's worth it
The search for the source of the Nile obsessed Victorian explorers, and it was near Jinja that the explorer John Hanning Speke identified the spot where the White Nile pours out of Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake, to begin its immense journey north through Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt. You can take a boat out to the source itself, where a marker and the mingling of lake and river waters commemorate the moment, a genuinely evocative bit of geography and exploration history. But Jinja is now equally famous for adventure: the young Nile below the source tumbles through a series of big, warm-water rapids that make for some of the finest, most thrilling white-water rafting in the world, alongside kayaking, bungee jumping over the river, and quad biking. The relaxed riverside town has a travellers' scene to match. It makes an easy, fun contrast to the intensity of gorilla trekking and the safari parks elsewhere in the country.
02How to experience it
Take a boat to the marked source of the Nile for the history and the setting, then, if you're game, raft the Nile's rapids, which are the real draw for many; gentler float trips and sunset cruises suit the less adventurous. Base in relaxed Jinja, an easy trip from Kampala.